When you prioritize, you're determining what needs to get done and in what order you should perform those actions. Very often, one may concentrate on getting lots of easy tasks done. But just because you're crossing off tons of items on your TO DO list, doesn't necessarily mean you're completing the important stuff--the tasks that will help you achieve your goals.

1. Look into the future. What do you want out of life? Do you want to play guitar well enough to be able to perform for your children? Do you want to travel the country? Do you want to have a beautiful vegetable garden in your backyard? While it is certainly important to get your day-to-day things done, it's also important to schedule in time for activities that will help you achieve the 'higher level' goals you've set for yourself.

2. Make a Master List. This is simply a long running list of everything you want to accomplish. It's in no particular order, but is essentially a holding place and a reference so you don't forget any activity and so that you're not trying to remember everything that needs to get done.

3. Scan your list and assign A, B or C. Assign each activity one of the following letter codes:

A - Those activities that are important AND urgent and will impact you greatly if you don't accomplish them right way.

B - Those activities that are important to be done, but not urgent. You have time to accomplish them before they have a great impact on your life.

C - Those activities that may be nice to do sometime, but if you don't do them, you wouldn't be terribly disappointed.

4. It's not set in stone. Your letter assignments may change over time. Just because you assign a B priority to one of your activities today, doesn't mean it has to stay a B priority. It may turn into an A priority or a C priority in the future. Use your priority assignments as a guide, but don't be reluctant to change them if the need arises.

5. Focus. Now it's time to focus on just a few activities listed on your Master List. You'll want to include a mixture of activities on your Daily TO DO list. I recommend you choose three A priorities, two B priorities and one C priority. So each day, you'll have a total of 6 activities to focus on. If 6 is too many (like if you're not getting them all done), then drop down to 3 or 4.

6. Make a schedule. Use a tool, such as the Daily Planner in my Get Organized Now! Easy Organizer to plan your day. Schedule in time for each of your priorities, leaving some free time throughout your day for getting daily things done (dusting, cooking, etc.) and for rest and relaxation.

7. Early bird or night owl? In general, you'll want to schedule so that you actually get those A priority tasks done, no matter what. I find that if I do my top priority tasks first thing in the morning and get them out of the way, than it's pretty smooth sailing the rest of the day. However, some people are able to better focus in the afternoon or the evening, so A priority tasks are sometimes better left for this time of day for them. No matter what time of day you choose to focus on your A priorities, be sure you don't allow anything (except dire emergencies) to take over the time you originally scheduled to complete those priorities.

8. If something comes up . . . There are going to be times when you decide to do something in place of the activities you have initially assigned. For instance, the other day I had some activities planned for the afternoon, but a friend called and asked if I wanted to go to a local event with her in town. I weighed my options. I still had one B and one C priority on my list and I knew if I went to the event, that these would not get done today. I decided to meet her at the event and complete the B priority I had assigned when I returned home afterwards. I also decided to move the C priority to the next day.

Of course, while I do allow for flexibility in my schedule from time to time, I don't make a habit out of doing this. Most of the time, I stick to getting my priorities accomplished unless something very palatable arises that is important enough to me to push some of my originally assigned activities to tomorrow or another day.

9. The next day. You'll always want six activities on your Daily TO DO List, again three A priorities, two B priorities and one C priority--or less than 6 if you can never get 6 completed. If you did not accomplish one or more of your priorities from yesterday, those priorities should be on your list the next day--along with other priorities from your Master List to take the place of those priorities that you did manage to accomplish yesterday.

10. Reward yourself. If you follow this system, you will get an enormous amount of important things done, and you'll more easily be able to reach your goals. As you get things done, particularly your A priorities, reward yourself along the way. For instance, you can sprinkle mini rewards throughout your day, such as a walk in the park or an outing with a friend. A more major reward can be enjoyed when you accomplish something big, such as passing a major exam or remodeling a room in your home.

P.S. Here are 501 Tips and Ideas for Finding the Time for the Things YOu Love! Now you can have more time with your family, with your friends, with your hobbies, for play, for achievement, and for simply enjoying your life!

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___ 1. Do today's task on my January Monthly Organizing Checklist. The January 15 TO DO focuses on Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my January Monthly Organizing Checklist.

___ 2. Assess your priorities. Are you working on the big priorities in your life, or are these constantly getting put on the backburner? Assess what's happening so you can make necessary adjustments.

___ 3. Do my January declutter challenges. I've always thought of the month of January as the best time of year to declutter...and this year is no different. I have 10 decluttering challenges for you this month and I know you can achieve each and every one of them. Visit: GetOrganizedNow.com to access my Organizing and Life Challenges for January.'

'You gotta make it a priority to make your priorities a priority.' (Richie Norton)

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Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
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