Do you ever feel like you can’t get a reign on things? Things are just a little out of control? Things are a little scattered? The truth about that statement above is today, yesterday is yesterday. Tomorrow, it will just be the day before. Time passes quickly, some days faster than other days. But once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. And it happens under our noses.
I could easily spin out of control but I use lists to keep me grounded and focused. My lifestyle demands that I be more organized than your average person and now starting a home based business, I am going to have to step up my game. There are certain things/habits I do to keep me on track to be productive. Some of these things I have been doing for years and others I have developed over time.
Making a list is priority. I cannot start my day without one. In fact, the night before, I will write out my to do list for the following day. If I don’t have a list, I won’t remember what I am suppose to get done. If my list winds up being too general, then I will break the goal down into smaller steps. If I find that a smaller step is still too vague then I will break the chore down to micro steps. Find the level you can work at comfortably without causing excessive stress. If you get too overwhelmed, you will crash emotionally and even worse, possibly quit all together.
My lists are very detailed. This enables me to see how productive I was for the day. If I do something unplanned, I will write it on my list after I had completed the task.
Actually, I now have two lists now: Personal and Business. Here is a sample of what I put on my lists:
I treat my business list a little different. I will isolate three goals. I absolutely want to get done that day. That will be where I start. If I get nothing else done but those three items, then it was a GREAT day and I still moved forward, toward the ULTIMATE goal. If I have more time in the day, I will either move onto my next task or I will have an early quit. Oh, and my lists are 7 days a week.
My personal list is actually prioritized, kind of. Chores that have a single asterisk are either chores that are automatically done every day or of least importance. Double asterisk means it is an errand. Triple asterisk, MUST get done at some point the day. These ones are not only triple asterisk but are written at the top of the paper, isolated and an eye sore. They do not fall neatly in line with my orderly list.
Truly, if my head wasn’t…
This all brings me to my most favorite part of my list. It’s the triple asterisk section. Reflecting back to my opening statement, “Yesterday does not exist tomorrow.” My husband and I have 4 beautiful grandchildren. We travel a lot. If we are fortunate to be within driving distance of them, it isn’t usually for more than 3 or 4 months. So, my triple asterisks are usually just for reminding me to FaceTime our grandchildren that day. Or make arrangements for another day in the week. This actually worked so well that our 16 month old granddaughter was calling me one her own. Everyday.
At least once a week I FaceTime our older grandchildren. We have an 8 year old granddaughter and an almost 5 year old grandson. Time…
What I am going to say next is not for you, it’s for me to hear. It is GREAT to be goal oriented, as long as you remember to stay family oriented.
Starting this new business, I will find myself getting caught up in the idea of keep plowing forward. Then I will take a look at the time. It’s almost 2, and I know our little granddaughter has already asked her mommy a thousand times to call me (she’s keeping her phone up now). So, close my iPad, shift some of my stuff from the desk to the recliner, make a hot cup of tea, and sit back and call that sweet faced, crazy mess.
One FaceTime ring, two FaceTime ring, three FaceTime ring…
“Hellooo my love…”