Cross it off the List: Tips for Getting Things Done

[caption id="attachment_2559" align="alignleft" width="292" caption="Working Smart. Working Hard"][/caption]

Ever feel overwhelmed with work? Wish you could plan your days better so you accomplish everything on your to-do list? As the summer ends, we find ourselves going back to the day-to -day work schedule. Now this is not to say that we haven't been working hard over the summer, but there is something about the fall and winter that always gets me motivated to work harder. Here are some tips and strategies for getting things done:

1. Find the Platform That Gives You The Time You Need
Aside from sleeping, your work life very likely takes up the most hours in your day. So it makes sense that the greatest savings in time and productivity can come from how and where you work.

Your aim should be to align your work and your goals of what you want to get done. While it might be that your goals can be achieved through a job, I found that the biggest change in my productivity has come from starting a business.

2. Plan, plan, plan!
If you want to make the most effective use of your time, you need a plan. Without one, trying to do a lot will give you a major stress attack. Whether it’s daily to-do lists, business plans, or a productivity system, choose your weapons and put them to use.

Personally I have two planning tools that I use constantly. Next to me I keep a notepad with daily to-do lists. They usually span two A4 pages because I like to do some serious multi-tasking.

3. Work Smart
I love the idea of working smart because it is a great enabler to getting more done. The tricky thing is figuring out what exactly “Work Smart” means. I have found the best way to think of it is to ask yourself this one question:

If you only had a year left to do the things on your lists, would you be satisfied with what you’re spending your time on today?

Read more at Zen Habits