Tag: productivity

Bonus Cherry-On-Top Strategic Planning Wear-your-PJs Week

I love this week between Christmas and New Years.  The Bonus Week, Cherry-On-Top Week, Strategic Planning Week, Stay-in-your-PJs-all-week Week.  A lot of offices are closed this week, but whether you are off or not, I hope you still spend some concentrated focus time, looking back and around and ahead at the days to come.  Spend a little time planning this week, and reap the benefits all year long.

(Click here for Dave Crenshaw’s ideas on what he calls HeadStart Week).

Look back.  If you don’t already have a Done List for this current year,  make one now.  Skim your calendar, maybe review your email subject lines.  If you are a social media person, look through your own posts.  My family had a really good year.  Major life events, like Sacraments and Graduations and Awards.  Between the 5 of us, we traveled to over 20 states this year.  We’re healthy and happy and stronger than we were 12 months ago.  My business had a great year, the biggest one so far.  We appreciated our friends and family, made a few new ones and sadly lost a few this year, too.   I have touted my professional Done List in a blog last February, but it’s nice to have a personal Done List, too.

Look Around.  Appreciate what you have and where you are right now.

Now Look Ahead.  It is easier to see where you are going once you know where you have been.  Consider all the different facets of you – personally, professionally, spiritually, physically, emotionally.  I am on the fence about New Years Resolutions, per se, but I do know that now that the holiday rush has slowed, there are some areas of my life I would like to work on – like health and nutrition, and professional development – two areas that get neglected in December!

So what will you do with your extra special extra week?  What will you do this week, that you can look back at 12 months from now?  Get to it!

The Gift Of “Completion”

The Gift Of “Completion”.  Done.  Good enough.  Followed-through. Tied up the loose ends.

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Give yourself and others the gift of “Completion” this week.  The gift of “Done”.

We all know what we are supposed to do, but we don’t always do it.  Go ahead and do it this week.

A client and her spouse challenged each other to complete the homework I assigned a month ago, before taking on more projects.  Completion.  Done.

“Completed” is powerful.  “Done” feels great.

I worked in a client’s home recently, and we discussed “Done” in terms of the items in her dining room awaiting delivery to other destinations (like donated books and a table destined for a co-worker’s art room).  She planned to have her teenagers drop off the items that day, to complete those final steps to clearing out their home space.

I ordered and picked up 20 more photo Christmas cards yesterday, went home, assembled them and sent them out.  Done. I balanced my business check book, updated my bookkeeping and paid my bills today instead of next week, to financially finish (almost) 2014.  I encouraged (nagged) my sons to finish wrapping their gifts so we could be done with the gift wrap.  I dropped off bags of donations, just to get them out of my house.  I went to my annual physical today. Done, done, done.   Whew.

Some days it seems that the last few steps of a project are the hardest to get motivated to complete (and therefore never seem to get done).  But please, push through those last steps, and then revel in Completion and Done.

“Completion” helps us breathe deeply, un-clutter our brain, feel lighter, look up and around, and think about something new for a change.

2014 is quickly wrapping up, and 2015 is almost here!  In what areas can you tie up the loose ends this week and next? Work? Personal?  Correspondence?  Small home projects?  What requires Follow-through?   Take time to wrap up those last steps and complete your projects!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Conquer Email Overload:  Do This, Not That

A coaching client asked for email suggestions last week, so I thought I would share with all of you! email

I’ve been researching a lot about email this week, in preparation for writing this article.

There are the “don’t open your email in the morning” people, who work on their chosen work for a few hours when they get to the office, and then check their email.

There are the “check your email all the time on your smart phone or device” people who do just that, too.

I’ve read about the “zero inbox” movement, but I don’t agree with it.  It uses sophisticated filters to move messages to folders, but folders don’t work for everyone, and just moving email around doesn’t actually complete the work.

There may be people like me, somewhere in the middle: I work virtually. I wake up and check emails just to make sure there are no schedule changes for the day or major crises to handle, then step away from it as I get my family and self and home ready for the day.  Then I step back to it when I can focus on working through what is in my various in-boxes.

