For quite some time, I was the guy that never wrote anything down. I know what I had to do, and I did it. Who knows, maybe back then I wasn't doing much of anything. I thought I was. A few years ago, I started writing things down. Before, I would look at people odd, thinking to myself, "do you really need to write everything down?" Well, one major benefit of writing things down is that that is one less thing you have to keep on your mind. You can now use that "space" for something else.
Creating a task list is something that has helped me visualize what I need to do, but still I rarely refer back to it. I write everything down, and then usually just complete it as normal, without ever referring back to it. My task lists usually looks similar to:
- Mail xxxx DVD
- Finish xxxx edit
- CC xxxx video
- Clean desktop
and so on.
Now, a task list just doesn't do much for me. Today, I started creating a schedule. It only make since, every major corporation does it. If you work a 9-5, you are on a schedule. They made it that way for a reason, it works. If you are trying to manage a large amount of data, or people, you need a system (also known as management). So, now my tasks all must be completed by a certain date. This is also beneficial to the client and will aid in your overall business process.
- Mail xxxx DVD --------- 7/17 by 5pm
- Finish xxxx edit ------ 7/17
- CC xxxx video --------- Submit by 7/19 to xxxx.xxxx@gmail.com
- Clean desktop --------- 7/20
It's great to get things done as you get to them, but if you want to grow, then your business model needs to grow as well.
