How Do You Stay Focused & Organized?

Hey,

To organize your day you may try to do a time sheet .I used to do one weekly , it include all tasks i have to finish and the standard time that should be taken for standard out come , and after finishing each task i fill on it the taken time and number of finished tasks.It takes few minuts daily but it let you know where you stand and what you have achived for every task.



Regards...

I think to be more focused and organized to what you are doing just you must manage your time well in short Time Management.

I've also experimented heavily with organization and time management, here's a few random ideas that may help:

Time is always our limiting factor (we can always make more money, find more workers, etc. - but we can't make more time).

Because of this, it's important to use our time wisely. Most people don't know where their time actually goes. Spend 1 week recording every single thing that you do with your day, every minute. And then look over this, you'll be shocked!

Next, consolidate your time. 15 minute dribbles of time here and there are useless. Instead, consolidate it into chunks of at least 90 minutes per task. This way if you have to write some articles, you don't do it here and there, you do it all at once and shut everything else down. Need to handle orders? Preset 2.5 hours to do this and get it all done.

These steps are straight from Peter Drucker. They are easy to write down and hard to preform. But if you can stick with this system, it's magic.

Two more tips: Another thing that's helpful is keeping your computer organized. Organize into files and folders, and use your web bookmarks to help keep you on track and to keep the important sites right in front of you.

Finally, get a document or piece of paper (I use OmniOutliner which comes with every Mac) and set weekly goals that are achievable, then below that, another set of tasks that you need to accomplish this day in order to achieve your weekly goals.

They might not be easy, but these ideas have really helped me preform better and achieve more!

Hi Joe, What has worked for me is to make a simple text document just called My Plan or similar and list all the things I know of that need to be done to get things rolling, not in any specific order just anything I can think of just list them there. Then in the same file but lower down I put my action plan, which is the things I need to do IN THE ORDER they need to be done. Then make a goal to do however many (six,ten or whatever) in that day. The idea is to plan on two hours or so to finish each task but often find it takes twice as long, so just run with it. If it takes a full four hours then just do it. But if you get to that four hours then stop - take a break and move onto the next task. If you can't get something done in four hours then it probably should have been broken into a couple of smaller tasks. Of course the top guys will get things done a lot faster due to being highly experienced but us newbies *cough* need to give ourselves a chance to get things done well.
Use a small notebook (yes an actual paper one) to jot down your I'D's and passwords and loose a4 printer paper for any big handwritten lists. I don't care how fast some people are on computers - sometimes having a sheet of paper for writing notes on is BETTER than creating a new text file. Good luck Joe.

These are awesome tips, everyone!

I'm going to shape what I've learned here into a method that will work best for me. It's obvious that there are so many techniques and strategies to manage your work time and stay focused.

I'd love to hear more if anyone else has something different!

Thanks again.

There's s program... badl I don't remember the name of it, but it's like a clock for your tasks so it programs all you have to do and it tells you when you should be stoping one and step to another, it helps you get organized and focus so you can see how much time you're using for a task.

Kevin

I am in the old school habit of making a list every night before I go to bed of what I need to accomplish the next day. I also jot down an amount of time I expect each task to take. I try not to schedule myself for more than 6 hours of tasks per day.

I usually don't finish my entire list because things do change and things pop up that I think are more worthy of my time. It does give me a basic guideline though and it keeps me focused from the minute that I wake up.

Matt

I have word document which I open in the morning and keep open all day. Whenever I have a new idea or issue I write it down in this document. This file is now over 50,000 words and is the source of many ideas and also a record of my thinking and development. I am always surprised how much my approach change's over time.

I am always using Google docs. It doesn't matter where you are, which computer you are using in the moment, as long as you have internet access.
I put my documentation in there and I can share my list with other, if I want it.

Hope this idea will help you to be better organized.

At first I was writing everything down in notebooks. And then I got a whiteboard One of the best investments I've ever made.

I've been really bad at recording ideas.... So now I'm trying everything! Whiteboard, voice recorder, notebooks, word docs (but then I end up with too many docs open). I've heard that mindmapping is great for getting ideas out on paper - so I'm looking into that at the moment!

There is a free software called clocking it at clockingit.com that will help you to organize your task daily monthly and so forth give it a try.

In a previous job I had to plan projects including a backup plan for each step of the process. When things went wrong (as they usually do) you already had the alternative step to take in front of you.

No time is wasted trying to figure what to do.

Hope that helps,

Frank C

Organization and focus can be difficult to achieve on a long term basis but you can overcome your obstacles if you plan.

