Do it tomorrow
I was a writer for many years (mostly magazine articles and books) and I couldn’t work without a deadline. The deadline would dictate when I started working on a story and, to be honest, there was usually a lot of procrastination involved.
Now I’m running an organizing business and there aren’t deadlines for marketing and professional development, essential but usually not time-sensitive tasks. That can pose a problem for me. But I’ve read a book that’s really made a difference for me. And its title appeals to my inner procrastinator.
That book is Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management, by Mark Forster. It’s an easy-to-read book whose main tenet is that much of what you need to do can wait until tomorrow. That allows you to put together what he calls a “will do” (rather than a “to do”) list—a closed list of tasks that you can actually accomplish in a day. When new things come in, add them to tomorrow’s (or another day’s) list. He urges you to accomplish the least urgent items on your will do list, allowing you to actually do those things that have been hanging around on your list forever. And he offers some great tips for starting and completing tasks.
I started implementing the ideas in the book about a month ago. It’s revolutionized the days that I don’t see clients. Sometimes those days would vanish into an Internet-induced haze where nothing measurable seemed to be accomplished.
Now, I actually have a list that I can realistically accomplish in a day. When I’m finished with one thing I move on, purposefully, to the next. I’m not constantly nagging myself about the things I should do—because I have a daily task diary I write those tasks in and I know when I will do them.
I’m not perfect so the system isn’t yet working perfectly. But it’s given me a sense of control over my time. And some great tools to work with to really feel I’ve mastered time management.
The book’s published in England and takes a little while to arrive from England if you order it through Amazon US. But it’s worth the wait. In the meantime, you can check out Mark Forster’s website, Get Everything Done and his blog to get a taste for what he’s talking about. You can read the first chapter of Do It Tomorrow on his website.
Tagged with: deadlines, mark forster, procrastination, time management
Comments
I have sort of implemented a ‘do it tomorrow’ list for a while now – things that I need to do eventually but not right away. My problem is that once those things have been there for a while, they become sort of nagging – maybe even a sort of guilt? But more pressing things always seem to take precedence.
Nora Brown December 1, 2006 08:15 AM
Nora, you might benefit from reading Forster’s book. He makes a big point of not putting tasks on your list that you’re not committed to doing—if you can’t get everything done, you should take on less (though this doesn’t apply to your work on my website of course! ) . He recommends making a closed list of things you will do today and then doing the least urgent first! That’s one way to get those items that used to hang around actually accomplished. It works amazingly well.
Janine Adams December 1, 2006 09:42 AM
I’m fairly certain that yours is the first blog that I have ever had the pleasure to visit. And what an impressive website it is, but then, of course, I am not at all surprised since all that I have ever known you to do has been so professionally. I am a huge personal fan of “will do” lists as I get such satisfaction being able to cross things off the list.
Rileys Dad December 16, 2006 05:20 PM
About Janine
Hello! I’m Janine Adams — a certified professional organizer based in St. Louis, and the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing®.
I love order, harmony + beauty, but I believe that the way that you feel about yourself and your home is what truly matters.
If you’re ready to declutter with a purpose and add more ease to your life, you’ve found the right blog — and you’ve found the right company.
read more »Links
- National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals
- Are you interested in becoming a professional organizer?
- Getting to Good Enough podcast
- Institute for Challenging Disorganization
- NAPO St. Louis
- Ravelry
- Peace of Mind Budgeting
- Shannon Wilkinson, life coach
- Organize Your Family History
Hi Janine! Thanks for letting me know about your blog. Loved reading everything you have posted so far. I can certainly identify with the pets and the love of needlecraft. I am not a knitter but an avid crocheter and have many various afghan projects in the works at any point in time. Haven’t been able to do much crochet lately due to hand issues but I hope to give it a try again during these winter months. Nothing better than sitting in a warm house, cozy chair and crocheting while watching the falling snow outside! I look forward to reading more of your Blog entries. It helps me to take those baby steps in getting better organized!
Linda M. November 30, 2006 10:22 AM