Today in Washington State is a beautiful day - the sun is shining, the birds are singing, there's a cool breeze and warm weather is predicted for the next few days. Looking out my window, I see the wind blowing through the trees and my flowers reaching for the sunlight from my deck. When it is so beautiful outside, how can I work? How do I get motivated? On days like today, it's tough. I'd rather read a book, go for a walk or nap outside...but I have assignments to fulfill and clients to contact. After returning from my workout and a short walk, I made a brief "to do" list of things that must get done today without fail. After each one, I'll take a 15 minute break outside. For lunch, I'll make myself a picnic lunch and squeeze in a few chapters of the book I just started reading. Then I'll head back inside to finish my "to do" list for the day. If all goes well, I'll finish in time to enjoy the evening outside. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the sights and sounds of summer from my office window.
How will you motivate yourself today?
Virtually Yourz,
Dana
Showing posts with label to do list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to do list. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
My Master "To Do" List
A colleague asked me yesterday how I manage my time. Time management is, of course, different for everyone, but I find it helpful to keep a master "to do" list. I create a spreadsheet in Excel with four columns, from left to right: Done; Start Date; Item; and Due Date. I then sort by Start Date and then Due Date. The items that I MUST do the current day are highlighted in yellow, and Top priority items for that day are shown in RED. I leave blank lines at the bottom to complete as new assignments come in. At the end of each work day, I review and update the list, printing out a fresh copy so I know exactly what I need to start on the next morning.
In addition, I often break larger projects or assignments into steps (schedule interview, conduct interview, type/transcribe notes, ask follow-up questions, write, edit, submit) and I schedule each of those separately on my "to do" list so I can anticipate how much time each step will take me. Scheduling an interview, for example, might only take 10 minutes, but typing the notes and writing the article could take hours for each step.
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In addition, I often break larger projects or assignments into steps (schedule interview, conduct interview, type/transcribe notes, ask follow-up questions, write, edit, submit) and I schedule each of those separately on my "to do" list so I can anticipate how much time each step will take me. Scheduling an interview, for example, might only take 10 minutes, but typing the notes and writing the article could take hours for each step.
For more ideas like this one, subscribe to one (or both) of my free monthly newsletters: writing and editing & marketing. You can subscribe at http://www.virtuallyyourz.com!
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