All entrepreneurs should keep to-do lists, according to David Allen, a productivity consultant and author of Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work & Life. Says Allen, “It’s especially critical to make sure you keep your eye on the big picture but don’t lose the detail.”Allen likes to use a Palm handheld to manage his list. He categorizes all items, tagging them as projects, phone calls, errands, agenda items, work to be done at his computer or desk, things he can do anywhere, and items that aren’t urgent. This approach allows him to quickly identify, for instance, a phone call he can make while waiting for a plane or an item to pick up while he’s out and about.
What’s most important, says Allen, is to review your list items frequently to see if they are listed correctly and should be there to begin with. “Most people just write stuff down, aren’t clear about it and aren’t committed to it,” Allen says. “You haven’t made decisions about it, you’ve just reminded yourself of it.”
Reviewing also involves making sure that a to-do you’ve listed as an errand isn’t really a call. Working over your list in advance daily and weekly means that, when you consult your list, you don’t have to rethink your commitment and your plan right then, he says. Allen says what lies behind people’s discomfort with to-do lists is feeling like they’re obstacles. He says, “You should be energized and thinking you can’t wait to see what you can cross off next.”
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