How to create a to-do list that works and get's things done. Forget everything you have learned and do it the new way
Throw your checklist away and start again
Most of you will have a daily to-list that will sit on your desk demanding attention throughout the day.
You have probably learned the art of ignoring the list except for a couple of easy tasks that get the tick
The rest get moved forward to the next day in a cycle of repetition until they no longer matter.
A friend of mine went so far as recording “cut toenails” which takes ridiculous to the extreme.
There is only one thing on your list
The most important chore of the day is the one that will make you the most money.
The first job of the day, or the last at night, is to find the Money ball.
Business is all about income and until you have that rolling faster than you can handle it is the most important job of the day.
So find that one thing that will make you money and that is your list.
This idea has worked for me and generated unexpected new revenue so it can work for you
The money ball idea
We had to call it something and Moneyball explains the theory of concentrating most time on the single thing that can earn you money in the quickest time. It might not be done in a single day but the idea must percolate to fruition in the quickest possible time.
The idea of concentration focus achieves outcomes quicker than jumping about chasing small issues.
One idea was to add another affiliate partner and generate enough traffic to get income rewards. Another was an extra supplier discount that would decrease my overall cost of sales by 5%.
When that worked what about a 5% price increase?
The ideas in your business are endless YOU JUST NEED TO THINK ABOUT THEM.
We all have must-do lists
First of all sort out those that are important, are you going to get sued if you don't do it?
Items like Payroll must be done but it is not a list item. It is a function of your day
Your list contains today's must-do items only and nothing else. If you can leave the office without doing them they should not be on your list
Why change your list
It has been shown in many surveys that a list just takes attention time away from focus issues.
Giving complete attention to the job at hand gets the job done and every time your mind wanders off to read that list that has 5, 10 maybe 20 things that need to be caught up on is time-wasting.
Your daily list starts and ends with the money ball or that task that will make the most money. When you have that out of the way today's urgent agenda can be attended to.
How often do you just delete items from a list because they were not important or could not be done?
Yet every day they were studied and debated and moved to a new day.
There are only so many hours in a day so maximum use is the aim for those wanting to complete the most.
Don't laugh, I have actually done this when I studiously thought the way to creation was completing the day's chores. It got rid of the list and a couple of productive hours and made no difference to the outcome. I have tried them all and other than a couple of items my list comprises a Moneyball idea.
The big idea might not be done in a day but it will be done and the results will prove the concept. One simple idea has bought a big change to my income so I endorse this plan.
How to create a to-do list that works
Get rid of every item on the list except the one that will make you money. When you have done that you can fix the rest
Conclusion
If you think you can't do without a list you are wrong.
Start your day with the Moneyball idea and set it into motion before you look at anything else.
Get the most out of your work time to enjoy the rest time, it is a better plan.
How to create a to-do list that works by Peter Hanley
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