Our Must-Do List

At our school, we have completed the end of the first elementary trimester.  It is hard to believe that well over thirteen weeks have passed.  In some ways, I feel as if it’s only been several weeks. But at the end of an interval such as this, I find myself reflecting on many things.

Like most people, it’s hard not to think of all of the things that I need to accomplish in any given day. But despite all of the tips and suggestions about how to truly prioritize, I know that the bottom line is to keep myself focused on exactly what I need to do from day to day.  Sure, I’d love to be able to tackle all of the tasks on my “to do” list, but very nearly each day, I am limited to my “must do” tasks.

So how does this relate to becoming more organized?  There are many similarities.  Many people, when approaching how to get organized or manage their time more efficiently, often think about the big picture:  How many rooms or spaces they want to tackle, or the number of tasks they need to complete for a project to be completed in its entirety.  But our expectations may, in fact, be too high.  In other words, while it is indeed important to plan ahead, think big, and take action to fulfill our goals for getting organized, it’s essential to first remember to determine the “must do” tasks from day to day in order to hold realistic and achievable goals for getting organized.

Here are some tips to focus in on how to remain on track from day to day for getting organized in realistic, simple steps:

• If time management is a challenge, be a careful scheduler, and record all appointments clearly on your electronic calendar or paper organizer.  As soon as you have all of your appointments or other commitments written down, you can then plan around those commitments and begin to add other “to dos” to your daily schedule.
• Each day, determine what MUST be completed in order to be successful with your time.  Write those tasks down first on your “to do” list.
• Though there are differing opinions on this, I recommend doing more challenging tasks first on your to do list, while your energy level is still high.  If you wait to accomplish these tasks, you are likely to complete less pressing tasks first, which is, in a sense, procrastinating.  That larger project will still be looming, and you will still have it on your to do list for the next day.
• Break your large tasks into smaller chunks.  For instance, when I have mountains of papers to grade, it is essential that I break the job into smaller, more achievable goals.  Perhaps I will grade ten student essays in one night, but leave the rest for the next day or two.  This “chunking” helps me to do a better job grading as well, since I won’t be as overwhelmed in any one setting.  This strategy works well in any job or position, whether at home or at the office.

Using these tips won’t help you to tackle everything on your list in one day, and they don’t represent any new or “magical” way to get organized, but they may help you gain perspective about what is most important as you carry out your busy day.

Now that I’ve checked off this blog entry from my daily “must do” list for today, it’s time to move on to the next task!  What’s going on your “Must Do” list for the day?