3 Steps to Getting Things Done

I’m one of those people who sits down in front of the computer to do something and then I get distracted by the Internet. And the original reason I sat down at the computer is completely forgotten. Has that ever happened to you? Happens to me all the time. My short term memory is terrible sometimes.

In order to keep myself on task and get things done, I have a process.

1) Big Master List – as a business owner, there are always a million things to get done. I’m constantly changing hats from accountant, bookkeeper, editor, photographer, marketing manager, oh and CEO. There’s SO MUCH. So I keep a master list. I’m a huge fan of lists and a huge fan of notebooks, so it’s a win-win situation. Every week, I try to make a master list and update it with things that need to happen. It might be editing, blog posts, social media posts, bookkeeping (how fun!), or emailing. I get a whole lot of satisfaction of crossing items off a list.

2) Choose 3 things – It’s hard to get everything on the master list done. In fact, it’s impossible to get it all done in one day. And it feels totally overwhelming knowing that you have a HUGE list looming in front of you. Every day, I look at the master list and my schedule and see what I can get done that day…but not everything, just three things. Accomplishing a task feels REALLY good, and accomplishing three tasks feels even better!

3) Brain Dump – At the end of the day, I use my handy notebook to write everything that I need to get done down. For me this includes things like calling the vet, calling the pharmacy, paying a bill, or emailing a client. It’s all the little things that are so easy to forget! If there are things you need to remember to do, write it down during your brain dump. It’s always a bummer to remember that you were going to do something and it’s too late or the deadline has passed.

This is my mini “tutorial” for getting things done…like a boss!