Try Something Simple

While at a conference last week, I was talking with a couple of business people about what Juggling Elephants and some of the strategies we share in the book. One of the individuals said, "I heard a speaker on time management last year and they gave me the best advice." "What was it?" I replied. Her response was priceless: "They said I should keep one to do list instead of having multiple places where I write things down." I would have expected to hear that 20 years ago, but not today.

In a time when there are a bazillion techniques to improve how we manage our time, it's good to remember that the simple solutions often offer the greatest potential for improvement. Simple techniques like:

• Take 10 minutes to plan your day
• When making your task list, list things you WANT to do, not just what you HAVE to do.
• Before leaving work, clean your desk of clutter and items from the day.
• Keep a note pad and pen next to your bed. As you have thoughts you want to remember, write them down instead of trying to remember them first thing next morning.
• If there are physical items you can't forget to take to work the next day, load them in the car the previous night.
• Keep only one calendar
• Review your task list throughout the day-not just when you first make it.

What are some simple solutions you find that work for you?