Part 1: To Do Lists...Oh the Horror!!!

If you are like most people I meet, you fit into one of three categories:

1. I keep lists...IN MY HEAD.

2. I START lists...but never actually follow them.

3. I love lists...I have lists for EVERYTHING!

Now be honest. Which one are you?

To-Do-Lists are one of those things that either scare people or are embraced with utter abandon. Some people are totally against lists and believe that it keeps them from being productive. Others feel if you don't list everything under the sun you will forget something and YES the world would end. And of course, there are those who start to do lists but don't actually plan to follow them.

If you find that you fit any of these labels, this posting is for you.

First lets talk about why neither label is the best strategy:

1. Mental Only Lists: As smart as I know you are, even the most industrious people forget things. And when you are running your own business, you have to have your eye and pulse on everything. You may not have an assistant working behind to scenes to take up the slack. And although one forgotten task may not bring doom, a culmination of multiple unfinished tasks can lead to major problems, even failure.

2. Starting and Stopping: It's great that you make these lists, but its just counterproductive to NOT follow through on them. I know that there are times when other priorities surface and you have to re-shuffle your day and tasks. But there has to be some BASIC priorities set down so you don't feel as if with every step you take forward you are taking one step back.

3. Lists for everything: I'm happy that you understand the importance of to-do-lists, HOWEVER, there is a point when too much is too much. If you are creating lists for everything yet the same tasks keep popping up over and over again, you may just be going through the motions without doing the work. The lists may even be a security blanket that makes you feel industrious, when in fact you are procrastinating.

Did I just burst your organizational ego? Sorry, but it had to be done. However, I'm not going to keep you hanging. Instead, I'm going to get down to business and help you expand or condense your to-do-list so that they are not chores but effective uses of your time and get RESULTS.

Read my next post "Part 2: To Do Lists: The Only 2 Lists You Need" for more.

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