Liam Hamer

It sounds so simple, yet I for one wasn't doing this until literally a few hours ago. It's a tip I learned in a Mike Dillard webinar last night. Before he goes to bed each night, he opens up notepad(yes, notepad!) and writes down 5 things he is going to do the following day. He has been doing this for years apparently, and it has clearly worked for him This is now going to be part of my nightly routine and I'm jumping into today's 5 tasks with a lot of enthusiasm and determination

Danii Of Oz

I organize each day around my 'to do' list. If I don't have a list I tend to cruise through the day aimlessly, but armed when armed with my list I am a woman on a mission. I have been doing this for a few years now and it is very apparent that the times I have slacked off with my daily list, my success in life has also taken a dip. Now I religiously write out my list each night and I am achieving more in life than ever before. Grab a cheap notebook or use notepad on your computer, this really is a powerful tool. With that being said, I will stop raving as I still have 3 things left to complete for the day

Woody C

A good tip is to organize the 5 things in order of importance. Do the most urgent or important thing first, then the next and next. If you don't get to all five then make the next most important one #1 for the next day.

Liam Hamer

Very good suggestion

Liam Hamer

Fair point, but some people find it hard to organise their time and prioritise. I'm one of these people, so this simple thing was like a lightbulb moment

joelraitt

Have you read "The 4 Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris? It talks a lot about this! And how to do the most important and do not get distracted by the urgent the really is not critical to your success! Check out the book!

Work smart, work hard, never give up.

bluenetworx

I have been writing priority to do lists every evening for years and it works well for me!

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Emily Meeks

I always write a list when I set out to work, then check them off one by one. It really does keep me sane.

In all that you do, know your True INTENT...

Ken Durham

Sleep? You all manage to sleep?

Lists do come in handy.

I heard a good tip on dealing with procrastination not too long ago.
It was to create and prioritize a list of items that we often procrastinate at.
Next set a 1 minute time limit to work on an item .... one per day.
In our minds we figure 1 minute is easy enough to do and shouldn't hurt too much.

What we find is we often complete the project or work much longer at it than the 1 minute as we all know the hardest part is getting started.

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Woody C

I have read it a couple of times. I had totally forgotten about that part, but now that you mention it...

I guess I absorbed it and it became a part of my psyche.

I may actually pick that book up again now that you mention it. It's been a while.

Christie Love

Well, it sounds like you are definitely on the right track. I, too write my next day's goals the night before. Since I've organized my day that way, I've noticed that I get much more done throughout the day.

Writing my goals the night before has helped my online business as well, because one thing I always write down is to accept payment from a successful, gracious, spiritual, high- paying client. You wouldn't believe the difference just 3 minutes of writing in my daily organizer has done for my life.

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KimPup

Ha, I was just writing down my to-do list, I do this every night!! I write it out on a small piece of note paper and slip it on my keyboard before closing the lid on my laptop. Nighty night....

Pisaka

"To do" list for the following day is OK! BUT you should also write down in your pad things you've succed this day, in other words each day you should write something you are proud with, your achievements... Aand if you happen to be in a bad mood just open your pad and take pleasure.

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Dima Kritchevski

A daily to do list is great, makes you feel really productive checking everything off at the end of the days work.

Another technique that may seem abit less practical but is really great for keeping you inspired, focused and motivated is writing and rewriting your top 5 goals every day. Do that for a month and you practically burn them into your subconscious.

clubvikram

i agree with pre planning thing.some thing i also indulge in the only difference is that i set aims for the day in the morning.And yes there is no fixed number of objectives like 5 in your case.it could be 4,5,6 and some times even 10. and on the week ends i review my objectives list and see how many of them i achieved.if my record is 100% then i reward myself by taking my family out or meeting friends over beer.This makes the goal setting and achieving them all the more enjoyable.

Global Greg

Hey,

In my opinion, our best thoughts come to us either while driving in the car or simply zoning out somewhere. The only problem with this is that if you don't write down your thoughts immediately, they will most likely go away and never come back!

