|
Feature Article
Conquer Your To-Do List
Before it
Conquers You!
Are items being added to your to-do list faster than
they are getting knocked off? This can be a common “second quarter”
phenomenon. We start out the New Year with the best of intentions, maybe
even a plan. We start accomplishing our goals, and wham! New ideas,
opportunities and issues bombard us. Before we know it, we’re so
overwhelmed we’re paralyzed. Here’s how we can recover.
1. Get it down on paper. Take a
time-out and think about everything you have to, should or could do.
Write it all down. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything more.
2. Prioritize. Determine which
items on the list are value-added and which are non-value-added. Think
about how much time and energy might be required for each item. Does the
return outweigh the investment? If not, scratch it. Many times we think
of things we “should” do without analyzing whether or not they’re worth
doing.
3. Answer the WIIFM question –
What’s In It For Me?. For each item remaining on your list, think
seriously about what you have to gain by accomplishing that item. This
should be a deeper and more personal analysis than the last step. Here
what you want to determine is, beyond whether or not the item is
value-added, is it personally meaningful. For example, you may determine
that getting an advanced degree may be value-added for your resume but
the amount of time it would take you away from your family just
wouldn’t be worth it. If so, don’t beat yourself up about it or go for
it because you think you should. Just decide it’s not worth it and drop
it from your list. The contents of your list at this point should be
those items most worthy to you personally and professionally.
4. Seek feedback. Share your
list and what you’ve done so far with others. Ask for input or feedback
on each of the previous steps. See if others can help you trim your list
further or suggest help that might be available. Ask them if you could
follow-up with them in a month or two to review and update the list.
Knowing you have to answer to someone may give you the shot in the arm
you need to get some of the items accomplished.
5. Imagine for a moment. Sit
for a moment and imagine a year or two out into the future. Look at each
item on your list and ask yourself these questions: What would happen
if I accomplished this item? What difference would it make? Would it
matter if I did accomplish it? Would it matter if I didn’t? If you can’t
think of anything highly beneficial, drop it from your list.
6. Seek help. You don’t have to
do everything yourself! From what remains on your list at this point,
decide which items you could outsource or delegate. If you can’t
outsource or delegate the entire item, break it down into pieces you
could outsource or delegate.
7. Dare to dream. Take
some time to think about the things you would do if you didn’t have a
to-do list. How would you be spending your time? What activities get you
energized? Carving out time to do what you truly enjoy makes some of the
other “have-to-dos” much more palatable.
You can conquer your to-do list before it conquers you.
Challenging your own assumptions about what you do and don’t need to do
is a great first step. Then determining what you have to gain or lose by
investing your time and energy is critically important to spending your
time and energy wisely. Once you’ve pared your list to the essential
few, you can tackle these items with renewed confidence that they’re
worth doing and enthusiasm about the return on your investment.
|
|
|
Delegation Doctor’s Daily
Dose
On my dresser sits a small wooden box with a pen knife
and a pocket watch. The box and its contents belonged to my father.
Sometimes when I look at that box it fills my heart with love and I
smile. Other times I feel a stab of pain and my eyes fill with tears.
Such is grief.
In January my father became unexpectedly very ill. A
series of medical crises lead my family to the realization that he would
not survive. We were lucky to share 10 more days with him. In those 10
days I experienced the highest highs and lowest lows of my life. I
savored every single minute with him and my family and felt incredibly
deep bonds of love and connection. At the same time, I knew what was
coming and grieved the truth of it. We laughed loudly and we cried hard.
In the weeks since, I have taken stock of what a
gift my father was to me. While I may not have always felt that way—he
could be gruff and tough, or as he said to a nurse in the hospital, “I’m
not stubborn, I’m ornery!”—I know that I am who I am because of him. I’m
grateful for what he taught me, some things by example, others by
contrast. Here’s just some of what I learned from my father:
• Common sense,
• A strong work ethic,
• How to be a survivor,
• Hard work can be fun,
• Vacations are important,
• To find the balance point between trusting too much and not trusting
enough,
• That control and strength are not the same thing. If you have
strength, you don’t need control,
• To count to 10, and sometimes 20,
• Holding anger isn’t worth it, but forgiving is,
• The true value of money,
• Giving is more fun than receiving,
• Life wasn’t meant to be easy,
• Follow your dreams, no matter who tells you they’re silly or
impractical,
• Life’s simple pleasures are better than the best,
• To pitch in and help is fun and fulfilling,
• It’s much easier to find a solution than to complain about a problem,
• No matter how old you are, you can still have a childlike spirit,
• Your family will stand by you no matter what,
• An old dog can learn new tricks,
• How to be humble,
• To appreciate all of life’s gifts, great and small,
• There’s not much you can’t accomplish with enough determination and
hard work,
• The love of animals,
• It’s never too late to be happy,
• You can have fun and raise the spirits of others, even from your
deathbed,
• There truly is no place like home.
One day in the hospital Dad was speaking so softly we
couldn’t hear him. As I leaned over to listen more closely, he gave me a
quick kiss on the cheek then lay back with a smile. I don’t know if he
meant to tell me something or if he just wanted to kiss me on the cheek.
In either case, it was a treasured moment. For a lifetime of treasured
moments and for who he helped me become, I will always be grateful. I’ll
cherish the gifts he gave me until I see him again. In the meantime I
will look at that tiny box and know that while it’s only a small token
of him, what I hold of him in my heart, no box is large enough to
contain.
|
WIDR
Products & Services
If You Want It Done Right,
You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself!: The Power of Effective Delegation
• Books
• Workbooks
• Presenter Guides
• PowerPoint Presentation
• PDF files
• Presenter’s Kits
• Want It Done Right
Presentations
and Trainings
Help Your Kids Get It Done Right at Home and School!: Building
Responsibility and Self-Esteem in Children
• Books
• Workbooks
• Presenter Guides
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Presenter’s Kits
• Want It Done Right
Presentations
and Trainings
|
|
My
Virtual ManagerTM
My Virtual ManagerTM
can help you apply the Want It Done Right concepts quickly, easily and
with minimal cost. My Virtual ManagerTM is an Internet-based employee management system that
helps businesses of any size and type by adding greater structure and
organization. You will see substantial improvements in communication,
employee efficiency, productivity and employee accountability.
Another significant benefit is that you will
have better documentation of employee performance and issues. Unlocking
the potential of your staff makes your job easier and gives you more
time to concentrate on meeting your business goals, thereby improving
your bottom line and freeing up more personal time for you.
It is so
inexpensive and easy to use. It doesn’t make sense to own a business and
not use My Virtual ManagerTM
For a free 10-minute demo visit
www.myvirtualmanager.net
or for more information call (559) 875-7884. |
Corner Crack-up
While my dad
was in the hospital he said some
very funny things:
Nurse: Orville, do you know where you
are?
Orville: Yes, I’m in Wausau Hospital.
Nurse: Do you know why you’re here?
Orville (with a wink): Yes, so you can make my life miserable!
|
