It’s the first thing in the morning and you’re still waking up and collecting your thoughts for the day. You’re contemplating all the things you want to tackle at work. You’ve even taken time to write out a to-do list for yourself. Now you feel like your day is organized and you know exactly what you have to do.
This feeling of confidence is short lived, however, because the moment you begin working on your first task, the craziness kicks in: You receive a frantic call from your top client regarding changes on the proposal you sent yesterday, and she’s now demanding new revisions and a follow-up call within the hour. Before you even have a chance to work on the proposal, two of your employees call to inform you they’re sick and will be staying home for the day. You take a deep breath and say to yourself, “I guess I’ll get to the stuff on my to-do list tomorrow.”
In the crazy world of small business, (or of any business, for that matter) there’s a greater-than 50% chance that the plans for your day’s activities will be blown apart. This happens more often than not.
So how can you effectively tackle the stuff on your to-do list and still have a productive day when your itinerary has been blown to smithereens by unexpected circumstances??
I use something called the Get It Done List, and it’s different than a standard to-do list. It’s a 6-step process, and I use it to map out my day within the first 10 minutes of every morning.
Step 1: Block a time and a space.
For most people, there is a calm period of their day, every day–even if it’s brief. For me, it’s 6:30 AM. No one is around to disturb me at that time, which allows me to be alone with my thoughts.
I’ve designated a section of my desk where I place a clean sheet of paper the night before so it’ll be ready and waiting for me to capture my thoughts the next morning. This is a simple ritual that primes my brain for the next step.
Step 2: Don’t just itemize–PRIORITIZE.
Of course, writing out a to-do list is an effective tool for productivity in one’s day, but when an unexpected storm interrupts your plans, it’s essential for you to know which items to tackle first. Here’s a method for prioritizing:
In the upper left-hand margin of the paper, write down your top three work priorities for the day. For example:
- Complete the client proposal for Way Cool, Inc.
- Make 15 sales calls by 3pm.
- Get everything ready for the meeting with Sally at 3:30 so everything goes smoothly.
Step 3: List specific tasks associated with priorities.
Write down all the tasks associated with each of the corresponding priorities. For example:
Meeting with Sally – Associated Tasks
- Make sure conference room is booked.
- Make sure there are no scheduling conflicts in my calendar at 3:30.
- Pick up handouts from the print shop.
- Get coffee. (Remember to get 2% milk for Sally, not half-and-half.)
- Print out notes from our last meeting.
Step 4: Things NOT to do
When you first get to the office, DON’T check email and voice mail as these activities might unleash the storm you are hoping to avoid. Instead, open your calendar and block bits of time throughout your day, reserving that time to do your associated tasks. It’s also helpful to designate a block of time to check your voice mail and email. Give yourself a fighting chance and consider waiting at least 30 minutes to do so.
Step 5: Hold on tight and come up for air.
If all goes well, it should be smooth sailing and you’ll knock everything out on your list. But this article is not about smooth sailing days! Keep your list in a place where you can see it throughout your day, perhaps next to your computer or taped up on a clock. In most cases, regardless of how sideways your day gets, you can find at least 10 minutes to come up for air–and that would be an ideal time to look over your list and see which of the tasks can be knocked out during those stolen minutes.
When quitting time rolls around after your day was hijacked, even if you only knocked out one or two items on your list, you will have still moved the needle of your business in the right direction, having prioritized your to-do list.
Step 6: Use the Get It Done List in other areas of your life.
When I teach clients how to use this sheet, I’m often asked what to do with the right side of the paper. If you find this process helpful at work, you can use the same system in your personal life. People often focus a lot of energy on knocking out priority items at work, but will unfortunately sacrifice their personal priorities in the process. If this is true for you, the right side of the sheet can be used to map out Daily Personal Priorities. If you would like to gain more balance in your life, give your personal priorities (such as an evening walk, a date night, or reading for 30 minutes) as much attention as your work related items. Just as you did with your work list, write down all the tasks associated with your personal priorities such as calling a buddy who will walk with you, making dinner reservations, or asking your family for some undisturbed alone time at home.
Obviously, your workday will not always go as planned, and when you’re thrust into the middle of a full-blown maelstrom of urgent emails, unexpected phone calls and last-minute imperatives, an old fashioned to-do list is all but useless. This is when the Get It Done List really shines.
It’s a simple process, and it begins with setting aside 10 calm minutes for yourself–every day. You can use a plain sheet of legal paper or you can use this template. Give it a shot for a week and see if it serves to keep you on track with your priorities–especially when the plans for your workday have been completely blown off-course.
