Getting those ducks in a what?

Remember how I was writing several posts on time management and planning? Remember how I was going to do more posts on that?? I pretty much get a big fail on this one. Dangit.

This would be one of those good examples of how I am not a very good finisher. The night I began writing these posts I was super inspired about it and had it all written in my head. But I could only get a few typed up that night before I just had to get in bed. A few days later I tried to finish it up and realized I had nothing to say about it... why was I writing this again?? Haha, see this is why I have a blog. If I didnt write things as they came into my brain I would lose so many memories or thoughts!

So sorry if there were any of you who actually cared about these posts and wanted them to continue. Congrats to those of you who could care less about those posts, there will be no more torture for you.

But for those of you that do want to work on time management and planning here are a few suggestions to check out:

• Simple Mom- She has a whole category on this, just scroll down and look to the right.
• Organizing your way
• Passionate Homemaking

Getting those ducks in a row... Step 3

Over the next week or two, I am taking some time to talk about planning. If you missed it, check out my last few posts on choosing a planner that's right for you & making a to-list for home and work.

Now on to the next step:

3. Identify the MIT's* (Most Important Things) :

Now that you have a list of what needs to be done, its time to think through what the "Most Important Things" (as Tsh from SimpleMom.net calls them) to do are. Basically these are the few things from your to do list (she recommends only having three) that are the most important to get done. If nothing else happens, these will.

This is a popular strategy utilized in all time management systems. One of my favorites is in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" where Stephen Covey says everything we do fits into one of four quadrants:

1. urgent and important
2. not urgent and important
3. urgent and not important
4. not urgent and not important

We need to be identifying which quadrant everything on our list is in. Is doing my laundry urgent and important? Well this depends on how long it has been since I last did laundry and how much clothing we have left to wear. Where does answering the phone fall? Typically we treat the phone as urgent- we answer it as soon as it rings. But actually we have a great thing today called Caller ID which can help us determine if answering the phone is an urgent need or not. The trick here is too look at that To Do list and think through where everything fits.

See this is where most of us fail in our productivity endeavors. We just start with the top of the list, or whatever we think should be first, and sporadically follow our to do list. But though I inevitably need to do everything on my list, there are things that are more important than others. By picking these things out, I am mindful all day of what I need to carve time out for.

Even though I pick these MIT's, that does not necessarily mean these are the things I begin doing and I wont touch the rest of the list till they are done. Sometimes there are more urgent tasks that have to be done, or just easier stuff I can knock out quickly. But since I have already identified these MIT's, each time I complete a task and get ready to start another I am reminded of my important thing that needs to be done.

I use Simple Mom's Daily Docket each day, which has a space for these MIT's on it. I highly recommend the docket, it is fabulous! I use a paper clip and put it right in my planner. You could stick it on the fridge, on your desk, or wherever really.

So, I challenge you today to label each of your tasks on that to do list. Don't be afraid this will take forever, it really will only take a minute or two! Then set aside your MIT's for the day... now go and be productive!

Up Next: The Big Goals

Now I want to know, do any of you currently do something like this? Does this whole idea appeal to you or make you want to punch me in the face?? haha! Do tell!!!

Getting those ducks in a row... Step 2

Over the next week or two, I am taking some time to talk about planning. If you missed it, check out my last post on choosing a planner that's right for you.

Did you think through a planner/system that works for you? If not, its never to late to get organized people! Once you know what your go to tool is, it's time to talk about what you need to put in it.

Enter step 2:

2. Make an inclusive To-Do List for Home and Work.

I have found that when I make a list that includes home and work, I get less done for both. So I now keep a to do list for each of them. These lists include everything that I have to get done for these things, but not projects I would just like to get done. Realize you may not get everything done on this list in that day (chances are you won't), but it helps to see everything that has to be done at once.

Now don't tune out if you don't have a "work" that you drive too each day. Though I have no children and have never been a stay at home mom, I think of the role as a job. So you SAHM's I think this step is for you too. I know from my close friends that sometimes mom's can completely forget to get anything other than parenting done or on the flip side they can go the whole day and end up failing to be intentional like they had meant too. I think having a list for each of these areas will give you resolve, encouragement and strength during what I hear are some of the most rewarding but challenging days of life.

Back to the To-Do list. I find it helpful to write things broken down into the smallest task possible, meaning if I need to send a bunch of emails then I will write out "send email to x, y, z" or "send email about x, send email about y, etc". Why? Because I am a person who is motivated by slashing through my to-do list. So the smaller the task, the quicker I slash something off. For you that may be more overwhelming that motivating, because it does make the list longer! Do what works for your personality. Here is a snapshot of what my 2 to-do lists look like each day:

So your challenge for today is make those to-do lists! What's on yours today?

Up next: MIT's...

Getting those ducks in a row... Step 1

A few weeks ago I mentioned how one thing that makes my heart flutter is my planning time in the morning. I adore these few moments of my day where I get my head on straight and sip my coffee.

Some of you may be great planners and time managers, but some of you may struggle in that area. I thought I would spend a few days letting you know what works for me, in hopes that it might spur you on to find what works for you.

First a few disclaimers.

• I am not an expert in time management, in fact I don't even consider it one of my strengths.
• My way is not the only way or even the right way, but it is something that seems to work for me.
• We all are capable of and have time to plan, now whether you will choose to spend your time doing it is your call.
• I believe taking time to plan saves you time. It kinda sounds like an oxymoron when you type it, but I really think a few minutes planning can save you hours of make up time.

Now that we have those out of the way, let's move on to step one.

1. Think through and choose a planner that is right for you.

Often we pick planners on a whim around the beginning of the year, so we choose what is the cutest or the cheapest. But we end up never using it and eventually you have a stack of unused planners that are good for nothing.

For me, a planner must be cute (so I will want to look at it), big, and able to fit in my purse. I like them to have two pages per week, and to have the tiny month at a glance on the top of that sheet. Does that seem specific? It should. It has taken me 27 years to figure out what I daily seem to want or need and why other planners just got on my nerves. So look at planners that haven't worked for you and think through why. This year I got a super cute planner like the one below from Target that was cheap and big. Love it!

So your challenge for today is to find what kind of planner will work for you. Here are a few ideas that might work for you:

• a dry erase calendar on your fridge or wall
• a small checkbook sized calendar that will fit in your purse
• your cell phone (I hear iphone calendars are great)
• your laptop
• a simple piece of paper or spiral notebook
• a printed out blank calendar
• Use a download from OrganizedHome.com

The first step in being organized is to quit making excuses on why something doesn't work, and instead figuring out what will work. So get to it! And remember this needs to be something you can keep close by all day!

Up next: the good ol' To-Do List!

What kind of planner works best for you? What totally doesn't work?