Here are some strategies to help you conquer your own email overload!

  1. Do: Recognize that Email is our work, or at least part of it.  We cannot forgo email to do our work, at least not all the time.
  2. Do: Focus on Flow.  Work has flow, and email is part of your work.  So emails need to flow, too: Into your in-box, through your work process, and back out again, responded to or forwarded, then filed in a folder or trashed.
  3. Do: Be grateful for email.  I would never be able to do as much as I do, or communicate as fully with as many people, if I didn’t have email.
  4. Do: Decide when and how to handle your email.  Don’t be a victim of your email!  You. Decide.
  5. Do: Block time to process your emails.  And I mean to read, act and file them.  Here is my process, determine for yourself what types of emails get your attention first, second and third!
    • Log in, then delete everything you can, like all the ads or obsolete newsletters.  Better yet, un-subscribe from mailings lists you no longer need (I’m going to try something called Unroll.me).
    • Check for client correspondence, especially about today (usually important and urgent), which will impact my appointment schedule.
    • Check for presentation correspondence (important, not typically urgent).
    • If there are multiple replies to a conversation, read the most recent reply, which should hold everyone’s responses to date, and file or delete the rest.
    • Mark as urgent (a Star on outlook) the most important messages.
    • Move non-urgent reading items to their own folder, to be read later.  And carve out time every day or a couple of times a week to specifically read through that folder content.
    • Now that you have cleared the email clutter, go back and tackle the emails designated as urgent.
    • A couple of times a day, I also check my personal email, and my facebook messages, too, as FB is the chosen communication method for some of my clients.
  6. Do Not leave your in-box open all day, or have your devices set to send automatic notifications for new email.  DO limit your email-checking to fewer and more purposeful moments during the day.  I’ve changed my settings, and am working on the closing the in-box, too.  Remember, You. Decide.
  7. Do Not send an email message now to say that you will send an email message later.  Set an autoresponder, if you must, with an “email received” message.  “Respond immediately to your email” is one of the least useful tips I read this week in my research.

Take a deep breath, friend.  Think a little differently about your email.  Then get to work!

I Bet Having A Robotic Clone Would Boost My Productivity

robot

Speaking with a client last week, we decided we need our own housekeeper to take care of stuff for us! But as I am unlikely to find an electronic Me any time soon, I need to accomplish my tasks as efficiently as possible!

I recently wrote about Finding Productivity in little bits of times (click here for the article: http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/5-ways-to-find-productivity-in-little-bits-of-time/).  As I wrote that article, I recognized that several of the Errands / Tasks listed, “Post office, newspaper, library, make banking deposit”, could be completed electronically.  For example, I bank and pay bills online, receive subscriptions via my IPad and read books on my kindle.  Since then, I have worked to simplify my errands and tasks using technology.

Even before the Productivity article, we had eliminated a number of regular errands through technology or automation, and you can try these, too!

  • Our regular prescriptions come by mail in 3 month supplies.
  • Our vitamins and nutritional supplements come by mail every three months, too.
  • I upload digital photos to the Walgreens website and pick up the printed items in-store.
  • Since 2012, I shop for cleaning supplies and personal items directly with a manufacturer that is USA based, eco-friendly, cost effective and ships directly to me. (If you would like to hear more about this opportunity, I encourage you to call my friend Mary Damiani, 708-699-6538, who shared it with me.  She can help you understand the value, plus answer your questions.) I’ve saved time and money by NOT shopping in stores for these items! Once a month, I place my on-line order and my items arrive a few days later.
  • Last November, we subscribed to Amazon Prime through Amazon.com. We pay an annual fee but no shipping costs for Amazon.com orders.  The membership paid for itself by Christmas.  Now, instead of shopping in stores, I check Amazon – for example, my husband has been watching Amazon.com prices on a replacement electric razor, and ordered it during a sale last week, with free shipping, of course.

