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Time Management Techniques: To Do List Should be a List of Action

The ability to unclutter your mind is an important time management skill. Your objective is simplification of your very busy hectic life. Storing information in your head and trying to remember it later only complicates things and increases your stress. Writing your thoughts down in more than one place just complicates your life. Record all these thoughts in one place. The best approach is to use a simple, portable, and easy to use system to record all the actions you need to take. An easy solution is a "to do" list.

Good time management skills can help you to simplify your life. Don't create a daily "to do" list. When you make a "to do" list each day you're doing seven time the work. Create an electronic version of your "to do" list so it's easy to update.

Pre-populate your template with any standing actions you need to take. Don't just enter project name on your template. List all the actions you need to do yet until the project is complete. You only need to print your template once a week and then fill in the actions for the upcoming week.

You don't want your "to do" list to be a list of random and disorganized thoughts. Your "to do" list should be a list of the actions you need to take now and later. Your "to do" list serves as both a check sheet for marking off actions as they are completed, and a reminder for future actions so you don't forget them when the time comes.

Only enter actions on your "to do" list. You may want to include a section for future ideas and plans on you "to do" list too. You can track your progress on your weekly "to do" list when you enter desired outcomes and targets. Another helpful section is a section phone calls with the names and numbers of those to call. A results section helps you to track your weekly outcomes.

If you're a sales person you may want your phone call section next to your results section so as you make calls you can track and record the number of appointments you make and/or the number of sales you make. At the end of the week you already have your numbers, so you can immediately see when you are on target and off target. One little tool to keep everything together in one place so you aren't wasting time trying to store things in your head needlessly or hunting for information you know you have somewhere but you just can't remember exactly where you put it.

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About the author: Cheryl Clausen can help you get where you want to be. Get Time Management Tips get her free ecourse. Increase your Time Management Skills, check this out. You can get a unique content version of this article.

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