The To - Do List ... Your Best Friend

One of the biggest problems of working from home is staying focused and getting the things done that need to get done. Not only are there work deadlines to meet, you also have dirty laundry laying around, there are dishes to clean, and you have to make sure you pick up your child from soccer on time.

How can you manage all of the above and then some? With a “To-Do” List. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and start jotting down some of the things you would like to accomplish today. I like to keep two different lists. The first one for work related tasks, the second one for chores around the house. Since it is hard to work effectively for long periods of time, I tend to alternate work tasks and household chores. For example, I will write an article for one of my websites and then go unload the dishwasher before I go back to “work”. It refreshes my mind and allows me to make the most of my time.

Sit down at the end of the day and make out your list for the following day. It will give you something to start with right away in the morning. What you tackle first depends on what motivates you most. Some people like to do a few quick and simple things first to get motivated to keep going. Others prefer to do the thing they dread the most first to get it out of the way. Try both ways and see what works best for you. Regardless of what you do first, be sure to cross an item off your list once it is completed. It’s a very satisfying and motivating thing to do.

One tip from Timothy Ferriss, the author of “The Four Hour Workweek” is to avoid reading email in the morning until you’ve made progress on your to do list – or else you’ll likely get dragged off on some other project.

Another question that often comes up when talking about lists is how long your “to do” list should be. Again, it depends on what works best for you. If you find a huge list threatening and it makes you want to go hide under the covers and not do anything, keep your list to 5 things or less. On the other hand if having a huge to-do list has you diving in to see how much you can get knocked out today, by all means feel free to create a huge list. Just add anything you didn’t get accomplished to tomorrow’s list.

Play with a few different To-Do lists and find out which one works best for you and watch your productivity soar.

Work at Home Mom