Month: March 2012

The Key to Sticking to Your Task List

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

I’ve been thinking about why it can be hard to keep an up to date task list. Is it finding the right system? Hanging out with other people who create and keep up with task lists? Is it making the time each day and week to keep current with the daily tasks as well as the steps for that big goal or project?

All those things play a part and can help or hinder your efforts to stay on top of your tasks. However, the more I think of it the root of the issue is habits.

In my previous job I carefully tracked my time. I had to – my time was billable. As a result, I felt that as much time as possible should spent doing billable work. I didn’t want to spend time creating task lists. I’d figure out the next thing I needed to be working on when I finished the current task. Well, that didn’t always work out too well for me. Sometimes I’d completely forget about something or spend a lot of time sorting through things trying to remember or decide what to do next.

Productive, that’s always the goal – right? It’s not productive to sit and look at all the things you could be doing. It is productive to jump into a task and get it completed, or at least make progress. You might not really believe that, but look at your day – isn’t that what your doing by not creating some sort of plan for your day?

This is where habits come in. When something is a habit, you do it without thinking too much about it. It’s something you just do. Like brushing your teeth every night.

I recommend creating the next day’s task list the night before and then reviewing it first thing in the morning. This accomplishes two things. (1) When you create your list at the end of the day your work is still fresh in your mind. If you wait until the morning that task that was really important yesterday might be forgotten. (2) Reviewing your list first thing in the morning gives you a nice snapshot of your day.

Is this a habit that would be helpful to you? If so, try it out for a week and see how things go. If not, what other habits around staying on top of your tasks do you want to create?

So Much To Do, So Little Time.. Oh Look, New Email!

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

Here’s the scene: you’re at your computer and you know what you want to work on next and you’re going to start it when you notice you have new email! Well, better go and check that. Oh, and it’s something you can handle now – so you do. And then you remember something you should check on… Pretty soon an hour (or two) has gone by and now you’re trying to figure out what it was you were originally going to work on.

Sound familiar? Everybody has had days like this. Jumping from one thing to another and getting things done, but they aren’t the things that you wanted to get done. And they might not be the things that are really important to get done.

So, how do we avoid this all too common situation? Well, I have a few tips.

  1. Get more sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep we have problems focusing and our overall productivity goes down – basically we have problems concentrating.
  2. Check email only at certain times. Pick two or three times throughout your day to check your email and stick to it!
  3. Set a time limit. When you do check your email, decide how long you’re going to spend with it. Set a timer if you want to, it will help you stay on track.
  4. Set up filters. Set up filters that send newsletters or unimportant emails into a different folder. Generally newsletters come from a specific address, making them easy to sort out. Also, set up a time at the end of the week to go through this folder (give yourself a time limit). Anything that you don’t have time for, delete! And you’ll probably notice two things (1) you’re regularly deleting the emails from the same person/company each week or (2) you have no idea who this person/company is. In either case, you can unsubscribe from their list.
  5. Close your email program. The emails will still be there later, I promise. I knowthis one can be hard! But it makes it a little harder to just go and check your email quickly – which can be just enough to discourage a quick email check.

Try one of these tips and let me know your results!

Moving and Goals – What Do They Have In Common?

by EvieBurke, posted in Goals

The other weekend my husband and I helped a friend move. There were about a dozen of us helping out. She had already packed everything into boxes that she labeled with the room the contents belonged in. And the rented moving truck was waiting in the street for us to start moving boxes and furniture into.

My parents tell a story about a friend of theirs that they helped move many years ago. When they showed up on moving day ready to help move boxes they found nothing had been packed. So, they quickly and haphazardly started putting things in boxes. It was a long day.

Which moving process do you think went quickly, smoothly and had less stress?

The one with more planning and work done prior to moving day is the obvious answer. By the time my husband and I left in the early afternoon all the boxes were moved into the new house. The boxes weren’t all in the rooms that they belonged in, but they were close by and grouped together. Each bedroom had the bed put together and made and clothes were put away. So, even though not everything was unpacked and put away, the things that they needed in the next 12 to 24 hours were available.

As for my parent’s story, I think at the end of the day all the boxes were in the new house, but no one knew what was in each box and I’m guessing their friend might have spent the night on a mattress on the floor.

So, which approach do you take? And I’m not talking about moving house and home. When you have a goal or a project that you want done do you break it down into pieces and do those things ahead of time? Do you ask for help so things go quickly and smoothly?

A quick breakdown of the successful move:

  • She had a goal with a specific date.
  • All the needed pre-work was done prior to that date (packing, labeling, and cleaning the new place).
  • She asked for and received help from friends and family (and everyone played nicely together).
  • Everyone was clear on the goals and what their strengths were and applied them accordingly.
  • She showed everyone she appreciated their help by (1) feeding everyone and (2) she gave everyone a personal thank you and hug

So, how do you take this example and apply it to the goals and projects in your life?

  • Define your goal / project
  • Give it a due date
  • Make a list of all the tasks that will make your goal/project a success
  • Complete the tasks in a timely manner.
  • Know your strengths and ask for help where needed
  • When asking for help, be clear what you expect from the other person (and when you expect it)
  • Show appreciation for those that helped you reach your goal!
  • Celebrate when you reach your goal!

What steps would you add that help make a goal or project successful?

Are You Interested Or Committed?

by EvieBurke, posted in Goals

I was thinking about what to write this week when this quote popped into my head:

Interested people do what is convenient. Committed people do whatever it takes.

I’ve heard this term applied to entrepreneurs who want to have a successful business. Basically the question is – are you interested or committed to have a successful business?

However, the real question is:  Are you interested or committed to achieving your goals?

And that question is for everyone.

Do you have a list of goals? Pull them out or if they’re in your head – write them down. Look at each goal: are you interested in achieving that goal or are you committed to achieving it?

Interested says: I’d really like to achieve this goal, it’d be cool!

Committed says: I will achieve this goal and here is what I’m doing.

Which ones do you think you’ll achieve? The one’s you’re interested in or the one’s you’re committed to? Yep, you’re most likely to achieve the goals that you’re committed to.

Take another look at those goals that you’re interested in.  Be really honest with yourself – why do you want to achieve those goals? Because your friend or colleague did? Because someone else told you that you should? Or because you think you should? Do you really need me to tell you that those reasons probably won’t motivate you?

Can you move from interested to committed? Yep! But you need a better reason than “I want to keep up with the Jones’s”. What does achieving that goal really mean to you? What will change by achieving that goal and how is that different from where you are now?

Motivation for a goal you’re committed to comes from within you and not from someone else. It gets you fired up and willing to step outside your comfort zone. It’s powerful.

What goals are you committed to?