Time to Get It Done
Staying On Top Of Everything
Last month’s blog articles were dedicated to demonstrating the value of self-reflection and the importance of being aware of how you are performing when it comes to achieving your goals. This month, I intend to share with you articles that will help you “get it done”. Let’s stop talking about what we need to do and let’s start “doing things” that will improve our organizations.
My life involves constantly planning my next move. I am the type of person that likes to plan ahead. Sure, I fall into the inevitable procrastination once in a while, but I avoid that at all cost because I hate feeling unprepared. On a daily basis I am managing multiple projects and I often here “how do you do it”. Well, it’s not easy to keep up with my busy schedule, but I manage it by being organized. That’s it, my dirty little secret; I cannot live without organization and today I want to give you some advice on how you too can be organized in order to successfully manage your projects. My methods won’t work for everyone, but you can adapt my advice to fit your own preference and style. The point of this article is: DO SOMETHING! My first piece of advice is for you to get into the habit of creating a weekly, monthly and yearly to do list that will help your business “get in shape”.
Weekly To Do List:
This list is intended for you to identify all the day to day tasks that need to be done like meetings, reports, payroll, etc. Your weekly to do list should include the tasks you perform Monday – Friday. Tasks will change every week, so it is important to update this to do list at the end of the week in preparation for next week. I like to take Thursday and Friday to start working on my weekly to do list for the next week. I refer to my to do list first thing in the morning and before I leave work daily in order to mentally prepare myself for what needs to be done that day and the next day. Every day I cross off all the tasks that I completed. It’s important to feel accomplished at the end of the day, and this activity helps towards making you feel good about yourself even on an off day filled with challenges.
Monthly To Do List:
This list is intended for you to identify your monthly projects January – December. Examples of these types of projects include : October-Create Budget for Next Year, November- Plan Spring Event, etc. Your monthly list will not include the tasks that need to be done (that’s what the weekly list is for), instead it will simply serve as a reminder to you about projects that need to occur in that month. The advantage of the monthly to do list is that it will assist you in planning ahead all year. By assigning months for your projects, you will stay on top of things. Your monthly list should be created at the end of the year for a full 12 months and you will refer to it monthly to make sure you’re on task.
Yearly To Do List:
This list is intended for you to work on high level projects that directly tie into your organizations’ vision and goals. These projects are never accomplished overnight and they take time, resources, and are complex. Why is it important to have yearly goals if they are hard to achieve? Because you have to shoot for the stars if you want to get anywhere in life. Your mindset should always be positive and nothing should ever seem impossible. By creating yearly goals in your to do list, you will be able to identify monthly and even weekly projects that will help you get one step closer to your annual goals. Example of annual goals include : Strengthen my vendor relationships; Hire another employee, Move my business from my home into a brick and mortar business.
Do Whatever Works For You
Your weekly, monthly and yearly to do lists will serve as a clear road map that will illustrate where you are going and how you are going to get there from beginning to end. Like I said before, this method works for me, and I am sure there are other methods that may be better, but the whole point of my article today is to make you think. What process do you use to “get it done”? Ask yourself, “Is my method working? Am I prepared most of the time or do I just figure things out?” I guarantee you if you put a little more thought in your plan on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis you will find yourself more prepared, organized and ahead of the game.
What are some methods you use to stay organized? Share your “secrets” and add your comments below:
-Sofia Valenzuela, CEO Tracy Chamber, svalenzuela@tracychamber.org