Productivity WAHM Style: 3 Tasks at a Time

My Daily Calendar

I have a daily calendar that sits on my desk.

This calendar is the lifeline to my online business.

I don’t use it in the traditional way a calendar would be used.  It doesn’t have a bunch of times and appointments in it. There’s no meetings scheduled there.  And there are times it isn’t even open to today’s date.

This daily calendar is used for my to-do list.  But not just any to-do list.  It is THE LIST.

It is my daily reminder of the 3 most important things to-do every day.

Things I Must Do Everyday

If you work online you know of the plethora of distractions. There are so many one can easily become overwhelmed.

This was my situation for quite a long time.  My work day would start with no direction.  I would simply log into my blog’s dashboard or social media and start typing away without knowing if I would actually be productive that day or not.

Most days I was not.  I needed a plan.  Directions.  A “to-do list”.

I started out with long lists. These never worked for me, I always felt overwhelmed and simply didn’t know where to start.  Thus, rarely getting much done.

Then one day I decided I would cut back and do 3 things.  Three very important things just for that day.

I found I accomplished my to-do list quickly and efficiently.   I did that for a week or so.  I got so much done!

So started to challenge myself and make the to-do list more challenging but never adding more, just making each task harder.

It worked.  I was able to get even the challenging tasks accomplished!  This is a great feeling.  And I never felt overwhelmed.

My WAHM Time Management Technique

1. At the end of every work at home day I open my calendar to the next day and write down 3 things I need done that day.

2. The next morning when I arrive at my desk I already know that I have tasks that need to be done.  I don’t need to remember from the day before or try to figure out what to do today.  They are already listed.  They were listed when they were fresh in my mind from yesterday.

3. Do the tasks in order.

4. If they do not get done, bump to the next day.  Or simply cross off the next day and work off of the previous day (that is why my calendar is not always open to the appropriate day.) This also helps me to remember that I am behind and need to streamline or work faster.  And not get distracted, which is usually the main culprit.

That is how I get stuff done.  Sure I also use Google calendar, stickies and timers but my favorite way to be productive is simply listing my top 3.

Do you want to learn more ways to manage your time?  Here are 10 great ways to Time Manage.

This post was part of 2nd annual Women’s Money Week.  You can get more productivity tips here. And participate!