To save even more time running errands, since July, I have tried these, and you can, too:

  • Set up my IPad to download books from my library.  It’s free, easy and I read more now than ever!
  • Fully embraced my PayPal Reader, so that I can receive client payments on my smart phone.
  • Downloaded my bank’s mobile app, but decided for safety sake not to make deposits from my phone.  I am, however, exploring how to deposit checks from my home computer.
  • Established a credit card for my business, so that I can use electronic transactions more.
  • Ordered items on-line for pick up in actual stores, like Lowes or Home Depot.  I don’t have to walk around the store and find what I need, instead its waiting for me when I arrive.
  • Downloaded apps for favorite restaurants to view menus, order food and / or organize special offers.

There are still some errands and tasks I have to complete in person.  Dropping off our dry-cleaning, getting a haircut, trying on clothes, getting my vacuum repaired.  But when I do run errands, I plan ahead.  I know exactly where the vacuum repair shop is located, or I make a haircut appointment so I don’t have to wait.

So, look at your errand or task list this week.  Imagine how you could simplify your list and your life by taking care of some tasks electronically!

Other great blog articles I read this week re Productivity:

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/10/amazons-brick-and-mortar-store-shouldnt-come-as-a-surprise/

http://bennisinc.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/have-you-fallen-into-the-deadly-trap-of-time-management/

5 Ways to Find Productivity in Little Bits of Time

Since Chicago is a transportation hub, we have train and truck traffic in my neighborhood, and we hourglassget stuck by trains.  Drivers get justifiably aggravated with train traffic.  My Village of Evergreen Park listed the customer service number for a troublesome train line on their lighted marquee… right next to an intersection often blocked by those trains.  Genius!

I confess, I enjoy getting stopped by a train, so long as it’s a brief stop.  It is a reasonable excuse for being a few minutes late – texting “Train.  Sorry.  Be there soon”, folks will understand.  And it’s a mini-break in the midst of a busy day.  I grab a productive few minutes to check email, make a call, send a text, clean out my bag or car, or just play a game of Sudoku on my Iphone. As an added bonus, I find having something to do while I wait distracts me from getting aggravated, too.

We all benefit from improved time management and productivity.  Productivity means getting things done, managing our tasks and time well, taking good care of our responsibilities and relationships.  It means taking care of business effectively, so we can move on to something else.  I prefer to work in large, uninterrupted blocks of time, but rarely get that luxury.  Subsequently, I work hard to make the most of little bits of time, stuck by a train or between appointments, tasks, obligations and fun, especially in the summer!

Ideas for Finding Productivity in Little Pieces:

  1. Recognize that large tasks are comprised of related small tasks.  For example, I have “Client Care” on my to-do list every Tuesday.  “Client care” consists of emailing, texting or calling 5-10 clients, to arrange or confirm appointments, or just check in, and can occur in little pieces around other appointments and activities.  Any 2 or 3 minute pause can be used for “Client Care”.
  2. Keep a detailed to-do list.  “Run Errands” is not detailed enough.  “1. Drop off donations; 2. Pick up order at doctor’s office; 3. Make banking deposit; and 4. Drop off dry cleaning” is detailed.  And with today’s personal to-do list in hand, you can accomplish these tasks around other blocks of time on your schedule.  An errand or two on the way to work, at lunch and on the way home.  Details are key.
  3. Set your brain on a task or a question, and be open to the answer.  At the top of my to-do list I write “Unique gift idea for wedding?”  Or “Creative blog topic for next Tuesday?”  I’m always amazed at the people or ideas that come to me when I do this, providing inspiration!  Perhaps song lyrics, a client question, an on-line article, even a billboard.  I could waste a lot of time and mental energy forcing ideas or I can just let them come to me in small pieces.
  4. Boost productivity and assign “time allotments” to your tasks.  Looking at today’s tasks, I assign 5-10-15-30 and 60 minute labels to them.  Then throughout my day, when I have a few minutes, I can reach for the 5 or 10 minute tasks (make appointment, confirm client, make grocery list) and complete them in those little bits of time.
  5. Create a habit of checking and re-checking your efforts during your day. Many times a day, I stop and ask myself if I am working on what I need to be working on.  Or, am I aimlessly following links on Facebook?  I am not suggesting that you can’t just relax for a few minutes – relaxing is necessary for productivity, too!  But I am suggesting that we relax for a few minutes, and then return to the task at hand.

