Summary: How’s your to-do list looking? Mine’s as long as my arm – but if I was to be honest I’d say it always is! Regardless of how many things I get done on my to-do list there always seems to be more things to add. Sounds familiar? Tony Case via Compfight I see a strong connection between getting things done and balancing work and home. If you’re at home, thinking about all your work to-do’s, you’ll never get your home to-do’s done, and vice versa. So what’s the key? In our series of articles on the eight traits of an Organised Mum I said that the way to get things done was to: Focus on what’s important Enlist help Avoid perfectionism So what does this look like for me? 1. I stop listening to all the “noise”. You know what I mean – all that other stuff that you hear at the school gate, on TV, in the papers, with other businesses that might sound like a good idea but isn’t right for me. If I chose to listen to all that noise I would have absolutely no direction whatsoever. I’d be faffing around like a crazy woman without a coherent thought or idea. This is a tough one – and you really need to know who you are – but once you stop listening to all that noise it makes your to-do list so much more manageable! 2. I know what I am good at doing. I am a capable woman. I have a Master degree, have worked in some high paying ‘normal’ jobs and now run my own business – but I still know that I am not good at, and can’t do, everything. Just because I can use my accounting package doesn’t mean I should do my own “books”. I know an accountant who doesn’t do her own “books” – so if it’s good for her it’s good for me! 3. I know what I like doing. I know I have to do some things I don’t like (including ironing!) but the things I really, really don’t like – gone-ski! I get rid of them from my to-do list and give them to someone who loves doing it! 4. I schedule my to-do’s. Julie Morgenstern has a saying “A to-do without a when never gets done” – never a truer word has been said! I love my diary (yes, a physical diary!!) and so all my to-do’s get scheduled in it with a time to do them. In other words I am making appointments with myself to get my to-do’s done. I still have lists (for example, the shopping list on the fridge) but I know when that list will be done because my diary tells me! 5. Once my to-do’s are scheduled I forget about them. Yep – that’s right. Why have them bouncing around in my head when I can use my brain cells for more important things?! I trust my diary to tell me when to do tasks – and it saves my brain trying to remember my to-do list (which it has absolutely no chance in doing!). 6. I have a good idea how long things take to do. Let’s say I have a parent-teacher interview at school. The interview only goes for 15 minutes, but does that mean I schedule 15 minutes in my diary for the interview? Absolutely not! I factor in the time it takes to drive to school, the traffic, the car parking, the interview, and the drive home. Chances are this process will take at least 45 minutes, maybe an hour. So I would schedule an hour in my diary. And if I have spare time that’s great! More time to do all those other to-do’s! 7. I use time wisely. I’m not a big fan of multitasking – studies have shown that multitasking can actually reduce your productivity by as much as 40% – but I am a big fan of using time wisely. What this looks like for me includes putting a load of washing on while I do school drop off (or my favourite – while I’m asleep!) having the dishwasher going while we watch TV at night playing with Mr 6 while dinner cooks Anything you automate (like a washing machine, dishwasher and oven) can be working for you whi[...]
