Well, it’s day 1 of my new adventure – the 31 Goals in 31 Days Challenge, and I’m going to start out the way I always regroup when I feel like things have gotten out of hand and a little chaotic (I am only human too!).
My goal today is to update my Master To Do List and do one item from the list that would make a big impact. I want to do this to start out fresh. Updating my Master To Do List always makes me feel more in control and ready to “tackle the world”.
What is a Master To Do List? It’s a brain dump. So, today I am walking through my home and spending a good hour going room to room. When I get to a room, I just sit there and look around and see what visual reminders are there. A project that needs to be finished, something that needs to be fixed, etc. In addition, I spend about 15 minutes just thinking about what I want to do in the future. It could be take a trip, or complete a book. The time frame for these items doesn’t matter – what matters is that you get them out of your head (where they are taking up brain energy) and on to paper (so that you don’t have to keep “remembering” them every time they come to mind).
The Master To Do List is where you draw items from that will go on your Daily To Do List. It’s a holding spot. When you think of something that needs to be done, add it to the Master To Do List, so that you always have an updated list of things you want to complete at some point. I use this list when planning out my week on Sunday and in planning my day the night before.
Today, after updating my Master To Do List, I decided that the thing that would have the most impact on the list is to clean my desk! I am such a big advocate of cleaning your desk so that when you come in to work, it is inviting and you want to be there. Right now, after having company in from out of town, and kids papers and business information spread all around, it looks like a tornado hit my desk. This visual clutter is not good for productivity (even if I could find everything that I was looking for), so it will make a big impact to get it cleaned up. And, I’m keeping it that way. With a few new baskets for sorting, I’m all set.
Looking forward to day 2 tomorrow…
To your success,
Dr. Laura
I have two desks for this very purpose. One has all of my desk-like things on it, including pencils, pens, desktop computer, keyboard, tablet, blank media, some files, printer, and the other desk is completely empty, completely.
I only place on the second desk specifically what is needed for a certain task. That way, there are no distractions or clutter for intensive work.
DRL
David, that’s a great idea and I guess I do somewhat the same too. My desk is a big U shape, so for the most part the side that has my computer, phone etc. is just the current project and any other papers are behind me on the other part of the U, so I can’t see them and they are not a distraction.
To your success,
Dr. Laura
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