Next time you find yourself stuck by a train, in line at Starbuck’s, or waiting for your kids to get out of practice, seize the moment.  Breathe deeply and gently stretch your neck from side to side.  Then think through today’s tasks and spend a productive few minutes.  These little bits of productive time really add up by the end of the day!

Dedicated to JS, thanks for editing with me!

Swap 60 Minutes With Your Mail for 167 Worry-Free Hours! 

Does this sound familiar? mailbox-clip-art_436249

Piles of new / old / opened / mystery mail are scattered on flat surfaces all over your home.  Somewhere there’s a utility bill that might be due, and that reimbursement check from work is missing.  You are always vaguely worried about business falling through the cracks.

You’re not alone.  I worked with a client just last week with a similar challenge, and here’s how we cleaned up her surfaces, took care of this week’s mail and took care of business, in no time at all. Try it for yourself!

First, we collected the mail from the hall table, kitchen counter, dresser, mail box and desk top.  We wiped off a counter top, and made some space to get to work.

As we worked, I shared these truths with my client:

  1. The Pareto Principle (a.k.a. The 80/20 Rule)
    1. 80% of what we use in 20% of what we have.
    2. In business, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of our business comes from 20% of our clients.
    3. In a closet, the 80/20 rule says that if we own 10 pairs of pants, we wear the same 2 or 3 all the time.  In the kitchen, if we have 10 appliances, we use the same 2 or 3 every day.
    4. And if we get 10 pieces of mail today, we actually need to keep and act on 2 or 3.
  2. You will receive mail you don’t need and didn’t ask for.  Just because someone sent you something doesn’t mean you need it.
  3. Your daily mail is unlikely to contain anything truly urgent.
  4. Once you’re organized, maintenance takes no time at all.
  5. Sometimes a conscious effort once a week to work on mail all the way to completion is better than halfhearted dealings every day.

With these truths in mind, we tackled this week’s mail (and you can, too!):

  1. We pulled out ads and old newspapers, and recycled them.
  2. We pulled out magazines, confirmed my client actually wanted to read them, and created a reading pile.
  3. Next we opened up every envelope.  Why?
    1. Just like the book and cover analogy, you can’t judge your mail by the envelope.  For example, health insurance reimbursement checks look just like Explanation of Benefit envelopes.  In addition, credit card solicitations don’t always look personalized on the outside envelope, but can contain personal information inside and therefore require shredding.
    2. We can recycle parts of every mail item. For example, my client’s ComEd envelope contained a bill page, a return envelope, a “customer privacy info” sheet and an advertisement.  We kept only the bill page, as she pays her bill on-line and didn’t need the return envelope,
  4. Next, we put the “bills to pay” and the follow-up items in a small pile, for my client to complete when our session was over.  Since we had purged 80% of the papers, there were only 3 or 4 action items, which will take maybe 15 minutes to complete.
  5. We took out the recycling, shred a few papers containing personal info and filed the rest (just a few).
  6. Total elapsed time – 15 minutes. Done and Done.

For many of us, tackling the mail once a week is enough.  And by “tackling”, I mean taking our daily mail all the way from the mailbox to complete and filed.  This approach requires up to an our once a week, uninterrupted, but surely an hour of hard work and focus is worth the freedom from paper management tasks for the other 167 hours!  Give it a try!

Less Searching, More TIme, Less Dirt, More Focus? Must be Clean Off Your Computer Day!

Today is “Clean Off Your Computer Day”, designated by savvy IT people to clean old files off your computer – Embrace it!  I am a PC user, and not familiar with Mac, but some suggestions are universal, so read on for ideas to make your system work better for you!

