(4)
Suggestions for a 3-Step System:
A) Dump List:
- Start by sitting down and creating an ongoing list of all your responsibilities for the week.
- Include work, childcare, and daily routines such as eating breakfast, taking a shower, and cooking dinner.
- Write down all your tasks and projects, including anything pending with deadlines.
- Note due dates next to tasks and projects, as well as things to do like making appointments and paying bills.
- Examine the list and if feeling overwhelmed, specify tasks such as "do dishes" instead of "clean kitchen".
- Break big tasks into smaller steps and big projects into manageable baby steps. Seek clarification if confused.
b) Weekly Plan
- Start by pulling out your weekly calendar.
- Review your 'Dump List' and insert all upcoming week's responsibilities into the calendar.
- Schedule a daily 15-30 minute personal time block.
- Insert all appointments into the calendar.
- Schedule tasks or projects with deadlines on their due dates.
- Dedicate 30 minutes on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for weekly planning.
- Set aside 10 minutes daily, either in the morning or evening, for daily planning and review.
Note: It's important to overestimate task durations. If a task should take 10 minutes, plan for 20 or 30 minutes.
Tasks: Choose one task from the Dump List daily. Prioritize tasks based on their values, deadlines, or importance.
c) Daily Plan
Take 10 minutes every evening or morning to review your daily plan.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my main goal for today?
- Which task is crucial and must be completed today?
- Am I over-scheduled?
- Am I forgetting anything?
- Can I use a strategy to combat procrastination?
- Are there any lingering tasks I need to complete?
- What is today's schedule like?
- Do I need to rearrange any tasks?
To further prioritize tasks, you can also use the Eisenhower Matrix.
