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The HOME BUSINESS REPORT is published online by WizInfo CBCS Minneapolis
   Serving small/home-based business and the Minnesota film industry.
         612-721-8859   FidoNet 1:282/2022   AmberNet 105:612/1
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HOME BUSINESS REPORT
THE ULTIMATE TO-DO LIST
By Michelle J. Bloom
Ever have this experience?  It is Thursday and suddenly you realize there 
is a whole list of things that have not been accomplished and need to be 
done by Friday.  Ugh!  Immediately you feel you have been thrown into 
crisis; your whole world seems chaotic and overwhelming.     
It can be difficult going to a To Do list when it seems long and 
disorganized.  The idea here is to organize it as you go.  Thinking in 
terms of blocks of similar tasks can be helpful.  For instance, instead 
of writing down item after item on the list, have the list broken down 
into categories.  There are seven separate categories that most any task 
can fit into.  These are: To Be Called, Correspondence, Paperwork, Due 
Dates, Left Message, Pending, and Errands.  
Sit down with your To Be Called list at least twice a day.  9:00am and 
3:00pm are good times to reach people.  If you don't want to reach 
someone but need to leave a message, call during the lunch hour or after 
5:00pm.  This will cut down an the time you spend making small talk; you 
don't need to speak with the person, just want to leave some information.  
Be sure to check your Left Message category at these times as well.  
Correspondence is for tasks such as letter writing, sending out your 
sales materials, thank you notes or a copy of an article to a client or 
colleague.  This differs from Paperwork such as working on a seminar you 
are creating or writing an article.  There is generally no time limit on 
paperwork where as you probably do not want to loose sight of any 
correspondence.  
Due Dates are obvious and should not really be put on your To Do list but 
rather written directly into your calendar.  For instance, if you have a 
lot of due dates, you may have a special place each week where you list 
these dates.   
After you have made a phone call, make a note in the Left Message 
category; you do not want to loose sight of whether someone has called 
you back or not.  Do not leave it up to them.  Next week, if they haven't 
called you back yet, you can put another call into them.
The Pending category is mostly for various things you are waiting on.  
For example, a client has hired you to do a seminar specifically for 
their company; you need more information about the company to write the 
seminar, so you have requested the sales materials.  You need to start 
the writing 2 weeks before the engagement, so you write a note in your 
pending category with the date you expect to have the materials.  If this 
date comes up and you haven't received anything yet, you can then call 
the client to remind them.  
Errands are best done in blocks of time.  If you have to go to the bank, 
take a look at your errands list and see what else you can do while you 
are out; maybe the post office to get stamps and the office supply store 
to get folders and printer paper.  
There are many other categories that can be helpful, but these are the 
most common.  Remember: the idea behind time management is to be 
organized enough to make a knowledgeable decision; doing your To Do List 
in this manner can support your managing of time.  
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Michelle J. Bloom is founder of Creative Business Consulting, a homebased
and small business consulting firm and resource center.  You  may contact 
her with your questions and comments at (612)722.2213 or by e-mail at
michelle.j.bloom@wizinfo.com.
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This article first appeared in print in SOUTHSIDE PRIDE.
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