HOW I DECIDE WHAT TO DO EVERYDAY

There is no shortage of apps, software, or websites that promise to help get you organized and make you more productive. I think I have tried them all. There is also no shortage of advice on how to get things done…even a cottage industry called GTD (‘Getting Things Done’) based on the fantastic book by David Allen. If you have never read this book or visited the website – you must do so.

So…after all of these books, videos, apps, software packages, ideas, and advice…I have finally nailed down what works best for me. 

When I wake up every morning there are dozens of tasks for me to address. Sometimes close to 50 but never less than 25-30. That’s a bunch of stuff. I always had the same problem — what do I do? What do I do first? What do I do next? These questions used to pretty much paralyze me to the point where I spent more time deciding what to do than I did actually getting things done. 

Like I said – I tried it all. Everything. Nothing really stuck. Until now.

I have a pretty cool little system now that keeps me in check and gets me organized without causing that dreaded paralysis. I can glance right now and know for sure that I’m doing the right thing at any given moment AND know exactly what I need to do next. I keep SEVEN todo lists and a calendar. I keep my lists in OneNote and my calendar is Google Calendar.

Here is my little system:

1. Commitments. The first thing on my list everyday – and usually on my calendar – are those things I have committed to with other people. This would include phone calls, meetings, appointments, promised emails, and anything else that has a date / time on it. These tasks MUST get done during the course of the day and they are always a priority. 

    

2. Fires and Emergencies. So that’s pretty self-explanatory. These are tasks that must be done in order to fix or prevent an emergency. Some examples might be — a mad customer, the internet is down, school called – sick kid, car isn’t running, a deadline isn’t going to happen unless… This could actually replace commitments as the number one slot, but for me it remains here at number two. Super important. Hopefully you never have many of these to deal with.
3. Tasks – Client Projects. This is the nitty gritty of the day. This is the work stuff. You should be spending most of your workday here. Working on whatever it is that you do for customers. For me, I might be working on a website, building a smartphone app, or just talking to customers on the phone. Work. Work. Work. The fewer items you have listed in your #1 and #2 slots the more time you can devote to actual work and the more you get accomplished.
4. Sales. Ah yes. Sales. Many of you will not have to list this fun task, but for those of us who are either in sales professionally or own their own company – it is 100% necessary. This includes cold calls, meetings, video conferences, emails, building landing pages, working on FaceBook ads…anything remotely related to developing new business. Consistency is very important and I would recommend setting aside a certain amount of time everyday to work in your sales funnel.
5. Tasks – Personal Stuff. We all have this list. Something needs painting or fixing, the car has a tire leaking air, you need to organize the basement…sometimes this list never ends. So let’s address this list on a daily basis, even it we only spend a few minutes a day. These tasks cannot come before the other four but yet they have to be done. Let’s do it. Schedule it in.
6. Repeating and Recurring Tasks. I have a fairly large list here. I have often thought about moving this to #5 and my personal tasks down here to #6. I still might do that. This list would include things like managing your social media, cutting the grass, taking the trash out, paying bills, running / walking a couple of miles, writing in your journal, writing a blog post…all of those things that repeat. If it’s work-related you can add those to the #3 slot or just stick them in here. This is the stuff that has to be done in order to prevent an emergency!
7. I want to. Maybe you get to this list…maybe you don’t. This is the “I want to” list. These are things you would like to do if you have time at the end of the day. You probably know what goes on this list — basically anything that doesn’t go on any of the lists above. I think most of the fun stuff sits here. Do really good on the six lists above and you will have plenty of time for list #7.

So that’s my little system. It has really, really helped me. As I look at my list for today it breaks down like this:

Commitments – 1
Fires – Emergencies – 1
Tasks – Clients – 7
Sales – 10 Cold Calls – 1 Follow up Call
Tasks – Personal – 3
Repeating – Recurring Tasks – 18
I Want to – 0 (I know better on a Monday)

Remember…$%&* happens. It always does. Allow for it. When it does happen give it a number 1-7 and deal with it appropriately. 

You will most likely have to tinker with this for it to work for you. Give it a shot. Let me know what you think about it. It is easily adaptable to just about any app, software, or system that’s already out there. Remember – you only have 168 hours each week – spend them wisely – we never get one back. I keep score daily and try to better myself each day.

Dennis Lynn
DennisLynnOnline
706.994.6213