{Time to read: 2 minutes} When you have more tasks than time, how do you prioritize?
Some people are great at working off of To Do lists. They are able to get their act together every night and plan the next day, and that’s terrific, but this blog post is for the rest of us. This article is for people like a client I was speaking with recently who asked: How do I get things done?
We all have different ways of dealing with being too busy for our own good. There’s a seemingly endless supply of time management and organizational books out there for consumption – and no shortage of conventions, meetings and seminars, either. I’ve read/seen/attended more than my fair share of these, but none of them ever touched on the 1 idea that spoke best to me:
If something is on my to-do list, it might get done. If it’s on my calendar, it will get done.
The system works by making appointments with yourself, one for each task. If an urgent matter derails your intentions, make sure to reschedule the appointment with yourself – do not “Dismiss” it when prompted. That way nothing slides off the proverbial screen – or calendar, as it were.
Note: Avoid the temptation of adding every single task to your calendar. This will only undermine its usefulness; save this function for the “most important stuff.”
Staying organized, productive and efficient doesn’t have to be overly complicated. I’ve made great strides making appointments with myself in order to accomplish tasks.
What are your secrets to getting things done?
Mark Bullock
Telephone: (631) 754-0800
Email: Mark@phoneBlogger.net
Website:phoneBlogger.net
Right on Mark, I like this idea. Will give it a try.
Thanks,
Clint.
The best way to get things done on a regular basis is to…..
(1) First sit down once a week (same day each week for an hour, preferably on a Sunday) and plan out your week. Then each day during the last 10-15 min of your work day, review what you accomplished that day and what needs to be moved to next day or another day;
(2) Keep a separate journal page in your planner or separate journal book to write down ideas and tasks as they come to you during the day/week. When you sit down on your weekly day, have this in front of you. You will be assured that you won’t forget anything if you write down all your ideas and tasks as they come to you;
(3) Be RESULTS/OUTCOME orientated. Know what you want and then it will make it easier to decide what the real priorities are.
These methods have worked for me. Learned the same from Anthony Robbins program called RPM.
One of my lines is don’t wait until the last minute to do things. Anything you can do today, even if it’s due in 2 weeks, do it now and take it off your list.