I combated this issue by going to Staples and buying a voice recorder. You can pick one up for around $50 and it will be the best purchase this year.

When I'm driving, golfing, chillin, out at dinner, anywhere - I am always thinking of business so when a great idea comes to me I just bust out my recorder and say the thoughts into it.

At the end of the night I sit in front of the whiteboard in my office and play back the recordings and transfer all the ideas to my whiteboard, which makes them visible and viable!

Another trick is to keep the recorder on your nightstand. You will be amazed at how many money making ideas you come up with half asleep or just waking up that if you do not capture at that time will evaporate into thin air, never to be heard again!

Again, I was the type to carry a pen and pad with me everywhere and seemingly NEVER wrote anything worthwhile down... So if you're like me, go grab a nice MP3 recorder and change your life instantly!!

See you all at the top,

Greg

P.S. I just got my account today, I have been doing online business for years now but figured I would start contributing over here. So Hello warriors!

total_freedom

Thanks for the suggestions. With my mind, I'd probably have to write a to-do list every hour to maintain my focus.

p

chandni.dossani

Pretty much happens to me all the time. even if i have a strong to-do list in place, there are emergent situations do deal with and that spoils the list altogether.

jgand

Good idea to keep a list. I pretty much do the same thing everyday so not so important in my case. Its tough to maintain a list when your extremely busy and have those situations that arise that are important and aren't on the list.

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webmatic

Well i do something different. I make a list of all the important things i need to do and keep on adding the new things and deleting the ones i already did so it helps me alot in reminding all of my work and important tasks so i keep on doing it whenever i get time as i hardly get time when i go to sleep or something
Hope this will help you out as well
Thanks
Webmatic

tanya7zhou

A good way of doing it is to get a notebook and write down all your to do list. Use a green marker to cross everything from that day, including the ones you haven't finished.

Those you didn't finish simply carry them over to the next day and add some more if you can. Make sure you cross everything out after each day. It plays a great trick, and you will surely get more done.

Progress is important and writing your milestones is an important aspect. Remember: Sloppy success is better than perfect mediocrity!

So get going!

It's not over until it is Over!

opportunity_kno

The recipe for disaster.

You get up... you plan about your day and what you have to do... most of it doesn't get done, because either you were too busy, spent too much time planning how you would do it, or indulged in guilty pleasures telling yourself "only 5 more minutes of this forum and then I will work..." Suddenly, you get worried, you stress, because you know you have to do it. Then you try to avoid thinking about it, because thinking about it too much makes it negative, and spins your head down this spiral of doubt.

Suddenly you have done nothing. So then you think... what if i make a plan. So you write down what you are doing to do tomorrow, just before you go to bed. You are so happy, thinking you are going to wake up tomorrow and get things done...But, instead you spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, in anticipation, excitement and even more stress wondering just how you will get all of that done.

The next day, the sun comes up, everything repeats.

The end.

Rich Struck

I used to do this too but since you are always adding stuff, the list never gets done. After a few weeks of that I thought my head was going to explode so I gave it up.

phiROSSophy

I like this. I have tried it once with an Excel schedule for my next day, I had trouble doing it past two days after. However, continually thinking about things like these, even if they never fully become implemented, are extremely positive steps-forward and will help us be more conscious in our everyday decision-making.

webmatic

I already mentioned that i keep on deleting the ones that are already done and sometimes list get 2,3 work only and sometimes 100 of them so its like i know what i need to do in queue and not to miss anything at all
Thanks
Webmatic

Steve_Dougherty

How about a "To-Do List" on steroids

I keep a daily journal and in it I write the items I completed
today and the items I want/need to complete tomorrow.

As well as a number of other random thoughts I come up with
while the pen is in my hand.

I have to agree with Global Greg that the hand recorder is one
of the best investments I've made. I take my dog for a 2 mile
walk each morning and some of my better ideas hit me during
the walk.

So the mp3 hand recorder and the daily journal are the 2 main
tools that have helped keep me organized and moving my online
business in a forward motion.

Now if I can just convince my dog that a 1 mile walk is just as
good as the 2 mile..

