March 2012 - Issue 92 - www.clareevans.co.uk

Hello ,

Thanks to everyone who attended last week's teleclass and who've listened to the recording.

It's still available for a few days so it's not too late to register.  If you'd like to listen to it and receive the notes (and special offer) from the call just enter your details on the website.

To support International Women's Day this year, I'm donating £1 to Kiva for everyone who downloads and returns the free Time Audit during March. You can read more and find out about the other special IWD offer on this blog post.

I'm giving another BrightTalk webcast on April 12th Tame Your Email Inbox - sign-up now and you can either listen live online or listen to the recording later.

I'm on the move this month - travelling to Ipswich next week to run two sessions for the Eastern Enterprise Hub and then in Farnborough at the end of the month for a day's workshop.

Details of events are posted on my Facebook Page and Linked In.

Keep in touch and get extra tips from my blog - or Follow Me on Twitter - or contact me on Linked In or Facebook.

Clare

P.S. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends and colleagues.  Thank you.

Most people have a To Do list. For many it consists of an A4 sheet of paper or perhaps it's on their computer. Things are added to it and occasionally get crossed off.

Lists are a useful tool when used correctly and help you to create structure in your day. However, they can become a source of frustration, stress and overwhelm when they're not used properly.

Create a daily 'action' list. Tasks you're actually going to do rather than an endless list that you'll never get to the bottom of.

Here are my top tips for keep your list manageable, productive and efficient:

Keep them short - if there's too much on your daily list, you'll feel overwhelmed. Pick just 5-10 tasks that you'll be able to action today. The whole aim of a daily 'Action' List is that you're going to complete them all.

If you only have five things on your list and you get them all done, that's far more effective than having a list of twenty to thirty items and only doing half of them.

Plan your tasks - Decide how long each task is going to take and book the time out in your diary. Use your list as part of your daily planning process. Be realistic - Don't put down 10 things and then realise they'll take anything an hour each to complete.

Prioritise - not every task is as important. Use numbers, letters or colours to prioritise your list. Make sure you complete high priority tasks first. Otherwise you'll be tempted to cherry-pick 'nice' tasks and leave the more difficult ones, even if they're more important.

Create intelligent lists - don't just list one big task but break them down in to manageable tasks. 'Complete Project X' - may be a series of tasks and take several days but 'arrange meeting with Y' may be the first step and take just a few minutes. Add status, completion dates and timings to better organise your tasks.

Group similar tasks and deal with them at the same time - like phone calls, email, admin or updating your finances. It's quicker and more efficient to work on similar tasks than switch between totally different tasks.

Review your list - check your list regularly during the day to stay focused, stay on track and use it as a reminder. Cross things off as you go and add any remaining tasks to the following day.

Be creative - use your diary, a whiteboard, separate notebook (just for your lists), your computer, smartphone - whatever works for you, but keep it simple. Technology is great but sometimes makes things worse and over complicates things. Make sure it integrates with your other technology.

Create a master list - these are place holders or tasks that you'd like to do 'some day' or in the near future but aren't yet a priority or something you need to focus on at the moment. Transfer actions from your Master List to your Daily List.

Cull your lists - quite often the more trivial items will fall off the end of the list. Relate your daily tasks to your goals and objectives - where do they fit in?

Blast through your list - Set aside time every now and then to tackle all those little tasks you never quite get round to but you know won't actually take long when you do. An hour or twos focused action can clear a lot of outstanding tasks. (A Focus Day is a great way to tackle your list overwhelm).

If you're struggling with your lists give me a call and I'll help you make sense of them or book a free Strategy Session.

Until next month.