Organize your day in advance

Keeping your day organized is often just a matter of getting everything laid out in an easily followed manner. 

Plan tomorrow today and put your plan in writing.

Take 5 or 10 minutes today to write tomorrow’s to-do list, so you can start tomorrow fresh. If you’re an early riser, set aside some quiet time at home or at work to plan before the day really gets going. 

Planning and prioritizing on paper or computer lets you see what you need to accomplish and  when.  Revise your plan and stay flexible and use common sense! 

Check today’s list several times throughout the day and if necessary rearrange, postpone and, yes, even procrastinate on purpose. Planned procrastination, consciously choosing to put off, is what prioritizing is all about. 

Remember, your to-do list is a guide and no one gets everything done. 

Use common sense as you plan out your priorities.

If something comes up during the day that bumps another item in importance, so be it. Write in pencil, so you can easily erase and move items on your list. 

Weigh the value of doing an item at a particular point.

For example, it may be better to call that new client at 1:00 p.m. today, even though he is only a “B” priority because you’re sure to reach him at 1:00. Otherwise, you’ll be playing telephone tag with him for the next two weeks, which would be a major time-waster