Throw It Forward Thursday is set up as a day where you review your list of traveling tasks for the week, what is the one task that you keep moving from one day to the next and then one week to the next? It obviously does not have a set due date… take it off your traveling tasks list and put it two weeks out in your Tickler File on the scheduled tasks page – the difference here is you now have committed to completing that task on that day. By removing it from your traveling list, the one you look at EVERYDAY you will release yourself from something you have been dreading to do. Every time you look at that task you were saying – “Oh Yeah I still need to do X” and usually a big sigh will follow – there is something blocking you from doing it. Move it, Commit to it later, and free yourself from an energy drain for a couple of weeks!
Tasks, Tasks, Tasks
Our lives seem to be broken down into tasks… this could get depressing when you think about it – for the house you have X amount of tasks to do, for the family you have X amount of tasks to do, for business you have X amount of tasks to do and any clubs – board member groups – charities (volunteer groups) you have X amount of tasks to do, right? When do you ever get rid of a task list? I am sorry to say you don’t – we have to get to a point where we are in control of those task lists (traveling or scheduled) and not the other way around.
How are you doing with your Tickler File this week, did you get it set up? I hope so. Remember it will take some time to get used to using it but it is awesome for managing your business life and tasks.
But is the Tickler File only for business tasks – I say NO! You see the list of “task” categories I listed above… you can add them to your Tickler File very easily – you can use color coded sheets of paper (one color per category) ie: House green, Family blue, Charities Yellow and so on… and do the same process you did with your projects and tasks when you set up your business Tickler File with your personal ones – get them filed into the appropriate number tabs (day of the month) or in your divider pouch for the appropriate month. Please note you should not be filing things on the day they are DUE, you should be filing them on the day you are going to work on them in order to make the due date! Be sure to list the due date next to the projects or tasks on their lists in the details you wrote down about it.
Helpful hint in scheduling the more important projects & tasks…
You should have due dates noted on your calendar as well but not just on the day they are due but a couple days out just in case you loose track of moving items or are caught up in something – it is just another bell for those BIG projects & tasks.
Your Tasks Do Not Define You!
We tend to get caught up in the vicious cycle of doing our tasks and create a daily routine centered around doing them…. what do you do for YOU? Not personal tasks but personal me time. It is very very very important that you do not get lost in those lists of tasks or in the “doing of the tasks”. There HAS to be a reward somewhere. If it is a reward like “when my business is self sufficient” I will (blah blah blah) or “when it is bringing in X tens of thousands of dollars a month, I will (blah blah blah) – and these goals are important don’t get me wrong, they are TOO BIG for immediate rewards. You need to have these but you also need a reward system based on what you do daily/weekly in your projects & tasks. It could be as simple as when I complete big project X or big tasks X this week I am going to go play around of golf, get a pedicure, buy that expensive wine for the weekend – something that is for YOU in appreciation of your hard work. Hold yourself accountable and payoff with something – otherwise why are you working if you do not have anything to look forward to in the immediate? Do you not deserve to have a reward for all your hard work? Of course you do and keeping up with all your projects & tasks is HARD WORK – reward yourself! (this goes for personal, community, and family tasks as well except you can work with others and share in the rewards with others)
If you need help creating or setting up your Tickler File you can read more about it here from this Tackle It Tuesday post or feel free to contact us through the site – we always look forward to your questions.