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Time Management: Make it a no-brainer
by Denise Landers
Published on this site: November 27th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
How much do you have running around in your head right now? There are
tasks to remember to do, projects to develop, things to worry about, and
the future to anticipate. With so much shuffling around, fighting to gain
prominence in your thoughts, how can you prioritize your day?
Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher, claimed, "A man's
life is what his thoughts make of it." That can be pretty scary,
if you manage to actually find the time to reflect on the meaning.
One solution is to be sure that you always write down everything. It clears
your mind, ensures that you will not overlook a task or deadline, and
allows you to prioritize. However, do not create long ToDo lists. Instead
write down one thing only on a sheet of paper, and file that in a Daily
Action filing system according to the day or upcoming month when you might
be able to get to it. It is okay if you have to move it to another day.
At least it will not be forgotten, and it frees your mind to focus on
the most important activities of the current day instead of keeping one
part of your mind constantly trying to recollect all that you have to
do after this day's work is completed.
At the end of each day, you can take out the next day's papers listing
each of the activities you hope to work on, and you can prioritize the
single sheets so that when you start your new day, you immediately know
where to begin.
However, you do not always have a full sheet of paper handy. I recommend
to my clients that they carry index cards with them at all times. These
cards are both sturdier and less expensive than stick-on notes. Any time
a thought comes into your head, jot it down on the index card. Remember,
only record one item per card.
When you come into your office or home, take the cards out and drop them
into your inbox or basket. At the time you process the latest stack of
mail from your index, attach the card to a full sheet of paper. You do
not want to waste extra time rewriting anything, and you also do not want
the small card to be lost in a folder. That full sheet of paper is what
gets placed in your Daily Action file.
I call these index cards my "No Brainer" cards. Nothing is ever
overlooked because you have taken it out of your mind and placed it into
an Action file. Your brain is freed to focus on current activities.
Even if there is no specific date that something needs to be worked on,
but it is something you want to recall sometime in the future, you can
create a "Someday" file. That folder might include a new restaurant
you want to try, a book to order in the future, ideas for a new marketing
brochure..The key is that it is an item you do not want to forget, even
if you cannot anticipate when you might have a chance to pursue the action.
Once you get the hang of carrying these index cards with you and writing
everything down, you will find the stress of remembering things is gone.
Try it. It's a "no brainer."
Denise Landers: As a productivity trainer and organizing specialist,
Denise Landers works with companies, governments, educational institutions,
as well as individual business owners and managers, to develop efficient
systems for handling daily work flow. Learn to work smarter today - http://www.KeyOrganization.com
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