The Secret to Getting Things Done

At the end of December I started a series if you will of getting those New Year's resolutions past a mere thought and into a rewarding reality.

*See A Fresh Page and Goal Setting 101

I follow along with several of the other Stroller Strides blogs and read one (from Stroller Strides Flagstaff) about "fitting in" your workouts to make them a part of your life.

As I read it, I thought this was a great topic to continue the series!

So, what is the secret to getting things done? We all have days that are jam packed with things to do and it seems that the only real solution out there is to add more hours to the day if we want to add any more tasks! Obviously that is not going to happen! So instead we say "I will do (name your task) when I have more time."

Before I reveal the secret (and in all truth, its not a secret) to getting that long list of things done...and stay sane, I want to first go over the myth that seems to take precedence in a person's mind and ultimately is the source of their ineffectiveness in getting things done.

The Myth: There will be more time when...

- things settle down
- I have more time
- this project is done
- the weekend is here
- the weather is better
- the holidays are over

I could on forever...and I'm sure you could too...with the list of excuses that seem valid. And don't be mistaken, I still use these too!

The truth is: There will ALWAYS be something to distract and/or replace whatever it is that is currently keeping you from crossing things off that list. If you think you will have more time at any point in the future, you are mistaken!

I had a long list of to do's that I had put off when I was working full time and I clung to the "when I have more time" mentality. Then I was laid off! Suddenly I had more time, right? Wrong!

True to form a whole manner of things started to move into the precious hours of my day, some things I took on myself, some things just showed up! I found myself stressed out because I had less time!

Then I started reading tons of books on the subject and every single one them pretty much say the same thing:

1. Write down your goals (and make sure they are reasonable and attainable)
2. Make a plan
3. Start the plan
4. Follow through

The secret to getting things done (like a daily workout) is to first make your list of your goals and/or the tasks that need to be done, second plan your day according to your goals, and lastly do them!

So many people think that it takes too much time to sit down and write out their daily, weekly, and monthly goals and schedules. The truth is by not doing this you end up wasting time ten times more than the few minutes it would take to plan their schedule in the first place. You end up ineffective in accomplishing your goals and getting things done.

Of course, things come up! It happens all of the time. But by having your goals and schedules in a tangible and accessible format, your detour of time is only temporary. You will still have a plan to follow through!

Quite simply wanting to get your goals done is not enough. You have to schedule them into your day every day in order to accomplish them. Do that and instead of stress and a loss of time, your will find a feeling of accomplishment and dare I say a few moments that elusive extra time!