Time Track Thursday: List Making

We know from last week's post that we need to do the most important things first. All time management experts suggest making lists to organize all those important things. I like to get everything out of my head and on paper so I can focus on a task without worrying about everything I might forget to do. Here is a list of the lists that I keep handy:

• Monthly goals based on my Master Plan (which was created by planning backwards)
  
• daily to-do list with tasks I must accomplish to reach those goals
• Checklist of my recurring activities (ex. I do link-building on Mondays, check Facebook on Fridays, and write my newsletter once a month)
• A sticky note on my computer with the most important thing I need to do to call it a productive day, even if I don't get anything else accomplished

It's also a good idea to prioritize your lists using the ABC system. Rank each item as A=high priority, B= medium priority, or C=low priority. You can color code them if that works better for you. Don't fall into the trap of spending more time creating lists than you do on crossing things off. Again, crossing off more As is better than crossing off as many items as you can.