How to organize your time with a handy to-do list
Posted on April 12th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
A quick tip for organizing your time is to make a to do list with four columns. The first column is to be written every evening or at the end of your work day. The other three are to be written by the week, month or as you think of them respectively.
Below is an example list for a web designer (such as myself. Of course my list is much longer.)
- 1st column
- Top Priority
- Things that must be done by the end of tomorrow.
- Design web page navigation:
- Design web page header background image:
- Things that must be done by the end of tomorrow.
- Top Priority
- 2nd column
- Next Priority
- Things that must be done by the end of the week.
- Code header section of web page
- Design left margin social media images
- Things that must be done by the end of the week.
- Next Priority
- 3rd column
- Long term
- Things that must be done by the end of the month.
- Complete web page design
- Start writing first blog post
- Things that must be done by the end of the month.
- Long term
- 4th column
- Quickies
- All of the little things
- Read blogging tips article
- Email Jen re: latest web mock up
- Phone Richard to make appointment
- All of the little things
- Quickies
By organizing your time into a list layout such as this one your tasks become clear and are arranged by priority. If you find you have a few spare moments you can always tick off a few of your quickies.
Here is a link to the handy iphone app I use to make and manage my list Touch ToDo It is great because it also sync’s tasks with dates with your Google calendar.
Filed under: Small Business
Where is the beer drinking column?
It’s true this list does lack many important areas of life like family, friends and socializing. I tend to only make lists for business related tasks but am finding as my time is becoming more scarce my personal life is beginning to suffer. It feels strange to add friends and family matters as tasks within this list but perhaps this is what needs to be done to achieve balance.
If you have any ideas on how I could organize the two aspects of life I would love to hear them.
Hey there bro-in-law. Eric finds that he needs to do just that. He schedules a family day once a week. On that day there is zero to very minimal business that is taken care of. He actually puts it in his calendar. I also like Stephen Covey’s quadrant system. Good luck !
Excellent suggestions.
I found this iphone application which is built upon Stephen Covey’s time management/priority quadrant idea.
http://www.timequad.net/
How could I resist trying this iPhone app for only $1.04?