April 26, 2010

Knock It Off

I just knocked five things off my to-do list and I feel great. Some of them have been hanging around for a long time and, while they haven’t kept me up at night, they have been taking up space in my brain that could be used for other things.

I keep one running list of everything I have to do, or want to do, that doesn’t include my routine tasks. If you looked at my list right now, you’d see “Buy carpet” and “Call painters for estimates,” among other things. Each day I look at the list and see what I can transfer to that day or the next few days. Once everything on the list is crossed out, I toss the page.

If I think of something while I’m in the middle of doing something else, I add it to the list. I like being able to “dump” my thoughts in one place: off my mind and onto the list. I don’t have to think about all the dozens of things that have to be done, which frees me to complete the activities I’ve chosen to work on today. This system works well for me and keeps my projects moving forward.

I found a kindred spirit in Peter Allen, who wrote Getting Things Done, and who suggests you keep lists that reflect where you will perform each activity (phone, computer, grocery store, etc.). Peter Walsh’s latest book, Enough Already, also offers suggestions for clearing your mind of excess chatter. I suggest both these books to anyone who is interested in clearing mental clutter, in addition to physical clutter.
What books would you recommend for clearing clutter from your life? Click on Post a Comment, below, and tell us.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!
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