Not prioritizing tasks and lack of time management is often the most common habit that underachievers share. Simply said, it boils down to organization.
If you find yourself late or missing deadlines, forgetting about important dates, feeling like you don’t have enough time in the day or week, overwhelmed with the amount of work that you have – it is because you are not organized. The first step towards accomplishing and completing a task is preparing for it and that starts by scheduling for it.
If you’re finding yourself struggling to stay on track, here are some tips to help you get organized, and back on the road to success!
Create a Monday morning checklist. Write down everything that you need to accomplish for the week and the day that you want to have it completed by. As you complete an item, cross it off on your list. The more items you cross off, the more successful your week will be.
Set electronic reminders: Use your calendar to your advantage. You have several different calendar options (Microsoft Outlook, iOS Calender, Google Calendar, etc), choose one and set daily reminders to complete important tasks. Google calendar also has an option to email yourself when an important calendar deadline is approaching. Take advantage of these free and easy to use resources!
Know your limits. Don’t take on additional work if you’re not going to be able to devote the necessary time towards its completion. It’s not about the quantity of the work you complete, but the quality. Only take on additional responsibilities and tasks if you are sure that you are going to be able to deliver your undivided attention toward its completion.
Prioritize: Not every task in your schedule is of equal importance. Make sure that you are scheduling your most important items early in the week and giving yourself a reasonable and realistic time frame for completion. Example: If you have an important outline/report to prepare for a Friday deadline, do not schedule to start it on Thursday evening. By rule of thumb, you always want to give yourself a 24 hour deadline ahead of the “real” deadline – if it is due on Friday at 5pm, you want to complete it no later than Thursday at 5 pm.
Hold yourself accountable. Understand the consequences, positive and negative, of your performance. If you continue to neglect important items in your schedule, are you penalizing yourself? I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “work hard, play hard”; well, if you’re not working hard, should you still play hard? You have to hold yourself accountable for your own negative actions. With that said, reward yourself with the same accountability for your successful execution and performance!
Be self motivating. It’s always easier to get a job done when you know what you’re working for. Everybody has a different trigger; maybe it’s retiring early, a down payment for a house, buying a new car, getting a new set of golf clubs, etc. Take a picture of your reward, hang it up in your office, bedroom, car visor, etc – and remind yourself daily of what you’re working towards. Keeping yourself motivated will help you look forward to staying on track and completing your responsibilities.
Follow up. Before you end your day, pull out your checklist, review your calendar, and make sure that you completed everything that you had scheduled for the day.
“It won’t happpen unless you choose to make it happen. Success is not a lucky break. It is not a divine right. It is not an accident of birth. SUCCESS IS A CHOICE.” – Rick Pitino
