Intentio Deum ? Plan the Day!

  If you have heard it once you have heard it a hundred times, I hope: Failing to plan is planning to fail. This is absolutely true, and it is one of the reasons that so much time is wasted by so many people. They never really PLAN to do anything. There are three kinds of people in the world. Those who MAKE things happen, those who WATCH things happen, and those who say WHAT HAPPENED? The people who MAKE things happen are the ones who develop and follow specific plans for success.

Now, when people discuss planning, they usually discuss things like identifying long-range goals, followed by defining activities and setting priorities to help reach those goals. This is a great way to approach planning on a large scale. However, the real challenge of time management is to also plan on a small scale, by organizing each day so that you give yourself the best possible chance of making steady progress toward those goals you set during your large scale planning sessions. Effective daily planning is the key to achieving your big-time dreams, and it also serves as a natural filter to help you decide how to respond to unscheduled activities that we all confront every day.

The tried and true low tech approach to daily planning is still the to-do list. Whether you keep your list on the back of an old interoffice memo or log it into your digital organizer of choice, the good old to-do list is a lifesaver when it comes to helping you stay on track. That is, if you have the discipline to follow it.

So, begin every day by making a list of all the activities you either must accomplish or would like to accomplish. Many people actually do this either at the close of business the previous day or before they retire for bed the previous night, just to give them jump on the next day and get the creative juices focused before the new day begins. Writing it down makes if real, and it also makes it harder to forget or become distracted.

As you are developing your list, keep the following things in mind:

Tie every task or activity to those long range or medium range goals that you have set for yourself (or that have perhaps been set for you by your company or your boss or your spouse). If an activity comes up during the day that is not connected to helping you accomplish one of those goals, you might want to question the value of doing it at all. At least, consider that fact when setting priorities.

Streamline your list by grouping similar activities together. For instance, handle all your phone calls at once and, whenever possible, cover multiple topics during one meeting rather than having multiple meetings.

Most of all, don’t neglect the power of prioritizing. Make sure your to-do list gives primary scheduling importance to your A priorities, i.e., those activities that do the most to help you achieve your most valuable goals. The best way to do this is to apply the Four Ds. It seems like the busier and more involved you are, the more activities will arise to demand your attention. Some are more valuable than others. Remember, you can’t do everything, and you certainly can’t do everything at once. The Four Ds can help you sort and handle the requests that come your way every day by giving you a set of options, namely:

? Do it -- if it conforms to your list of goals and priorities
? Delay it – if it conforms to your list of goals and priorities, but it doesn’t have to be done immediately
? Delegate it – if it has value to you, but it could be implemented by someone else
? Dump it – if it isn’t on your list of goals and priorities and has no value to you, politely decline the opportunity to take on another responsibility that will not help you achieve your goals.

Finally, don’t over schedule. The best to-do list in the world will not completely protect you from unscheduled interruptions or opportunities to which you must respond. If you totally cram your schedule with wall-to-wall activities, you will inevitably end the day with too many things undone, which creates feelings of stress and failure for most people.

A daily list truly is the best way to focus attention on your most important objectives. Just keep in mind:

• If unexpected demands come up, assess their priority and handle them accordingly. Don't use something unexpected as an excuse to distract you, just add it to your list.
• At the end of each day, review what was accomplished.
• Carry forward any items on your list that need completing.
• Reprioritize these with tomorrow's new items.

We all remember the phrase Carpe Deum: Seize the Day! Well, the best way to seize the day and achieve your goals and dreams is to also remember Intentio Deum: Plan the Day. It is those who spend less time carping and more time planning who come out on top at the end of the day.

 

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August Time Management Quick Tip of the Month – Where Does the Time Go?

Most of us stay so busy just trying to survive each day that we don’t even realize where all the time really goes. Before you can make the best use of any of the effective time management tools available to you, it would be a good idea to try to get a basic assessment of how you really spend your time. There are excellent time assessment surveys on the market, but you can get very acceptable results by just logging the course of your day on a legal pad. At the beginning of the day, divide the time into 15 minute increments, then pause once every 30 minutes (every hour at the very least) and jot down notes to define how you spent the previous 15 minute blocks. For best results, do this for a week if possible. At the end of that time, break your activities down into categories that honestly document everything you did with your time during the week. Now you KNOW where the time went, and you can start to do something about it.