Creating a to-do list before attacking the day is a popular time management tip, as is the concept of an ignore list. The article An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day by Peter Bregman does a good job of summarizing the benefits of planning your next 24 hours, and, takes them a step further by pointing out two important aspects that are often overlooked when creating these lists.
First, Bregman comments of the value of noting where and when the day’s tasks are going to be accomplished. This is a view I’ve come across repeatedly in numerous business books; it’s incredibly effective. The mind works to achieve the goals it is presented with. A vivid picture of what is to be accomplished provides a clearer path to the realization of a goal and increases the likelihood that it will be reached.
Second, the article mentioned focusing on the day “before turning on your computer.” Working in front of a computer can be incredibly distracting. By planning the day before inviting disorder into your life you can create a clearer path that is free of outside influence.
Link to the article below:
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html
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