The 6 Most Important Things

Feel like your to-do list looms over you?  Do you feel like you get nothing done because you're daunted by obligations?  Do you look at it and feel like going back to bed?  Well, this post is all about organizing yourself so that you can feel accomplished every day.  When you feel accomplished, you accomplish more!  Instead of having a never ending cycle of dismay, you're going to get into a feeling of cyclical positivity!

You'll need several pieces of paper and a pen.  Optional:  White board & Pen.

Here's the hard part.  The part that makes you hyperventilate.  Write down everything you need to do.  Your laundry, cleaning your bathroom, making dinner, everything.  Look at that list and fight the urge to tear it up.  If you're like me, this list can be pages long.  I told you this was the hard part.  Maybe you're super organized and you have problems coming up with a huge list.  I hate you, but keep making your list.

Now, look through your huge list and find 6 things you absolutely must get done tomorrow.  If your laundry basket is going to explode, put the laundry on the list.  I always have dinner on my list.   If you need to schedule exercise, put it on your list!  Include 15 minutes of client calling on your list.  Try to make at least 3 of your tasks related to work every day.

You might need to go through several drafts, but once you have your six most important things written down, number them in order of easiest to most difficult.  This is your measure of difficulty, not anyone else's.  If laundry is your most difficult task, make it a 6!  If it's calling customers, who cares?  If you have a white message board, this is a great time to write them down in order of difficulty.

Now, tomorrow morning, when you get up, look at your list.  Start with number 6.  You heard me.  Start with the most difficult task on your list and work your way backward.  Why?  Well, if you start with the easiest task on your list and work your way up, you're stuck with that most difficult task looming at you as you progress toward the end of the day.

Homework:  List your 6 most important things for tomorrow on the team page.  Due tomorrow.