Organization and Inspiration

What is one thing it seems everyone is constantly striving for? Organization! When your schedule is organized, you have more time for your family and fun. Everyone wants it but for many it remains elusive. Organization helps me to work efficiently and effectively and allows me to spend more time doing what I want to do. Here are some surefire ways to get organized and stay organized: 1. Lists are your friend. List out everything you need to do, then list everything you want to do. Many entrepreneurs make lists constantly and they find if they take that extra five minutes to make the list, they end up getting more done with less stress. 2. Put an A beside everything that needs to be done immediately. Put a B beside things that are important, but not immediate, and put a C beside things you would like to do. This is your MASTER list. 3. Get a planner. Put the things from your lists into your planner. Put the A's, B's, and C's beside each item you schedule into your planner. That way you know what items you NEED to do that day and what items you can afford to let go into another day. Using a planner makes it easy to simply look at your day and know what you need to do. It will increase your chance for getting done what you wanted to get done. 4. Cross items off the master list each time you complete something. Each time an item is crossed off, it feels so good you want the next day to come so you can cross more items off. 5. Be realistic. You may feel like a superhero with your list, but alas, there are only a certain number of hours in a day for everybody. Frequently when I think I'm a superhero, I have to readjust my list keeping in mind that that task will take longer than I'd anticipated. 6. The key is to REVISE YOUR SCHEDULE. If you couldn't make it to one of your C items, move it to the next available slot on your calendar. 7. NEVER GIVE UP! Many times people get discouraged after they don't get everything done that they wanted to that day. Just keep revising your schedule and set realistic goals each time you revise the schedule. The bottom line is that it takes practice. The more you schedule, the more you will learn about yourself and what you can accomplish in a day. Initially, it will be rough and a bit of a trial period. However, you will soon learn what you can accomplish over time after using a list. You will be crossing so many items off the list you will be constantly having to add more. Remember: Don't give up. You know the benefits of being organized and it can happen to you. Practice makes perfect and patience pays off.