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Your To Do Lists - do they help or hinder?

Written by: Stephanie Calahan

Article Overview: We all have them and many of us would love it if we could find a way to manage them better. To actually Get Things Done! Your To Do Lists - do they help or hinder? 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.

Your To Do Lists - do they help or hinder?

We all have them and many of us would love it if we could find a way to manage them better. To actually Get Things Done! Your To Do Lists - do they help or hinder? 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.

Schedule Your To-Dos
Having a to-do list is more effective if you actually insert each task in an assigned time slot in your daily planner. This way, you have a designated time to do each task and will be less likely to avoid them until the last minute. By making an appointment with yourself, you will be less likely to procrastinate.


Your To Do List is Your Friend -- Tell it Everything
Separate your To Do list into A, B and C priorities. "A" items are important to your long term success, "B" may be urgent but not as important and "C" are those that would be nice to do if you get the time. Start with the A items. Don't work on a C just because it's easy to do. Also, break A items into small manageable chunks, so they're easy to accomplish. Be your own manager. Ask yourself if you have met your goals, and what changes you plan to make to achieve them.


Call Yourself!
If you ever think of items you want to accomplish while you are in the car or other positions that make it hard to write, call yourself! Call the location (home or office) where you want to complete the task and leave yourself a message. You will ensure you do not forget to complete the task and you free your mind to concentrate on what you are doing at the time. Or, check out www.Jott.com. It is a free service that allows you to call and leave a message and they will transcribe to your email or anywhere else you would like.


Use Internet Reminders
There are some great web sites that allow you to enter reminders that will provide free reminders. Use them to email yourself about important meetings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Two that you can check out are: www.birthdayalarm.com and www.regards.com.

Do you have a favorite way to manage your to-dos? Let me know about them. Regardless of the to-do system that you pick, remember the important part is that the items actually get accomplished!

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Article Tags: appointment, daily planner, different ways, habit, last minute, manageable chunks, priorities, term success, time slot



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