1. first find a 'program' to follow (something the makes sense to you)
2. remove clutter (all that stuff piled up everywhere that you can see)
3. remove distractions (cell, tele, email, twitter, fbook, whatever)
4. follow the program everyday until it is a habit and a daily part of your life.
5. read additional material to support your objective of organization, focus, and productivity

Leo Babauta runs zenhabits dot net and it has worked great for me. It is a 'program' that makes sense (to me) and is easy to incorporate into your life.

Leo also wrote a book - 'the power of less' which deals with productivity, organization, focus, etc. It's very short and right to the point with some great simple ideas to use right away. you can pick it up on Amazon for less than $10 or use a Borders rewards discount for even greater savings.

Here is a great link to get you started and see if it works for you: zenhabits dot net/2008/07/the-beginners-guide-to-zen-habits-a-guided-tour/

I don't mean to push Leo, it just worked for me.

Hope that helps - j

Jlars Said it well.

1st - Have a program.

2nd - Use Evernote. PEROIOD. Just use it.
Break everything into folders screen-shots ideas etc.

3rd - Break time into 2-3 hour blocks. Traffic, content, Offers, Promotions, ListBuilding / emails & social networking whatever fits.

Get up Early enough to - Stretch & Meditate at least for 5-10 minutes .
Take breaks, walks, fun etc.

Images, symbols & words that inspire you to keep to it.

You said in you question: Focused and Organized. add in Leveraged & Aligned & Centered and you will make progress. Yeah Right in an ideal world : )

So much busy work but there are certain things that are high return but often many things that are low return & urgent.

It really takes a team - working on that one. Copy /design / technical / media etc.
But start with a simple core

What is it I am really trying to do who am I trying to reach etc

Hop this helps

But Get Evernote - Else Zotero if you can figure it out.

Hey Joe,

Thanks for asking this question!

The staying focused seems to come relatively easily when it's something I'm interested in (imagine that!).

The organized part used to really come and go, until I made up my mind that was unacceptable.

Here's what I've done;

For snail mail, I bought 2 expandable folders, 1 is a 31 day folder, the other is a 12 month folder. As things come in that need to be dealt with by a certain day, I put it in that folder, under that day (or earlier if need be). Last thing at night, I check the next day to see if something has to dealt with and if so, it goes on my list for that day.

If it's something for next month or later it goes in the appropriate month. On the 25th of every month, the next month is pulled out of its spot, and sorted by date.

This works great for me for snail mail items...they are never in the way, nor are they ever forgotten.

As far as daily lists and tasks, I use a product from Dennis Becker called the Action Enforcer. I believe this might be what Kevin referenced earlier in this thread. You can find it at Get Things Done! - The 5 Bucks a Day Action Enforcer (no, it's not an affiliate link). It comes with some great suggestions and a book on speed reading. Using this, in combination with mind mapping, has really helped me organize my day and dramatically increase my productivity.

Hope this post helps someone out there! Just my 2 cents worth.

Rog

There is a book I read called "First Things First" by Stephen R Covey and Roger and Rebecca Merrill. What I liked about it is that it helps focus on the things that are important, not just your "to do " list. It divides your activities list into 4 quadrants.

Quadrant I Quadrant II
Important and Urgent Important and Not Urgent
Crises, Preparation
pressing problems Prevention
Deadline driven projects, Values Clarification
meetings Planning
prep Relationship Building


Quadrant III Quadrant IV
Not Important/Urgent Not Important/Not Urgent
Interruptions Trivia, busywork
Some mail, some repports Junk Mail
Some meetings Time wasters
Many popular activities "Escape" activities

This partial list was taken from pg. 37 of their book.. I've always had problems with time management and this book really helped me figure out what is important vs. urgent. It helps with ways to lead your life rather than just manage your time. It's more about becoming more sensitive to your inner compass rather than any clock. By discerning our deep values, it helps guide one to a fuller life and experience. I find that I'm better able to find balance and not suffer as much burnout with little to show for it.

Planning on scheduling things more in Quadrant II has really reduced my Quadrant I (Important and Urgent) panic driven life quite a bit.

The book gives lots of tips to incorporate this new way of planning into anyone's life.
Hope it helps.

I stay organized by keeping all of my events and big decisions on my online calendar. The site that I use to keep track is babellou.com and I also keep everything written down in one folder and I mark off the task as I complete them.

Personally, for me, the best is not quite complex the organization of tasks and also make difficult programs. The most simple, effective, is a to-do-list that you should continue gradually, and give yourself incentives, motives, so you can concentrate and be able to do things right. Take your time, and go get used to a discipline of your choice based on specific goals weekly, monthly and yearly. And of course, takes into account the opinion of others that offer very good strategies. Disciplining, and motivate with the end result you will enjoy.

Simpleology.com is also a good site for motivation and prioritising,

cheers,

JJ.

