Lesson 1: Getting Organized

Or more time to do what you really want to do!

 

One of the most important aspects of being self-employed is becoming highly organized. There is real motivation for this because the more efficient you are, the more time you’ll have to do all the other stuff in your life you want to do (and often the real reason you are self-employed in the first place). So, how do you do that? There are many different approaches. We’ll outline a few here, and if you have some other great ideas, please send them to us, and we’ll add your recommendations to the list so everyone can benefit!

Daily To-Do Lists:

1) 1-to-10 Stress Method
  1. Write down all of your to-do's that are stressing you out most (1 being the most stressful and 10 being the least).
  2. Now, reorder the list to tackle today by doing all the 1’s first and working your way down the list.
2)  ABC & 123 Method

Write down all of the things you want to get done during the upcoming week (order doesn’t matter). Then go through your list, and for everything that must be done today (it is critical that it be completed today), categorize it as an “A.” The “B’s” will be less urgent, and the “C’s” are those hopeful tasks that you will get done as you have time. Then, order your category items by priority (then your B’s and C’s). You will finish A1 before you proceed to A2, etc. It looks like this and could be done on a note pad, index cards, a planner, or on an electronic device. I used a Franklin Planner for about 20 years, and now I’m using OneNote in Microsoft Office. Anything will work if you are consistent:

___|_A1__|_Clear e-mails____________

___|_C1__|_Do 1 load of laundry______

___|_A2__|_Complete copywriting for ABC School_

___|_B1__|_Exercise 30 minutes________________

___|_B2__|_Start copywriting for XYZ School______

3)  Procrastinator’s Method

If you are really good at procrastinating those more difficult or least favorite tasks, here’s how you manage using one of the two above methods. Based on a famous Mark Twain saying, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day,” you simply rank as an A1 the one thing on your list you want to procrastinate on most. For me, that is usually the item that will take me the most time, and I never get it started because I know I don’t have a big enough chunk of time to finish it. In that case, I write down “work on project ABC for 30 minutes,” and that becomes my A1 for the day. I’ll add that each day until it is done. 

Other Tips:

Keep Your Promises

Use your calendar and mark those deadlines. In order to be successful, you need to keep your promises and be trustworthy. That means meeting your deadlines, and in order to do that, you have to plan backwards. If you have to have a design due by Friday, carve out some time to work on it prior to Friday, or you won’t produce the highest quality work you are capable of delivering. If you commit to working for School Webmasters for a minimum of four hours every day (content updaters), then schedule your time for that as early in the day as possible so you’re sure to make that goal if other things come up during the day.

Write it Down!

There are many methods out there, and what works for one of us doesn’t work for another. You might try many different methods, and that is okay too. Sometimes we just get bored and want to try something new. But, writing it down will help you achieve it. Often, the more you write down, the more you will achieve.  If you are like me, you’ll write down far more than you can feasibly accomplish in one day. That is okay as well. If I complete 70% of my list in a given day, I consider that a home run. So don’t be afraid to “Think Big then Start Small” and break those bigger projects into small chunks and do a few tasks each day. By writing it all down, you will make steady progress, and that feels wonderful. Just think where you’ll be in the long run!

Enjoy the journey

Acknowledge your accomplishments at the end of each day. Whether it is reviewing your list and seeing what all you’ve gotten done, keeping an achievement log, or keeping a gratitude journal and jotting down what you’re thankful for (and that can include the progress you made on your To-Do list), pick a method and use it. Remember, it is the journey you are on that needs to be enjoyed and not just the destination! 

Some of the most helpful books I’ve found on time management are:

  • Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
  • Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen
  • How to Get Things Done with OneNote (free Kindle download) by Dominic Wolff

If you have some strategies or tactics that work for you, please share.