Putting It All Together

We have discussed the basic necessity of To Do lists, the value of putting important tasks and goals on The Schedule, Goal Setting, and the Business Plan which maps out short term and long term goals and strategies. Now we want to pull it all together.

The first principle to believe is that these four areas all go together all the time. The To Do list is about tasks that need to get done. These tasks may come from yesterday’s list of important things not yet done, last week’s list, or from ideas and plans going forward. The To Do list is the most dynamic document, in that it is ever changing.

From the To Do list the most important items are scheduled. It is important to realize that, consistent with the 80/20 rule, only 20% of the items on the list are truly important and these tasks need to be done first as a matter of priority. Getting them done starts with setting a time to do them, which means they get put on The Schedule. And then the drive to stay on schedule and to do what you have told yourself you are going to do, kicks in, and the important things get done.

Goal setting is actually the beginning of the process, such that the to do list and the schedule are tools to use in achieving the goals. Without the goals, the items on the lists and schedules lack that bigger picture of purpose and achievement.

An ongoing, or at least periodic, review of the business plan helps keep in mind the big picture. It should include the timelines that tell you how certain projects or initiatives should proceed over the course of time, and it reminds you of when goals are set to be met, thereby pushing you to stay on time, to stay on track, not falling behind, in order to achieve a goal on time. Remember that part of goal setting is believing that your goal will reasonably be achieved at a certain time in the future, and what you want is for that time to push you to create the ways and means to get that goal to achievement at that designated time, your self imposed deadline. Remember that goals can be changed and deadlines can be moved if they become realistic. And remember that you must keep your goals realistic such that you believe they will be achieved.

It is easy to see then that The Schedule is not just the schedule for the day, the week, the month and the year, but it is also the schedule of the timelines set forth in the business plan.

Notice that keeping To Do lists, the master schedule and the big picture of the business, there is a high degree of organization to each major goal. Take the time to be highly organized. It makes you more productive, and it is what successful people do!