Assign a "When" for Each "What" to Get More Wins

In planning for each day, week, month, quarter or year, we all have things we want to accomplish. Sometimes, they are big, and, other times, they are small; however, we all have accomplishments that we aspire to achieve. Hopefully, we are documenting them somewhere instead of counting on simply remembering them; then, we can funnel that running list through our priorities to incorporate in our weekly strategy and pinpoint on a specific date with our daily wrap-up, but that doesn't always work as planned.

When you look at your data dump of tasks needing your attention, until time is allocated for moving each action from a to-do to being done, it's a list of things you wish you could accomplish. That's it. Only when you carve out time in your schedule for getting them done do they become goals and start looking more like a to-do list.

Many of us fall into the trap of thinking "I'll do that when things calm down" or "I'll get to that someday" or "I'll plug that in when I get a few spare moments". I've yet to find a calendar that includes someday; calendars include Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but not someday. Does anyone ever have free time magically appear in our schedules? Does life calm down without proactively working to slow things down a bit? I believe it requires a different approach to get things done.

Assign each task that you want to accomplish specific time in your schedule, and you'll be much more able to get it done. With this move toward task management, every "what" is given a "when", meaning there is time allocated for getting it done, and you'll be able to actually complete it during that assigned time. You don't have to schedule every 15-minute block in your calendar, but it helps to have a general idea of how you'll invest each day's 1,440 minutes, which is fluid and flexible, allowing you to adjust as needed while being guide down that clear path to achievement.

Experience tells me this will empower you for greater success and make you more likely to win at the game of accomplishing your goals, but I'd love to hear about your experiences. What tactics have you found most successful for moving tasks from to-do to done? Do you create synergy between your calendar and to-do list?