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Managing Out-of-Hand To Do Lists - These 5 Steps Get Ideas Into ACTION!

Copyright © 2009 Feinholz Inc.

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 23Feb2008 Word count: 839 Viewed: 173 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

There's nothing so marvelous as being able to look back at the end of a day, a week, a month or a year and see everything that's been achieved! I don't mean crossed off of a list, but rather put on a 'done' list that lets you appreciate what's been accomplished. And too many entrepreneurs and professionals have too short a list!

If you're like most people who are running a business, as an owner, an executive or an independent professional you get to the things on your To Do list in an ad hoc fashion. In truth, you have more on that list than you will ever get to. But wouldn't you agree with me that inconsistency in putting things into action creates inconsistency in your results?

Successful leaders and managers don't escape from having full To Do lists. They're just very effective at keeping their attention on the High Pay-Off activities that will get them to the results they're set on. The reason they can act with such consistency is the clarity of their goals and their ongoing system of step-by-step techniques are keeping them on track and avoiding distractions.

If you were to follow these folks around for a day you'd be able to spot what they've learned to do. They use repeatable techniques that systematically move ideas off of lists and into action. Here are the 5 steps they're using that you can use to boost your own effectiveness on a daily basis.

Step 1 - List It All

High Payoff results require being able to focus your time and attention, and you cannot do that if you are trying to hang on to all your ideas in your mind. Get them out and on paper where you know the idea is ready for you to give it the attention it deserves. Success Catalyst subscribers who listened to the free audio mini-course learned a technique for listing 'everything' and report that this immediately frees up their mind and attention.

Step 2 - Prioritize It All

The tighter you evaluate the things on that list, the shorter your list will grow. This is particularly so if you use a tool like the Daily 4-in-1 sheet I supply with the audio mini course. When you designate each item as ones you'll take action on 'today', or 'tomorrow', or 'delegate today' it becomes immediately apparent which ones you know will have a High Payoff if they get attention versus what you'd vaguely "like to give attention to because they seem like they 'might' be worth pursuing."

Step 3 - Assign It To Get It Done

It may seem that if you've decided what you'll take care of and what you'll delegate, it's get done. Sorry! All that means is that you've made a really good list! Now you need to set those items up to be shifted from ideas to action and that means each of them must have an 'owner'. If the owner is not you, then you need to notify the person you're delegating it to that they are being given the accountability and responsibility for that action.

Before you hand it off, decide what the goal is for that activity, and how you'll track and monitor that it is being accomplished. Be sure that the person taking it on knows what you expect, AND that they are in agreement with what they're supposed to be handling and how you're to be notified of its status.

Step 4 - Supply the Resources

It may have taken 5 minutes to decide 'who' should be doing the task, and 5 minutes to notify them, but without resources no progress is going to take place. There is nothing more certain than ideas won't move into action if the support system doesn't exist to guarantee action can take place!

Action requires investment and your role is to guarantee that the action has a realistic likelihood of taking place. That means you need to put your wallet behind your assignments. What's needed? Staffing? Computers? Supplies? Time? Your next step is to ensure those resources get lined up and made available so that the idea isn't just moved onto yet another To Do list!

Step 5 - Calendar It

Action requires commitment and follow-through is only guaranteed if time is blocked out for uninterrupted attention on getting it done. Your strongest guarantee of action is... putting it on the calendar for attention and action. If the idea is on your To Do list, then it should be on your calendar. The same holds true if you've delegated it - it needs to be on the other person's calendar. And that includes the status meetings where they'll report back to you that it's being accomplished.

Make these steps techniques that you use and you'll soon find yourself consistently ticking things off of your To Do list and being able to rewrite them on your 'Accomplishments' list. And you'll know that the rest of your team is handling their To Dos as well.

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