How to Accomplish More

Scenario: "Let's start doing as many things as we can now, now, now! Yay, yay, yay!" Take Bob.

1. Bob's an ambitious-gung-ho-type-A entrepreneur.
2. He has a plethora of tasks he has to fulfill by today.

Like most entrepreneurs, what does he do?

• a) Create a list of tasks -- then, fulfill 'em.
• b) Start doing any task immediately.

Consciously, most of us think we'll be more productive if we do the latter. Instead of creating a task list, we tell ourselves:

• "If I just start on this now, I'll finish my workload quicker!"
• "It takes hard work. We must be working, now!"

So, we start doing things one-by-one -- thinking we're working oh-so-hard-we-be-the-kings-of-jungle -- but reality tells us we're moving at a snail's pace. Think back to a day where you put in 14 hours, but when bedtime came around -- you told your bad-self:

• "I still have so many things to do! @^^%!"

Yeah, you be the hard worker -- but you barely alleviated your workload. So, what's the very-oh-so-simple-&-fulfilling solution that will make you rock every day of your fabulous life? Start a task list, then plan your every frickin' working activity based on that list.

[Your Name Here]'s Task List

Today, I will:

1. Complete urgent email replies by 9:00 a.m.
2. Recruit 5 solid sales consultants by 10 a.m.
3. Finish marketing materials for John by 11 a.m.
4. Complete beta stage of Software Project by 1 p.m.
5. Set up email system for Client ABC by 3 p.m.
6. Create mockup 2.0 of online sales page by 5 p.m.
7. Complete non-urgent email replies by 6 p.m.

(You get the picture.) Yeah, you could go without the times -- but, we wouldn't recommend it since we've been through that route -- and we accomplished 0 (making us a 0; we funny eh). The times (e.g. I will do this by this time..) get your butt in gear to complete stuff by certain times -- boosting your chances of fulfilling those tasks.

• Tip 1: Give yourself shorter deadlines, and you'll be more productive.
• Tip 2: The more specific your tasks, the more you'll accomplish.
• Tip 3: Fill up your list with more stuff, and soar higher.

We guarantee those mutha-!@^^^%&.

How to Order Your Task List

Like we mentioned in a recent article, place your most important tasks first.

1. Most important tasks = (1) gotta, frickin' hafta to do it by today OR (2) most profitable tasks
2. Then, list those lesser important tasks at the bottom (i.e. "Stuff I'd like to get done today, but it be aiight if I don't.")

That way, you give yourself sufficient "safety room" to complete stuff that will affect/improve/rock your future most.

Promise Yo-Bad-Self

We 100% absolutely promise you that you'll boost your productivity:

• "Before I do any work today, I will create my task list first."

Yeah, some email/voicemail/text-message might tempt you to start working-before-creating-your-task-list.

Say NO WAY JOSE!

Trust us; you don't know how much we sucked before we followed that rule. (We'd waste a chunk of our work day doing irrelevant stuff that destroyed productivity.) Before you do any of your work today, get your task list ready, prepped, and good to go. Then, like a juiced-up bald eagle on crack, tear that that mutha-!@^^%& to shreds.

List, then do.

p.s. Amy Winehouse rocks.

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