Time Management Self Improvement

In our Change Your Life Challenge e-group, each weekend we choose three goals to keep us on track and focused. After posting my goals this past week, I was reminded of something my friend Sara said when we were teaching at a Publishing University last month in Washington DC. She was talking about how “to do lists” often become “to-don’t” lists because people do not use them effectively. She promoted the use of the 3-Step-Action List that is used in the Challenge to make a clear action plan with focus versus a long list that is unmanageable.

I think the concept of a “To-Don’t” list is quite interesting. We don’t intentionally wish our “to-dos” to become “to don’ts” but if managed ineffectively that is often what happens. This week I have decided to take the concept of a “To-Don’t” list one step further. As you make your action plan for the day or the week, also create a “To-Don’t” list. List out three things that you won’t do this week.

Here are some example of what might be on that list:

I won’t over-commit my time

I won’t sacrifice my self-care time

I won’t let someone else bring me down

I won’t spend any more time than absolutely necessary with negative people

I won’t engage in negative self-talk

I won’t overspend

I won’t say “I can’t”

Try it! Think of things that often hold you back or leave you feeling less than great and add them to this list. Then pick one a day and commit to not doing it. I think it is a fun exercise to focus on three things per day that move us forward (the three step action list) and then to add one thing that pulls us backward that we won’t do.

Brook Noel is the creator of the best-selling 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women .. The Change Your Life Challenge. http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
This program has helped thousands of women take control of their home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more.

She is the author of 19 books and maintains three free newsletters. The Daily Rush is devoted to quick and easy recipes; Good Morning! is a daily newsletter to get your day off to a great start and The Challenge Weekly offers a personal challenge for self-improvement each week. To sign up for these free newsletters please visit http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com/news.htm

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I know it’s a radical idea, the death of your to-do list so bear with me while I explain. Think about it, a long to-do list is a giant energy drain and waste of time. Have you ever noticed how the list keeps growing instead of disappearing?

Imagine waking up every morning feeling confident that you have enough time to accomplish the goals you have set for the day. Picture yourself wrapping things up at the end of the day knowing that you have not wasted your time or energy and that the actions you completed are supporting you in creating a profitable business.

Intrigued? The great news is that it is simple to kill your to-do list. Here’s how. First, take a long hard look at your massive to-do list and put a number one next to the actions that are high priority (I know, I hear you shouting they are all high priority, trust me they aren’t). Go through the list again and rank the medium priority actions with a number two and low priority actions with a number three.

Now, get out your calendar and take each high priority action and place it into your schedule. Choose a date that it will be completed as well as a realistic block of time for completion (start and finish time). Continue doing this with the medium priority actions and finish with the low priority actions.

This will work for you no matter what kind of calendar you use. Choose a system that works for you. The concept of integrating your actions into your planning is much more important than the type of calendar you use.

New opportunities do come up and you can update and adjust your planning as needed. The difference is that now the things you have planned are already prioritized so if something new comes up, you will be able to consider its importance in relation to existing priorities. This is much more effective than simply adding another action to the bottom of a list.

Also, make sure you schedule in some free time each day for unplanned things that come up. If you can’t find a place for some of the low priority actions don’t worry, I have a solution for you below (see benefit number three).

Let me confess something, I know to-do lists don’t work because I am a former owner of a long to-do list (that never got done). Since I killed my to-do list and consciously thought about what I really want to get done, I am much more productive and feel confident about the direction of my business.

Benefits for you:

1. Doing this forces you to reconsider what you are doing with your time and this allows you to get clear about what your real priorities are.

2. You will have a realistic picture of what you can really accomplish in a certain time period (each day, week, month, etc.).

3. There will probably be some things that won’t fit into your schedule and this gives you a chance to consider dropping them or delegating them. I like to call this your “to-don’t” list. If you are a solopreneur and don’t have employees who can pick up the slack, you can always outsource.

4. You will reduce overwhelm and stress because you will no longer be confronted daily with a giant list of things you know you won’t get done that day. This way you will get more accomplished, stay on track, and remain focused.

5. You will feel great about the actions you plan to take each day because you know they are aligned with your long term goals and that doing them will move you forward toward reaching them.

Anyone who is serious about building a sustainable and profitable business needs to be sure they are spending their time and energy on the right things. Are you are beginning to see that a long to-do list that isn’t prioritized with actions that aren’t connected to a actual dates for completion isn’t efficient?

It can be scary to integrate your to-do list into your calendar and I promise, it is worth it. What do you have to lose? Try it and if it doesn’t work you can always go back to the never-ending list of things that never get done. Stop living in denial about what you can realistically get done and choose to plan and execute profitable actions that will grow your business!

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