To Do or Not To Do-That's Today's Blog Question

Personal organization is the foundation of efficiency.

Whether you're seeking to achieve efficiency personally or within an organization, it is necessary to have a strong personal organization system.

A to do list is a good start to getting organized. To do lists can be made in different formats. I like to use a weekly to do list. If I have a lot of things to do in one day, or specific tasks to accomplish on a particular day, I will make a daily to do list out of my larger weekly to do list. A weekly lists helps me see all of the things that need to be done, and I organize them into an efficient plan on Sunday night or the beginning of the week. I also like to schedule certain tasks into my planner for certain times of the day, to make sure the task gets done. For example, if I want to exercise at a particular time, instead of just writing exercise on my list, I schedule it into a specific time spot, such as from 6-7 a.m.

To do lists are helpful because writing tasks down ensures that you won't forget them. Also, if you check off your tasks as you do them, it helps you to feel a sense of accomplishment and to visually see what you have done in the day. Even better, if you have your to do list in your actual planner, you will be able to keep a record of what you have accomplished. So, if you question later whether you did a particular task, you will have a record of it right in your planner. It is also helpful to write things into the list because you can organize the order in which you do the tasks to be as efficient as possible. I like to put my list into categories. For example, you can do all household cleaning chores at one time; all paperwork at one time; all phone calls at one time; all emails at one time, etc.

As additional tasks come up during the week, I evaluate the time frame in which they need to be accomplished. Tasks that need to be done this week are added to this week's list in their appropriate category. Future tasks are put into my planner.  I use an Uncalendar for my planner. I will feature how I use the planner in a later post.

The question is: when is it better to put the task on a to do list and when is it better to just do the task?

My general rule is that if it will take longer to write the task down than to actually do the task it is better to do the task as you think of it. Tasks that will take more time should be written down. There are exceptions. For example, if you are at home and think of a short work related task, that cannot be accomplished at home, then you will have to write the task down. I have developed my own short hand to use in my planner, so that I can write tasks down quickly. This helps eliminate the time it takes to make a list and allows me to put tasks quickly into my planner to organize them into a meaningful system for task completion.

Efficient Use of Social Media

There is no doubt that using social media provides many personal and business benefits. However, it can be distracting and lead to inefficient practices. These are my tips for using social media for its benefits, while also keeping its distractions at bay.

1) Check email and social media once per day and set a time limit.
 An intended quick trip to facebook, myspace, twitter or other social media can lead to hours of distraction looking through photos, status updates, clicking on other friends, etc. Set aside a time to log into your social media each day for a good look. This will allow you to connect with friends and business contacts, find out what's going on, and move on with your other tasks. Give yourself a specific amount of time you will spend on social media, such as 10 minutes, and then leave it behind until the next day.

If you tweet, or post status updates throughout the day for business purposes, continue to do this. It can be a great way to let clients and colleagues know what you are up to professionally. Many think of it as an alternative to the traditional business newsletter. Although, I recommend being mindful of how much time you are spending on the status updates. If you do not know how much time you are averaging on social media updates, keep track of your use on a typical day, and evaluate whether that amount of use is contributing to your efficiency. When you go to make a quick post, do not be tempted to browse pictures, other statuses, etc. 

Develop a similar policy for email, but it may be more difficult to put a time limit on email, as I do recommend responding to all email within a timely manner. The timeliness required for your email may depend on the subject of the email or the nature of your business. I recommend a once per day email habit for work too; however, this may not be feasible in your industry. For example, if your boss expects an immediate reply to email, you should follow your boss' instruction. If the subject of the email is time sensitive, by all means, you need to get it to the recipient within the time frame. For emails that are not time sensitive, check and respond to emails once a day. If you you have a mix of emails where some are time sensitive and others are not, you can just handle the time sensitive tasks, and wait to do the others until your next scheduled email time. You might also consider other mediums for time sensitive issues as well. For example, if you need something from a colleague in a prompt manner, an instant message or text may be beneficial. Although, overuse of instant messaging can be distracting too, and that is why I recommend it for only immediate or pressing issues.

The reason I advocate for a once per day approach is that logging into your accounts and responding to emails can distract you from other tasks. For example, a quick after lunch check of email may lead you to discover a lengthy request. The request could easily be handled the following day; however, you are tempted to address it now, making you deviate from your other planned tasks. 

2) Handle all emails at one time.
This is a subset of the first tip. I recommend making a list of all of the emails you need to do, and do them all at one time. Make a list, and check them off as you go. Doing them all at one time is more efficient than sporadically emailing through the day. I also recommend making a list of all phone calls that you need to make, and doing those at once too. If you think of people you need to email throughout the day, put it on a list, and then email them at your designated email time the next business day (unless it is something that must absolutely be dealt with before your next scheduled email time).

3) Link all professional social media sources.
The key word here is "professional." If you have personal social media accounts, and the content of those accounts are questionable for viewing by your business contacts, do not link your account. If you are using the social media accounts for primarily business purposes, link them together. This way when you tweet, the tweet will load to your facebook. If you have a blog and a facebook business page, link the two, so your blog posts will show up on facebook without extra posts. The goal is that you only have to physically manipulate one social medium, but that the action will show up on multiple accounts. This is efficient because you are multiplying your visibility with just one act. 

4) An old fashioned phone sometimes saves time.
Most of the time, social media, texting, instant messaging saves time. It is also useful because it creates a record of correspondence. However, if you are coordinating detailed plans that would likely involve multiple emails back and forth; it might be easier to pick up the phone and talk to the person you are arranging with. This seems like common sense, but I notice it is practiced less and less. Most of my correspondence happens electronically. Although making a phone call seems like it will take more time, one phone call is probably quicker than multiple emails. When making detailed arrangements, it may lead to less confusion because you can immediately ask follow up questions to the person you are arranging with.

These are just a few tips for using social media effectively for your personal and business use. Social media is a tremendous benefit, if you know how to manage your accounts in an efficient way.