Productivity & Leadership

We all have them and many of us would love it if we could find a way to manage them better. There are a number of ways to document and track to do lists. Different strategies will work for different people. The trick is to find a system that works for the way that you think.

Today I will talk about 4 different ways to manage your to-do lists. Decide if you want to try one of these methods and then give it a chance to work for you for at least 21 days. People often don’t give a change a chance to become a habit.

Review your to-do list at the beginning of each day or at the end of each day. Schedule your time so the most important tasks get done first. That way, if you do get interrupted, at least your most urgent needs have been met.

Computers have made our world a much more information rich society, but they have also created so much information that it is sometimes hard to track it all.

Most business owners average about 100 pieces of e-mail per day!

Additionally, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers, e-mail has added one to two hours to each person’s work schedule per day compared to 10 years ago.

Here are a few tips to lighten your in-box.

Even with the influx of smart phones, many people still stick with their paper planners.

There is something about writing on paper that makes them comfortable and pleased. If you love your paper too, check out these strategies to make the most of your planning tool.

Today, I’m sharing 6 strategies to make the most of your paper planner.

My mom is amazing. I’m so lucky that I can say that. Not only did she raise 3 rowdy kids, but the home we lived in was always clean, organized and comfortable. We did not have much, Dad was a teacher and you know they don’t make much, but we were really happy and always seemed to have what we needed.

Mom was and still is, amazing at fitting things into small spaces too! She has a great eye for what can fit in a closet or a shelf or anywhere else. She is so good that she has fooled most of the movers they have ever had. They totally underestimate how much she has in her home. She makes a lot more fit into one cabinet than what most would.

So, on with my list! Some of the things I have learned from my mom about organization:

The other night I was staying at a hotel because I was delivering a workshop this morning. As we always do when I’m traveling, as I get ready to go to sleep my husband and I talk on the phone.

He opens the conversation with this: “My keys are in the refrigerator.”

Of course, that caught my attention and I was curious, so I asked him why he might have chosen that particular location. . .

He goes on to explain that he put the keys in the fridge right on top of our son David’s lunch bag. You see, David normally eats a school lunch, but today they were going on a field trip, so they needed a packed lunch. “I didn’t want to forget it,” my husband said. . . and he didn’t!