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OSContent

I use "to do" lists as well. At least for me, their primary virtue is that they give me an immediate list of things I can do as soon as I realize I'm distracted. Rather than wasting time on something that is semi-productive, I can quickly refer back to a list of things that will certainly bring in new clients and allow me to improve my products.

Dreams

It's amazing I've been writing a "to do" list for years, but the list keeps growing! I know what I was doing wrong, I need to force myself to do at least 5 or more and then this list might go down!

Anjanette Fountain

Honestly, I don't know how to do any other way. It helps clears my mind and be a step ahead before the next day. It is very effective. Being prepared is priceless.

Stick with it!

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Kate Anderson

I'm a "to do" list junkie.. the problem is, I end up with so many to do lists, that it takes me hours to go through them :P

They do work though, if you actually follow through each day and get it done.. I print mine out and stick it up on my board here, as a constant reminder that when I'm spending time on forums and squashing hours of prime creativity time, that I need to get back to work =)

DesignWarrior

Those are exactly the issues I suffer from the majority of the time. Now client work, no problem, almost always completed and sent prior to the deadline, never late (thus far, knock on wood) when it comes to personal business, I procrastinate. I have a saying I need to loose..

Procrastinators Unite! .....Tomorrow.

Vincelog

I do it by a weekly basis. I plan weekly schedule to allow myself to see a bigger picture.

Cheers,
Vincent

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Elena Petrova

this is always a good way to finish the day and get organized for your next day... clears your head and helps you sleep too




Elena Petrova


*WF Newbie*

argon

This is a nice post and I would like to suggest an added twist to it.

In addition to having a to do list, I think we should also have a "must do" list.

This list comprises of things that we must do each day rather than just have to do.

Such as:

1) Say I love you to someone
2) Show gratitude to someone
3) Tell yourself you are wonderful
4) Spend an hour with your kids, wife, husband, etc
5) Help one of your friends.

There is something very different about this list. It is important in my opinion to do both, but the "must do" list should always be completed.

Tim

Tim Bennett invites you to visit my site and get 20 great books completely free to help inspire and motivate your life at http://www.millionaireanonymous.com come and join my online team and let's make the world a better place.

techuse

I know the value of the To-Do list. It helps me keep focused.... I have posted this about the To-Do list on my blog too.

msdobe

I had been doing this for a while, but then stopped. But I really think it's a terrific idea and I'm going to start it up again.

Thanks for bringing it up!

Jenny

InspiredMarketingGuy

Hey Guys!

Crubalo gave an excellent simple tip that works!

But I've got to put this sign up :

***WARNING!!!***

When I first started working with this I was amazed at how
I actually got the things done the next day!

However, one day I was exhausted and decided to take a break
so my previous nights commitment weren't done!

Here's the result I want you to avoid :

I went into a deep pit of procrastination for almost 2 weeks and
I felt really depressed in that time.

Let me explain what happened :

When you write down a commitment, you MUST complete it the
next day or else you're planting a seed of failure which says that
it's okay NOT to complete what I planned to do.

It becomes a habit and trust me you don't want that to happen!

I lost so much time and momentum in that time!

Here's what I decide to do now when doing something like this :

1) Make sure I complete my list of commitments. I just told you the consequences of not doing this.

2) Make sure that you have your life's vision / short-term goal / long-term goal next to you when you're writing it. This is very very very important.

You need to ask yourself if taking that action will move you forward towards that life vision or goal.

I realized after a while of using the technique mentioned by Crubalo alone does not cut it!

I was taking actions that did not progress me!

I don't want you to go through the same agony!

So ask yourself the question after writing it down, "Will doing this help me achieve my life vision or goal?"

If not, then throw it out! You don't want to be busy just for the sake of bein busy! You don't need to do it.

BONUS TIP:

One thing I learnt from Mike Litman is to move only 1% everyday.

So I've begun asking myself, "What can I do tomorrow that will move my business and life forward by a quantum leap?"

That one question alone has increased the returns on my actions by at least 300%!

Always Say ICAN!

