If you are anything like me, you have found yourself stuck in the middle of the day, overwhelmed. You may have a ton of stuff you know you need to do, but you just do not know where to start.
Lists are important here. Having one list that you can feed everything in to and then just go back to later is ideal. However, I have found something that works even better than a list.
I learned this from Chet Holmes. His book The Ultimate Sales Machine is one of the best business books I have ever read. This one simple tip from the book has saved me many headaches.
Simply do this: Take the top 6 things you MUST do today and write them down. Now schedule them in to your day, with time slots and everything. Make sure you leave a little room for miscellaneous things like answering the phone and checking e-mail. Also, put the things you want to do least first, so you get them out of the way. Stick to the schedule every day. Once you get one important task done, you can add a new one tomorrow.
When I stick to this system my productivity rises. When I don’t do it, I end up with a headache, literally.
If you have employees, have them do this same exercise everyday. Demand accountability by having them turn in their sheets every day. If you do this, you should also be accountable back to them by posting your completed sheets on your door every day.
This may seem like something simple, and it is. But it also may be a game-changer for you.