The method that has best worked for me is the good old agenda, preferably of a size that will fit in your shirt pocket. The simpler the format of the pages, the better. Then you do have to jot down and prioritize the things to do AND do them. That's when discipline comes in... ugh!

all thse suggestions are fantastic and really just reminders! I've not been structuring my time or setting desired outcomes - when I do it works wonders, when I dont, I get unfocussed, feel ****ty and lose motivation. Its getting the balance right and having a few really core tips in place that you maintain day in day out till they are part of your synaptic system.

bless ya's all

Hey,

I Make sure to create alist of everything IO have to do "tomorrow" before I go to bed. That way when i get up I have laser like focus to each project.

To keep track of everything for each project I use mind tools that can create simple graphs around each project. Then I have an excel sheet that one month at a time that displays exactly what is to be done when.

Then I mark down how long its taken me and at the end of the month try to figure out how I can save time and be more efficient.

Adopt the minimalist approach. It does helps in organization. If you have less to organize, the tidier you will be.

Cheers,
Vincent

Planning for tomorrow by the end of the day -- greatly helps. Just be cautious to plan just one main thing -- and visually think how it looks and how you feel when you complete it !

There is always the best thing to do, atleast for me, it is called "Freelance". Whenever I get overbooked or whelmed at internet marketing or have bunch of projects going on, I usually have a team help keep me organized and assign them tasks to do. This saves me hours, gets the work that is needed done, and gives them a job to do. Usually I pay around $4/Hour to have a assistant.

Here are some things that have helped me stay more organized:

1. Keep a To-Do list on a good calendar and contact management program. There are some great programs on the market.

2. Get a scanner and go paperless by scanning everything to your computer. You can use a desktop search program (I like X1) to search your files quickly.

3. Clean your work area at the end of each day and make there is an organized place for everything. You can use labels if that helps.

4. Make complete notes on all of your work items so that you can refer to them later. This will help avoid forgetting something or missing an important detail.

Good luck!

making note and To-Do-List would be a great idea for you to be organized.
Also try to make your desk clean and tidy, that will help too, at least for me.
try to make categorization in what you do. I used to categorize my activities to 4 section:

1. Important and Urgent
2. Important but not Urgent
3. Not Important but Urgent
4. Not Important and Not Urgent

WOW! There's a lot of great ideas in this thread. What works for me is to shut down my email application and close twitter & facebook. Create a physical list of tasks for the projects at hand. Prioritize them start with the most important task and work down the list to a goal.

Take a break and check email and then close the email application and finish the tasks.

I find that if I don't close my email I get distracted and most importantly, if I don't create a physical list of tasks to complete I wander aimlessly from whatever my brain thinks it needs and have wasted sooo much time thinking of what I want accomplished only to work in circles and not finish what I need to finish so that I can move on to teh next segment of my project.

Yeah , there are so many good advices in this thread, really helpful for me.

Hi,
I like to be organized and to know what I'll be doing during the day but I hate others trying to impose their agenda on me. So I allocate times when the phones are turned off etc and I get on with what I've got in my mind - I used to have a list but what I now do is write things down after I've done them. If I'm satisfied with what I've written down, I carry on, if not I evaluate where I'm going 'wrong', why I'm not achieving.
It works for me better than a pre-planned day because when I said I hated others trying to impose their agenda on me I was including myself in the 'others'.
I believe in following your instincts where possible especially if your aim is to be creative and lists are too restictive for me.

Thanks for the nice ideas. I liked closing all other applications and having a list of tasks in google document.

Having immediate, measurable and frequently occurring goals or targets is how I get things done.

I break large projects or tasks down to easily do-able ones. The satisfaction of completing these tasks is a natural incentive to do the next and the next.

But I am careful not to do more than I have 'budgeted' for in a day as I can easily overdo it and then be loathe to finishing the job or maintaining a more consistent pace so that my tasks are always done.

It's a bit like binge eating. The 'all or nothing' phenomenon, which, unfortunately, tends to stay at the 'nothing' end of the spectrum.

And, yes, I always have one word doc open to list all the things that need to be done. I start this when I first get to my desk and keep adding more as they come to me. But I make sure that the total number doesn't exceed say, 8, because it then gets overwhelming.

I also like crossing them out or ticking them off as they are completed. It always feels good to do that.

And I give myself little treats (which I decide on before I start my tasks) so that there is something to look forward to. Time on my guitar, for instance, or with my dog etc.

In case you're interested, I wrote a blog post about something related:
http://www.lucylopez.net/planethappi...our-happiness/

For me, staying focused on what I have to do is a matter of actually writing down the tasks I would like to accomplish and then giving myself a time frame for doing so. Just acknowledging different tasks that I need to accomplish in my head does not work for me and usually results in me putting the task off entirely. Having a list of things to do and knowing exactly what I need to do really does wonders for my productivity.