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Grab a note book.  These types of projects generate a lot of other to-do items.
  2. Clean up your actual computer:
    1. Turn off and unplug (if possible) everything.
    2. Locate and wipe off your computer’s fan(s).  My IT guy says this very important step is often neglected, and skipping it can hamper computer performance.  Keep your computer area de-cluttered to maintain good airflow.
    3. Grab your can of compressed air, and blow out your keyboard.  It’s amazing (and disgusting) what lands in there.
    4. Since everything is turned OFF, with an ALMOST DRY antibacterial wipe, wipe down your keyboard and mouse. I said ALMOST DRY, so if you do this wrong and screw up your electronics, I have 100s of witnesses who read “ALMOST DRY” and who know I am not responsible.  Let everything dry completely.
    5. With a DRY and clean microfiber cloth, wipe off your screen.
    6. Since the compressed air is going to blow stuff around, use a slightly wetter wipe and wipe down your work area.  It’s typically a very germy place.
  3. I often get asked:  HOW DO I WIPE AN OLD COMPUTER SO I CAN RECYCLE IT?
    1. Every computer is different, so run a google search on “How do I remove the hard drive from xxxxxxxxxxx (brand and type of computer)”.  You will receive an instant answer involving a screwdriver and about 20 minutes of your time, and perhaps even links to you-tube videos to walk you through the process.
    2. Once the hard drive is removed, google E-Waste recycling in your area and get rid of the old computers, monitors and printers.  Many towns have permanent drop sites for such things as old computers and printers, TVs and almost anything else with a cord.
  4. Storage:  Back up, back up, back up.  External hard drive or cloud, take your pick.  This will be a blog for another day.  Just know you should be backing up your computer.
  5. Manage Your Hard Drive Better:
    1. Operating systems are getting cleverer with their search capabilities, but you can still save time by setting up your system better now to find things later.
    2. When you search for something, sort documents in your hard drive in reverse chronological order, all the time.  Click on the “Date modified” column on your Documents Library page until your most recently used documents are listed at the top.
    3. DO NOT just have one large folder with everything in it.  Just thinking about that idea makes me cringe.  A single cluttered directory makes finding anything very frustrating.
    4. Use Naming Conventions and subdirectories when you save your folders and documents.  For example, my business subdirectory contains a folder called “Presentations”.  Within that folder, I have subfolders for each type of presentation I give (so, Time Management, Kitchen and Menu Planning, Paper Management, etc.).  Within those folders, I have the actual presentation notes, but also the Handouts associated with the presentation, all starting with HO plus the presentation name, so I know which is which.  I use similar rules for naming other things, too, to quickly find files when I need them.
    5. My IT guy saves his documents first to large folders per Application.  For example, he has both a C:Excel and C:Word folder.  He suggests this strategy helps him find things faster.  Within those very broad “type” names, he then breaks down his files into categories.
    6. My saving method is categorical.  For example, I volunteer with Cub Scouts, Choir and Baptismal Prep Ministry.  Each of these important-to-me categories has its own sub-folder in my main drive, with a folder for each year or project, again to help me find my files quickly.

My clean-out-your-computer day activity may be deleting any documents more than 2 years old, or within category folders if those categories no longer pertinent (for example, “completed clients from 2012 and before”, etc.).  Clearing computer clutter will help you save time and focus more clearly.  What will your clean-out your-computer day activity look like?

Stay Productive When All The World Is a Distraction!

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This time of year, do you struggle to maintain focus in the midst of all the holiday hustle, bustle and hype?  I know I do.  After a busy family weekend of volunteering, parties and activities, I sat down Monday morning at my desk already tired, and opened my in-boxes to hundreds of email.  Gah!  I fought the temptation to run and hide, but it got me thinking about how to Stay Productive and On Task When all the World Seems Like a Distraction!

So here are some tips to help us all out:

1.  Clear the clutter in your work space.  Spend 10 minutes and file your filing, tidy your resources, clear the trash, wash your coffee mug (and swap it out for a holiday themed one).  Take a few deep breaths and enjoy your cleared space. Then get back to work.

2.  Clear the clutter in your in-box.  Ruthlessly delete emails. A tip from my paper management classes that applies to email, too:  Catalogs and email advertisements are sent with the specific intention of making you buy stuff.  If you don’t want to shop right now, delete the emails.  Or put them in a folder to open later, and put “Review sale emails” on your to-do list with a date and time and time allotment attached (give it 10 or 15 minutes, then move on).

