This Week's Quote and Commentary

"Never begin the day until it is finished on paper." - Jim Rohn

OK, I’ll admit it: I am a personal notebook and list making type of guy. Before I leave work each day I make a list of what I need to accomplish the following day. In the morning while eating breakfast I make a list of things that popped into my head overnight. Even on the weekend I will keep a work to-do list as well as writing down what I need to accomplish around the house (And I love the satisfaction of scratching items off the list as I get them done).

I see personal development as a journey, and everyone’s journey is going to be different. To develop you have to have a plan. You must look to make a measured amount of progress in a measured amount of time. You cannot call anything a journey if you are not moving forward. Sitting still just doesn’t cut it.

Jim’s basic point is that you need to have a plan of action each day. What do you have to get done today? What are the priorities? Who do you need to call? Who do you need to meet with? What has to get solved today?

I would bet anything that almost everyone reading this blog post has gotten to the end of a very busy day and found themselves wondering what they did. Sure you were busy, but what exactly did you accomplish and was it actually what needed to get done? That’s the point. Beginning each day on paper provides clarity and focus to what is important and serves as a road map to get you back on track throughout your day as your attention gets pulled in different directions.

We all wear multiple hats on the job and at home. The world continues to speed up and we find ourselves often times swimming in a rising sea of information. Your daily list helps center your attention so that you can make sure you are actually moving forward on your journey.

If you are not normally a list maker I strongly suggest that you start making a daily to-do list each morning (or evening if easier). Keep that list with you and refer to it throughout your day. You will be very pleasantly surprised at just how much more productive you will become. Not busier – just more actual productivity, and that my friends is a very good thing.