Tips,For,Creating,Your,amp,#34 DIY Tips For Creating Your " TO DO " List
When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in
Most successful people use " TO DO " lists. They rangefrom the top CEOs of multi-national companies toentrepreneurs of small businesses. Busy housewives and retired workers - anyone who wants to use their limited time effectively. You can also use these lists to keep you focusedon what really needs to be done, and keep you away from un-important tasks that have no value. The result - more time to do what you want!1. Make It A Daily RecordEvery day you should make a " To Do " list. You will find it invaluable in helping you decide where your priorities lie. 2. The Nuts and Bolts of Your " TO DO " ListWrite down all your outstanding tasks on a sheet of paper,then carefully go through deciding if an item is to be graded as :- A. Urgent. B. Important but not urgent. C. Not urgent nor important. Within categories A and B it will be necessary for you to prioritise so the most urgent task becomes A1, then the next becomes A2 etc. Similarly with the set of tasks you have decided are B. This is not necessary with the C tasks of course. Some people prefer to color code the items instead so with such a system the A tasks may be colored red, the B tasks blue etc. You may choose whatever colors have meaning for you. It really is an individual choice. 3. Using the " TO DO " ListEach morning you must update your "TO DO" list.Bringforward the A,B,and C items not completed the day before on to another sheet of paper.Add new items to the lists after considering carefully where each new item should go. Then review the list and start on the top priorities,crossing off each one as it is finished throughout the day. Some managers prefer to have separate sheets for each type i.e. one sheet for the "A" list, another sheet for the "B" list etc.That way you know you are working on the mosturgent tasks from the listing itself because the A listshould always be on top. So what do you do with the C items? If you have staff, then delegate - if not, decide if you are going to complete them or not. Dispose of all items you decide are not worth doing. Instead of re-writing your list each morning analternative method is to spend the last 15 minutes of your day on your list so that you can start immediately the next day.4. How Pareto's Principle May Help YouPareto was an Italian economist who observed that 20% of the people in Italy owned 80% of the country's wealth. This has been found to have real significance and hasresulted in the 80/20 Rule. Broadly speaking 80% of all results come from 20% of all efforts. So identify which 20% is the most important and you can't help but be more successful. One word of caution - items on the B list which are notcompleted within a reasonable time scale have a habit ofsuddenly becoming a major A item! I have used a "TO DO" list for many,many years and itenabled me to keep on top of my responsibilties and enjoy myfamily life. I sincerely recommend that you use such alist. Copyright ® 2003 Joe McHenry. All rights reserved. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. To find other tips and advice visit http://www.tips-for-boomers.com
Tips,For,Creating,Your,amp,#34