Organized To-Do Lists

To-Do List- Creating a Workable Workday.

         Once you’ve organized your calendar you can start to create a meaningful to-do list. The to-do list is the current list of project points that you need to complete to keep your day on schedule, your projects on track, and your clients happy. My to-do list not only includes work related items but personal items as well.

         The best advice I ever discovered was to avoid getting bogged down in the detail planning and color coordinating of any planning system. I keep one calendar and one to-do list but highlight the items that are work assignments to quickly see them against personal to-dos and appointments. If you spend more than 10% of your working day trying to determine what you need to do on any specific day, you’re not making any money and not really working.

Everyday I start the same way:

1. I review calendar appointments for the current day. I take a minute to verify that all materials for those meetings are prepared. If I have to travel to a meeting, I schedule travel time on my calendar this avoids the dreaded “double booking.”

2. Then I review calendar appointments for the next day. I make sure that all materials and projects that must be prepared for those meetings are done or on today’s to-do list as top priority items.

3. Next, I’m on to my to-do list. I review and complete my daily to-do’s. I try to keep my daily to-do list down to 2 or 3 items. Here is another great place to follow the 10% rule. If I spend more than 10% of my workday doing the same things over and over again, I take a good look at those tasks and determine if they are helping to grow my business. If the tasks are administrative, take up too much time, or don’t generate new ideas for the business look for ways to outsource or automate these tasks.

4. Tackle the top priority items, prepare/finalize information for tomorrow’s meetings.

5. Complete key items that need to be done today. Key items for me are usually projects that need to be completed soon.

6. Review to-do list, noting due dates. Work on project to-do’s as developed by the to-do list. Some projects may not be due soon or might have a week or more of time left. These I work on last but I do work on them. Also, don’t skip from one to-do to another, I start at the top of the list and work on each one as much as possible. Once I’ve worked my way through my to-do list, I’m done working for the day.

         The to-do list is a constantly evolving list, one item may create two or three more items. When I get a new client, a client file is created which includes a goal sheet. My active client files are reviewed weekly and I translate the goals into weekly to-dos. Weekly To-do’s are short goals at this point, what I want to accomplish for this client this week. Anything longer continues to be a goal. These weekly to-do’s are entered on my list. When I start to work on one and find an issue or have a great idea on how to proceed, I enter that onto my to-do list and work on my new shorter to-do first.

         There was a time when most of my day was bogged down trying to determine where to start, and what project to work on. I developed this plan to keep me focused on the important tasks. The tasks that are less productive, which really mean they don’t make me any money, wait until I have time. As someone who works for themselves I don’t like having set hours for work and play and with an organized calendar and to-do list I can choose that great sale at the mall and work later.