SaiF

"When you begin devoting your life to a purpose higher than yourself, you begin experiencing life on a level higher than you could have ever imagined!"
Feel free to visit my blog at AskSaiful.com and enjoy my Morning Motivation Minutes podcast!

Ashley Wright

Like you said very basic but works very well, If you have a plan same with anything whether long term or short your more likely to stick with it and see more results come from it.

What is your time worth?

HomeBizNizz

Have this on and off for several years.
Also make a week plan too.

Michael Thorsett

I cannot function without my lists. (I have three -- two different websites, and personal.) It's been this way for years. I do, however, carry forward things if they don't get done. "Getting Things Done" by David Allen is a terrific resource for, well, getting things done.

Jillian Slack

I make my to-do lists in my own handwriting. There is something about actually writing it (vs. typing it) that makes it more likely to happen.

Also, I keep categories for my to-do lists so I can stay better organized. Household tasks seem to get lost within the business list otherwise.

If something stays on my list for too long, it's a signal that it's time to delegate. Maybe it's a task that I absolutely hate or I'm just not good at it. Why beat myself up over it? Get someone else to take care of it and get it off that list.

There is definitely a feeling of satisfaction when you look down at your list and see a line drawn through the many things you have completed.

I don't scribble through something when it's finished.

One reason is it's too difficult to read what that item was after it has been completed.

Another reason is it wastes time to sit there and scribble through it. Make a single line through the middle with your pen or use a highlighter.

I prefer to use a highlighter and make one line through the item when it is finished.

It makes it a lot easier to glance and see how far I have come.

Jill

emofree

hmm having a to do list can make things really easier and really well organized life

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adgreenph

Thanks I thinks that one good management skills, it"s like creating so schedule for the next day. successful people does these.

kennethsmith72

First, take a bath
eat well
try to analyze you did the whole day
PRAY TO GOD before you sleep.

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Successfacilitator

Me too. Going to start my tonight. Let me know how it goes wit you.

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writeabooknow

I've found that the list is a good start. If that's all you do, you're well on your way to accomplishing far more than you would otherwise.

But there are several additional elements you might want to think about.

First, make sure you're as specific as possible about the tasks. If your task is to go for a walk, make sure you know what the precise distance will be, the route you'll take, what the weather will be so you can dress accordingly, and so on. You can't really complete a task until you know precisely what that task is.

Write 26 pages of that ebook, get three JVs contacted for this product, write the P.S. section of the sales letter.

So don't think your first task is to 'work on' a particular project. You must know when that task has been completed.

Next, (right after you prioritize the five tasks) time script the tasks. You're going to work on, and complete, the first task in 60 minutes. If you don't complete the task in that time, you screwed up in defining the task and estimating the time required. and, yes, everyone screws up that 'time required' part the first few times. Each day you'll get better and better at it. But today, after the 60 minutes, you're moving on to task #2.

This creates a deadline, the most powerful tool ever devised for productivity.

Task #1 drops down to #6. Shame on you! You'll do better tomorrow.

Next, while you're working on a task, disturbances are forbidden, no exceptions. No telephone calls, no checking email, no knocks on the door, no additional cups of coffee, nothing! You and your task are the only things that exist in that world.

Finally, the bottom part of your to-do list. This is just a random list of thinks you'd like to accomplish, eventually, and as situations arise, one or more of these may find themselves placed in the glorious top five section.

Just a thought.

Steve Manning

How to Write Your Book Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible...
http://www.WriteABookNow.com

sunlight

This is an excellent idea! My mind tends to be all over the place and my days are about the same. I feel like I get so little done for the amount of time I have to do it. I'm going to try this.

skyflying

Absolutely! I also find this method workable!! Only when you write it down can you ''stick'' to your action and achieve your goals!! Useful tips dude!!

mhartmann

I have a mobile phone with the to-do list tacked onto the default view. I've always got the screen full, and I make sure to clear it before bed each night. It certainly helps my productivity. Speaking of productivity, what on Earth am I doing on the WF?

olu peters

putting your thoughts on paper is the easiest way to get every problems out of your mind. at least, u will be able to live long if you do that!