My Daily Calendar
I have a daily calendar that sits on my desk.
This calendar is the lifeline to my online business.
I don’t use it in the traditional way a calendar would be used. It doesn’t have a bunch of times and appointments in it. There’s no meetings scheduled there. And there are times it isn’t even open to today’s date.
This daily calendar is used for my to-do list. But not just any to-do list. It is THE LIST.
It is my daily reminder of the 3 most important things to-do every day.
Things I Must Do Everyday
If you work online you know of the plethora of distractions. There are so many one can easily become overwhelmed.
This was my situation for quite a long time. My work day would start with no direction. I would simply log into my blog’s dashboard or social media and start typing away without knowing if I would actually be productive that day or not.
Most days I was not. I needed a plan. Directions. A “to-do list”.
I started out with long lists. These never worked for me, I always felt overwhelmed and simply didn’t know where to start. Thus, rarely getting much done.
Then one day I decided I would cut back and do 3 things. Three very important things just for that day.
I found I accomplished my to-do list quickly and efficiently. I did that for a week or so. I got so much done!
So started to challenge myself and make the to-do list more challenging but never adding more, just making each task harder.
It worked. I was able to get even the challenging tasks accomplished! This is a great feeling. And I never felt overwhelmed.
My WAHM Time Management Technique
1. At the end of every work at home day I open my calendar to the next day and write down 3 things I need done that day.
2. The next morning when I arrive at my desk I already know that I have tasks that need to be done. I don’t need to remember from the day before or try to figure out what to do today. They are already listed. They were listed when they were fresh in my mind from yesterday.
3. Do the tasks in order.
4. If they do not get done, bump to the next day. Or simply cross off the next day and work off of the previous day (that is why my calendar is not always open to the appropriate day.) This also helps me to remember that I am behind and need to streamline or work faster. And not get distracted, which is usually the main culprit.
That is how I get stuff done. Sure I also use Google calendar, stickies and timers but my favorite way to be productive is simply listing my top 3.
Do you want to learn more ways to manage your time? Here are 10 great ways to Time Manage.
This post was part of 2nd annual Women’s Money Week. You can get more productivity tips here. And participate!
Pick up a great Time Management book by Amy Lynn Andrews called Tell Your Time. It helped me realize how I needed to break down larger workloads and use a calendar to schedule work.
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Welcome! I'm Allie. I help WAHMs get their businesses noticed online. Feel free to look around. New here? Check out 
Boy could I relate to this one Allie! And I just went back to making little lists yesterday because of it. I had 5 things on my list.
My weakness of course is Twitter. I can get lost there.
I will have to check out the 10 tips too. Thanks Allie – glad to know it’s not just me.
Lisa created this awesome post: Sponsored Tweets, Your Value, Money Making Blogging
Lisa,
As I was writing this I realized I have many ways to keep productive- times, reminders, a calendar- but this one is my main way of staying on track with work.
Yep, i hear ya! Facebook is my downfall. Those funny quotes and pictures get me every time! LOL.
Did you get your list done?
~Allie
Allie Rambles created this awesome post: Being Virtual Assistant: WAHM Making It In Transcription Services
All but 1 – must mean the list was too long
But the day is young.
Lisa created this awesome post: Sponsored Tweets, Your Value, Money Making Blogging
We are very much alike. It helps me to keep a list of the 2 most important things to do that day too. I get too overwhelmed with 3 because my projects can get pretty big. But having the list stare me in the face helps me from getting distracted.
Renae – WAHM Blog created this awesome post: How to Start a Home Business for Work at Home Moms
Renae,
So true. Some people can have more on their list and some less. For instance, on Fridays when I am pretty much catching up for the week and not writing, I can have more on my list because they are easy and usually more fun.
~Allie
Allie Rambles created this awesome post: No One Can Do It Alone: Find Your Tribe
I usually write in the afternoon or in the evening before going to bed. I teach my students in the morning and I try to spend some of my spare time to write.
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Excellent posting is one of the best ways for getting links and increase your site rank. It shows that you are not a spammer and try to provide some useful content to your users.
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Hi Allie!
Love your idea as I use it too!
I do the same thing every night before I leave the office and then again as I crawl into bed, making my priority list for the next day. I guess, technically I have more than three things, since I have 3 for work and 3 for me personally, but it helps me focus in the morning and definitely helps me get more done! I use a day planner at work and my phone for my items at home.
Glad to see you as part of Women’s Money Week!
Heather Stephens created this awesome post: Three Secrets to Being Productive and Stress Free
I have bought so many notebooks with the intentions of to do lists thinking I would follow those. We all need to find a system and what works for us. thank you so much for sharing yours with your readers. This way seems so doable!
Tabitha Vos created this awesome post: Taking your husband grocery shopping
For me, writing down my tasks on a notebook or a sheet of paper (as opposed to keeping an online task list) helps my productivity. It’s helpful to see what tasks are lined up for the day without opening too many applications on the computer. Besides, it feels great to actually cross out a task on paper.
This is a great idea. Planning for the next day, a day prior before ending that day. I mean this will make work so much easier and complete faster. If I already know what I have to do tomorrow, then I will just have to come back and start with the work without wasting anymore time.
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Thanks for such a great blog! I start out every working day by creating a list of things that need to be done for the day, this sounds so much simplier. I know I can always count on your blolg for great advice.
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