Time Challenge Step # 2 - Think on Paper!

Now that you already have a strong reason for changing and learning to manage your time well, it's time to get practical.

Here is a rule you must follow if you are to succeed at this: Writing.

That's right! Writing down the things you need, want, wish and will do. If you want to get organized with your time, you need to get into the habit of writing your plans and to-do's down. 

Some people will read this and say that they've got no time to write down their list of to-do's, that they've got little or no time as it is. Well, of course you don't! If you don't have this habit, you are probably not a very organized person when it comes to your daily tasks and that's precisely why you think you don't have time.

Every book and article I've read about time management talks about this. Everyone I know who manages their time wisely, do so because of this very principle: They don't think only in their heads when it comes to the tasks they have to perform daily, but they also think on paper. Every time I manage to get something done and well done is because I followed this rule.

There's something about writing things down that makes everything much clearer, much more real and achievable. 

So, even if you don't have this habit, even if you don't like it, even if you think it doesn't work or hasn't worked for you in the past, do it anyway. Let's take one step at a time ok?

So what's the next step in our challenge? Here's what we will do this next week:

* Divide everything that's going on in your life right now into projects. Yes, we will call it and see it as projects from now on. Your projects could be for example, your home, your job, your school/college, your church, a course you are taking or are planning to take, a blog, a book, your health, weight loss etc. Basically everything you are doing right now, everything you were supposed to have done a while ago and things you still want or need to do.

Write them all down, one by one. That can be on a notebook or on your computer if you prefer. It doesn't really matter, as long as you have everything there in front of your eyes. When you do this, you may realize that you don't have as much to do as you had previously thought, or that it can actually be done if you work in an organized manner. Maybe you will see that you just have too much on you plate right now. 

Now, you need to look at your projects and decide which are the most important ones RIGHT NOW. When I did this last week, I had a total of 13 projects and I quickly saw that it was impossible to work on all of them at the same time and so I decided to postpone some of them for a later date/time in my life. I did not give up on them, I just postponed them so I can work on what's really priority right now. They came down to a total of 8.

Not very hard to do, is it? 

I've been doing this and it has been working wonders for me :) That's why I am able to write this post days before I actually have to post it. Yes, the Time Challenge is one of my 8 projects.

If you have any doubts or questions, you can write to me here or in the comments below. Now, let's get to work! More coming next week.