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NEW! - Keywords For This Page: Tasks / To-Do's - Reminders - Delegation
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6 REASONS TO KEEP A TO-DO LIST
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- can help you take control of your time
- gives a one-glance look at everything you want to accomplish
- minimizes mind-clutter by keeping track of odds and ends
- improves your memory by writing everything down
- frees up mental "RAM" by emptying your brain of trivial items
- helps you prioritize your activities
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BUILDING A MASTER TO-DO LIST
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- keep a notepad nearby so you can enter items as they occur to you
- empty all of the to-do's in your head onto a piece of paper
- don't worry about priority, importance, or time frame for completing
- this is your "master to-do list"
- don't try to tackle all the items on this list
- you will build your "daily to-do list" from your master list
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CATEGORIZING AND PRIORITIZING
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- break your master list into meaningful categories by activity
- home maintenance, work, calls, errands, to buy, etc.
- break large projects into smaller individual tasks
- assign a letter code to each item on the list
- "A" = must do; "B" = should do; "C" = could do
- prioritize items in each category by letter ("A" then "B" then "C")
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DAILY TO-DO LIST
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- limit your daily list to no more than 10 items you hope to complete
- include no more than 2 large or difficult tasks
- your daily list includes appointments and commitments to others
- also include "A" items off of your master list
- if you have time, fill in the gaps with some "B" and "C" items
- leave room for urgent items that just pop up
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DEVELOPING A NOT-TO-DO LIST
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- not every item on your to-do list has to be done
- the key to productivity is awareness of how you spend your time
- what you do, how long it takes, and what benefit you get
- create a log tracking your activities for a week
- evaluate the time investment time versus "payoff" for each activity
- how much benefit or enjoyment are you getting from each activity?
- keep high-payoff and enjoyable activities on your to-do list
- ask yourself if low-payoff activities need to be done at all
- if they do need to be done, do they have to be done by you?
- if they need to be done by you, could they be simplified?
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HOW TO TACKLE YOUR LIST
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- tasks should be completed in order of importance
- unless they have a specific time frame (like a meeting or class)
- is this the best possible use of your time at the exact moment?
- your goal is to complete all of your "A" items first
- then finish as many "B" and "C" items in the time available
- be realistic about how much you can accomplish in a day
- create an agenda for your daily task list
- schedule times for completing specific activities whenever possible
- if you didn't complete a task, you had too many items on your list
- move unfinished items to another day and re-evaluate the priority
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MAKING SURE YOUR ACTION ITEMS GET DONE
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- if you procrastinate, create artificial deadlines to finish early
- know your work style (long stretches or short bursts)
- understand your high and low energy periods
- plan your to-do's accordingly
- make liberal use of memory joggers -- alarms, sticky notes, etc.
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OTHER ALTERNATIVES
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- get your family to take on household responsibilities from your list
- ask a co-worker for assistance with routine business tasks
- ...and offer to help out the next time that co-worker needs a break!
- make use of support staff (admin clerks, assistants, etc.)
- outsource jobs to an independent contractor or freelancer
- develop a local co-op for sharing time-consuming domestic chores
- set up an informal chore swap with a neighbor
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