3.  Decorate your work space, but just a little. For safety sake, no candles.  And for health sake, no candy jar or food-scented anything (it will just make you hungry)!  I have a single lovely large decoration hanging in my window.  I bought it from a crafty friend, and it is the extent of my decorations around my desk.  Remember, any decorations you put out now will be clutter in 4 weeks.

4.  Clear the clutter in your calendar and on your to-do list.  I started the day with a dozen quick and easy tasks on my work to-do list – send invoices, follow-up with emails / schedule a client for Wednesday, etc. (and I deleted over 200 emails accumulated over the weekend in my personal and business email accounts).  Whew!

5.  Employ hard stops.  We all know when an event will start, but we don’t always know when it will / should end.  A friend opened her home to a group of us over the weekend, and served us a lovely meal.  It was wonderful.  And then we all packed up and left 2 hours after we started, so she could get to her next event.  She gave us a hard stop, a specific end time, before we began and we tried to stick to it.  We should employ hard stops all year ‘round, but especially when time and productivity are at a premium.

6.  Don’t get distracted.  Check in many, many times a day / hour / minute to make sure you are on-task and doing what you actually intended to do today, and not mindlessly browsing the internet, watching tear-jerking videos on Facebook, or chatting too long with a friend at the grocery store (a little while was awesome, though, catching up with a friend in the produce section).  Compartmentalize, and set timers if you must.

7.  Multitask.  Put the cookies in the oven, then write your blog (oh, maybe that’s just me – molasses cookies with white chocolate kisses right now).  I don’t often recommend multitasking, but sometimes we must.   Run errands on your commute, use your time well.  I have taken to checking my email remotely on my phone so I know how to order my tasks when I get home.

8.  Set professional goals, even though you’re busy with other things.  Keep your professional focus, and make one or two more goals for this month, to give you some accountability and keep you on track.

I hope this helps you clear some brain and life clutter and maintain focus on your professional goals this time of year.  Merry Christmas!  Now get back to business!

5 Tips for the Wake Up / Clean Up / Eat Up / Get Out Process!

I recently read this blog article, “20 Unproductive Habits You Should Let Go“, and this was #10:

“#10:  Not having structure.  You don’t need to set a rigid schedule for yourself, Sergeant Crazy! Creating a general morning and evening routine will give you creative pillars to depend on so you can take more risks throughout the day.”

I l-o-v-e this statement. – imagine, general morning and evening routines give us a base for operating more fearlessly throughout the day.  Awesome!

There once was a teenager who abandoned her routine on days off.  Sleeping late, eating irregularly, not showering or getting ready as usual.  Sounds pleasant enough, until sleeping and eating late caused migraines, and not-getting-ready meant that she couldn’t be spontaneous or on time when she made plans with friends.

We can see the trouble so easily with the teenager, but fast-forward this scene to adulthood.  We all know, and may even occasionally be, the late sleeper, irregular eater, unwashed masses or non-routine person, which is fine once in a while.  But most days require us to get up and moving.  And a little planning can make morning time and anytime flow smoothly, providing both strength and structure, and flexibility and creativity.

Here are some tools and tips to make the wake up / clean up / eat up / get out process go better.

