Organize! by Wendy Vanhatten

At the moment I am reading a book about lists and how they saved a business. More on that after I finish the book!
But it got me thinking about my business. What do I do to stay organized? Do I use lists? You bet. Do you? Do they just help…or are they really a real lifesaver to you and your business? Lists are just one way to help me be more productive…and that’s important in my business.
It all boils down to organization. For me, lists help do that.
Clear out the gunk in your mind, become more focused and move on. How? Write it down. The more things you try to remember…the harder it probably is to remember any of them. Once you write it down, you won’t have that feeling in your head you have forgotten something! And for me, that means I can move on and work on the next project. My focus is all aimed where it should be and not on trying to remember what it is I forgot!
I have a system. It’s a paper calendar/journal. It works for me. Maybe one day I’ll get into the electronic calendar/PDA age. But for now…why fix a system that works? Appointments, dates, phone calls, errands, projects, newsletter articles to write, magazines to edit…they all get on my calendar.
Plus, lists help me realize how much I can get done in one day. Believe it or not…there are only 24 hours in a day. How many hours of those are you working? How many of those do you allow for interruptions?
I’m a visual person. I like to see what I need to get done today. Actually writing my tasks, appointments, etc. on my calendar gives me a visual of my time. It also allows time for new clients, interruptions, extra errands, phone calls, time to swim laps or anything else unexpected. And that’s a good thing.
This works for me. What works for you?
Wendy VanHatten
707-685-9478
712-898-7750
wvanhatten@gmail.com
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Editor-In-Chief of Prime Time Living Magazine
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