source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1151807
Keeping a list of almost anything, whether it’s important tasks you need to complete or a set of important phone numbers, is a great way to stay organized when you are surrounded by chaos. If the information is important to you, there’s a way to organize it into a list that will save you time and even money.
Try out these ideas to keep yourself organized!
1. Daily To-Do Lists
When you have lots of stuff to get done in a short period of time, it makes sense to use a list to keep yourself on track. Avoid making your daily lists too long though, or you may get discouraged when you can’t get to everything in one 24-hour period.
2. Monthly Goals
Having a set of monthly goals is just as important as having daily goals. When you know you can’t complete something in a day but still want to give yourself a finite deadline, put it on your monthly to do list. At the start of each week, take a look at your monthly to do list and see if there’s anything you can get done off of the list in the coming week.
3. Long Term Goals
You can think of long term goals as anything that will take considerable time to complete. Finishing a college degree, buying a house and paying off debt are all good examples of attainable long term goals. Make a list of accomplishments you’d like to achieve and start working toward them! Be sure to note a completion date for each, even if it’s a year or two in the future. Having an end date will keep you motivated.
4. Special Dates and Reminders
Calendars can be used to remind yourself of special dates, but lists can be a great help in this area too. You can create a list of birthdays, anniversaries and other special dates. A list like this will be invaluable year round, year after year, and can help tremendously with your gift giving budget.
5. Important Projects (Personal and Work)
When you have a big project to work on, it’s easy to get lost in the details. If you are collaborating with others, it’s even more difficult to know exactly what stage of the project you’re at. List sharing is a great way to allow multiple people to add and subtract from a big project’s to-do list.
6. Business Records
Though spreadsheets and databases are quite popular for business records, lists can work equally well. For a small business, or self-employed individual, record keeping is made easy with a list. Tracking accounts payable and receivable on a monthly list makes it easy to pull up your records at the end of the year.
7. Anything You Need to Remember
There are many good uses for lists in order to stay organized, and anything not mentioned in the six items above is fair game. Other ideas include: emergency contact list to post near the phone, medication list for your elderly parent, step-by-step instructions for operating items you don’t use very often, and even a login and password list for all the websites you visit.
Don’t forget to put “making a list” at the top of your to-do list! Keep and Share has free to do lists that you can start using right away.
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