Staying Organized

So much of life depends on keeping our ducks in a row and staying on top of all the tasks and responsibilities that must be accomplished each day.  Ironically, in spite of all the technology that we have hanging off our belts and purses, we seem to be falling farther and farther behind in our jobs and personal lives.  So what is the problem?

The missing ingredient for most people is usually organization.  Most people do things as they come up and don’t take the time to plan each day, week and month.  Most folks are not sure what is coming up on any given day, even though they can be in control of their schedule.  They let life happen to them, instead of taking control of their time and tasks and planning how they will get accomplished.

To avoid this problem start by learning the art of planning.  Everyday at the end of the day, take a look at your schedule and decide what needs to be done tomorrow.  Take time to prioritize tasks, and schedule their completion between appointments.  Plan blocks of time to return calls and emails.  Take control of the day before it begins.  At the beginning of each week, schedule a planning time so that you can set appointments and conversations to suit your work load.

Planning is really the key to getting on top of our lives.  Even though we are writing appointments and task down, without planning, nothing is accomplished.  So if you really want to get more done and accomplish your goals, start taking planning seriously.

Time Can Be On Your Side

With all of the time management systems, tools, gadgets and gimmicks out there we should be the most accomplished people on the planet.  I hardly meet anyone ever that does not have some type of time management system strapped to his waste or in her hand bag.  We have access to more “stuff” to help us organize and manage our time.  And yet we run late, work late into the night, spend 60 – 70 hours of our week at work, and many of us leave work with lots of work undone.  So how do we make time our friend.

I think time management starts with our goals.  Ask yourself how much of what you do every day puts you closer to your goals?  Do you have goals and plans as to how you will achieve them?  Most of us wonder through life letting the activities of life buffet us from home, to work, to soccer/hockey/tennis/football/baseball practice, to home again without having any of these activities push us closer to any goals.  This is true because most of us don’t bother to set goals, we just get up each day and let other tell us how we will use our time.

If you lay your head down and night and wonder “is this all there is” chances are you have never explored your own values and determined a purpose for you life and just as important you have not set goals.  If you have set goals you have not put any thought into how to make them happen.

Life can be so much more abundant, but it starts with figuring out what that abundance looks like for you.  Take some time to think about what you really want out of life and then think about what it takes to get there.  You may have to give up some stuff to make your dreams happen, but that is how goals are realized and life becomes more satisfying.

Stop lamenting that you are not where you want to be, and start planning the trip!

Just Do It!

I really do hate that phrase sometimes. I find it very easy to procrastinate things that I really hate doing, like exercise.  I find that I get on track with the disciplines of life and then something will happen to throw me off, such as getting ill or going on vacation and then I find it hard to make myself get started again.  Finally I have to “just do it”, whatever “it” happens to be.

Whether it is exercise, staying on a budget, watching what I eat, or networking for my business, I find that most of the time to be successful I have to “just do it”.  Fortunately, no one says I have to “just like it” while I “just do it”, so it is a little easier to get back on track and stay there most of the time.

To be successful in life we all have to find a way to keep on track.  We all have to find ways to make ourselves do the things everyday that contribute to our success in life and business.  Fortunately for most of us life sets up its own “just do it” plan.  If one shows up at work everyday, the boss rewards us with a paycheck.  That kind of reward makes it easy to get out of a warm bed,  look presentable, fight traffic and show up at work more or less on time.

But what about the things in life that really don’t compel us to do them.  Things like watching food intake, exercising, setting up sales calls, studying for an exam.  Although most of these things have their own rewards, they don’t  always compel us to do them.  They are easy to procrastinate because either they aren’t fun, or don’t present a compelling enough reward.

If one is a true professional procrastinator, there are all kinds of ways to avoid doing those unwanted tasks.  Procrastinators can avoid starting a project by checking email, phone messages and poring over extensive “to-do” lists.  But sooner or later one must  “just do” whatever that “it” maybe.

There are all kinds of strategies for combating procrastination in our everyday life.  My favorite is the “just do it” tact and it works for me when I find it hard to get something done.  Not everyone finds this method that easy, but I find if one is a true procrastinator, setting small “just do it” goals works very well.

There are all kinds of tactics to get us moving each day, the trick is to find one that resonates with you and “just do it”