  1. Make it your Own.  Wake up early and do yoga or write.  Wring every ounce of sleep from your pillow and sleep late.  I won’t judge.  But if you tend to sleep late, minimize your shower routine, lay out your clothes the night before, and grab granola bars and apples for a portable breakfast.  Don’t let me tell you what to do, do what you want.  Just plan ahead.
  1. If you’re in charge, Focus!  Eyes on the goal, Mom or Dad!  The Goal for the Morning Routine is  getting everyone to school / work prepared and on time! I get up and shower by 6, so everyone else can stick with their routines.  But early morning focus and motivation are often lacking!  So I have to look past my pillow, or my IPad for email and Facebook, or my work and to-do list, or even the novel I was reading in bed last night.  Some mornings require lots of internal reminders and hard-won discipline, but I must keep my eyes on the goal to get us where we need to be when we need to be there.
  1. Make it a Team Effort: Whenever I present to parents, I encourage a team approach and asking for collaboration from children when establishing morning routines.  We all want to feel that our opinion matters, and that we have control over our situation.  Set the examples, and discuss what needs to happen and how.
  1. Keep it Simple. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you are maxed out, keep morning chores to a minimum and just cover the basics.  I have a bad habit of loading too many things into my morning: juggling wake up times with drop off times, fitting in writing and emails and billing and scheduling around drop-offs, drop-ins, laundry and spelling words occasionally makes me me crazy.  So I try to limit my work tasks before 8:30 to bare essentials.  As a self-employed business owner with a non-traditional schedule, that’s a challenge, but I try!
  2. Slack off occasionally, but still stick with routine:  Even on days off, I still get up early, shower and get ready.  So when the little guy asked to get donuts at 7:15, the answer was yes!  We could have fun and be flexible over a box of munchkins and a bagel because we had stuck to our routines.

So, rise and shine, give your morning routine some thought and Get Going!!  Have a great day!

Prioritize Your Tasks And Get Them Done!

Our Daily To-Do lists can overwhelm us, so it is important to Prioritize our tasks.  We juggle many responsibilities, each with it’s own set of to-do’s.   To avoid planning more 001that we can actually, feasibly accomplish in one day, here are a couple of tools that I employ –

  1. Put the Three Things that absolutely have to get done today at the top of your list.  At many times during the day,  I stop and ask “Is that what I really want / need to be doing at this moment?”  (preempting mindless email checking or web surfing!).
  2. Spend 5 minutes, and move non-essential tasks to    a different day’s list.   Divvy up your to-do’s into:
    1. Today
    2. This week
    3. Next week
    4. Someday
  3. Time allotments.  Once you have today’s To-Do list, allot time estimates for tasks.  This helps me plan my work flow and determine if I can really get through everything.
    1. Time allotments let me decide how long to dedicate to a task.  I could easily spend all day writing my blog, but there are lots of other things that need done, too. I block out a couple of hours to get it done well, then I move onto something else.  Conversely, some tasks really only take 5 minutes.  So get them done!
    2. If the time allotment for a task is just too big, break the task into smaller pieces.  For example, re-vamping my website is a time-consuming task.  But this week, I can complete the first couple of steps, “Review site and determine what stays / goes”, and “check out links recommended for templates / hosting”.
  4. Put your tasks in order of intended completion.  Order them as you like:
    1. Shortest to longest.  Complete the quick and easy tasks first, to motivate yourself and clear the way for the more time-consuming tasks.
    2. Order of importance: Get the Three Things done first, so you are sure they get       done.
    3. Work for others first, and then yourself.  If you have timely work that matters to others, complete those tasks first so the other people can get started on their tasks.
    4. Prioritizing to the Revenue Line (from Julie Morgenstern).  I own a business, and businesses are supposed to make money.  I can order my day based on income – make the bank deposit, complete the client hours, teach the class, book more client appointments and classes, etc.  When all of those are complete, THEN I can look at non-essential tasks like website research.
  5. Stop wasting time and energy on Avoidance and Dread.  Pick a day, Man Up (I have sons) and do the 2 or 3 noisome tasks you’ve been avoiding.  Allot the time, set a timer, get them done, then move on.  “Avoiding something” is still an action, and drains our energy.  Just do it.
  6. Be Kind to Yourself.  I will not vaguely suggest you “Should make time for You”, because being told that just irks me.  But add a few things to your daily To-Dos that are kind to You, that give you strength to complete your tasks.  The top of my To-Do list every day reads “Proverbs 14:15 says, ‘A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”.  Also at the top is a list of tasks I complete  every day to live a better life.   They’re habits, but I like the reminders: “Take vitamins”, “exercise”, “read Scripture”, my household tasks for my home hour, etc.

So, the next time the Daily To-Do List gets a little out of hand, try one of these ideas to help you focus in and Prioritize what you really need to do today!