Getting Started

Like many people, I just returned to work yesterday after a nice holiday break. When I started thinking about all I had to do I started feeling overwhelmed, I didn’t know where to start. My head was a little fuzzy, and I could feel myself moving into time-wasting mode.

So, here’s what I did to help myself get myself focused and back to work:1. A brain dump style mindmap with categories of everything I could think of that I needed to do – like Training Follow-Up, Household, Rotary Projects, and OrderWithin Contacts to Make. Once the categories were established, I could fill in what needed to be done in each one.

2. Then I created my to-do list on another blank piece of paper, and I broke it out into these categories:
    a. Call
    b. Email
    c. Do

3. That gave me the opportunity to relax and see what I had in front of me, and from there I could consider my options and establish my priorities.

4. Then I looked at my list, and did the very worst thing on there first, and then I did the next thing that I really didn’t want to do at all, and so on. By the end of the morning I had taken most of my important actions, done all of my least tasteful tasks, and I got to slide through the rest of the afternoon.