Thanks to my blog hero, Michael Hyatt, I am taking my time management seriously.
Not that I just thought it was a cool idea—but because I am buried under my TO-DO list. Using some of the principles that he has outlined I am making a dent in the many little things that I’ve got going on.
The first place I am focusing on is list making. Now, I am a list maker by nature. But, I haven’t been an organized one, until now. I have listed on two pages my tasks. (From unpacking my bags from Iraq to writing Sunday’s Sermon) Yes, two pages. And now I am in the process of scheduling every single one of them. Once they are in Outlook—if I have to make a change, I can move it around later.
Second, I am learning how to handle my email box. I have a long way to go in this area…so doing this is scheduled for sometime next week. But, I plan on taking the time to “process” every little email. Since my work life bleeds into my private life—I am going to clean out my personal box as well.
One final area I am working on is the amount of meeting that I go to. I go to several throughout the week—most I don’t have a choice to go to, some I go because I consider it important in being a part of the team. I can get a lot of Situational Awareness (SA) from being in those meetings, especially if I take notes. So this is something that I am focusing on.
It made me feel productive today as I scheduled and executed some of my TO-DO list. There are some other strategies that I want to apply as well, but this has been a tremendous start.