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The Single Most Productive Tool You Need to Stay Organized
Do you ever feel like there is never enough time in the day? Are you always rushing? Have you ever lain awake at night worrying over whether you did everything you needed to do for the day or about what you need to do the next day? Do you feel stressed at the end of the day?
Time management and productivity skills are not just important to corporate executives. We moms have a lot of things to do and stuff to juggle. With so much to do it is easy to get overwhelmed or over-stressed.
God wants us to make the most of our time (Colossians 3:23). Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. ” (Psalm 90:12) In Ephesians 5:15 Paul said, Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The single most productive tool you need to organize your time and home is a prayed over to-do list.
Your list can be written on a simple notepad, in a fancy planner, or kept on your computer but you need a to-do list and you need to pray before you create it. You may not think something so simple could help so much, but it really can.
Once you write a to-do list you feel relief. You get what you need to do organized on paper and out of your head. Then you have a reminder for later. Get it in writing, and you’ve taken the first step to getting it done.
Most people will only write an occasional to-do list once they are completely overwhelmed but then return to their regular fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants no list mode until they lay awake at night overwhelmed again. Be proactive! Make and keep a daily to-do list.
Make it a Habit
Your prayed over list should become a daily routine to get a clear overview of what needs to be done. The most important step is prayer. God promises to direct our paths when we acknowledge Him.
Make it a habit to pray over and review your list at the same time every morning. Add any new task or projects as you cross off completed tasks.
There are dozens of to-do lists available online. See a good overview at the Solution Watch blog 25 To Do Lists to Stay Productive. For free printable to-do forms see The Organized Home.
I make a lot of different type lists and notes to stay organized. Some projects have several task and sub lists. I manage homeschool and business projects with Back Pack, and Sandy (an online assistant). I use a program called Writers Blocks to organize my writing.
For the day-to-day to-do list for home management I use a free, simple quick program online called Ta-Da.
Ta-Da claims to be “the easiest Web-based to-do list maker.” And it is simple and easy. You can get started in 10 seconds. Here are some of my lists:
- Urgent
- To Do (to call, pick up, mail, etc)
- Honey Do
- Appointments
- Groceries
- Blog topic ideas
- Read Later (books, articles, etc.)
Ta-Da allows you to create, edit, manage unlimited lists and tick a box to cross things off your list (but they’re saved in small text at the bottom if you ever want to reference your completed items again. You can also email, share, or subscribe to the RSS feed of any of your lists.
Paper or computer — what ever program works best for you — get into a list making habit. You’ll save time and energy. Who doesn’t need more time and energy?
PS. There is an entire blog titled To Do Lists that became a book. The blog owner feels nothing is more revealing than someone’s to-do list.
Related Posts:
- Homeschool Planning: How Would Jesus Schedule?
- How Do You Do It All?
- Are You Prepared for Self Control?
- When Trials Come, Rejoice!
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I am so glad you said PRAYER.
I was worried it was going to be som electronic thing or some book. Those never work.
Of course you said prayer! We are always looking for a quick fix to our busy lives, but the best fix is truly laying our to-do lists at the feet of Jesus everyday.
Thanks! linking you to my blog today…this was great!
Dana B.’s last blog post..Turned On By Prayer
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You always have great links! Like your signature, too!
Pure and Sensible’s last blog post..The Gift of Discernment
OK, let’s see. My to-do list, hmmmm….
1. Pray
2. Read Bible
3. Read Robin’s HOW blog
4. Read Robin’s HAH blog
5. Check out all the great links at both.
6. Try a Tackle It Tuesday idea
7. Try a Works for Me Wednesday idea
etc., etc., etc.
I find to do list are really helpful when creating blog posts.
I often will:
1. research blog post topic
2. check if other bloggers have talked about it
3. write the post (the big one)
4. Tell other bloggers that i have talked about a topic that interests them
Cheers
for a great insight!
Little tykes’s last blog post..My Top 5 Homeschooling bloggers!
To do lists especially those that you don’t just create from your mind but focus before writing and ask for guidance are a great tool. I’ve noticed many times that if I really ask for guidance before I write the list they are much more simple than the times I just write everything I remember, even in the time line I can see more sense and solutions.