Get organized - seven core practices of excellent time management

The way to get organized is to duplicate the practices of those who are themselves successful at it. It turns out that there are several things well organized people do on a regular basis.

If you do those things yourself, you get organized too. The good news is, none of them are very complicated or difficult to do. The bad news is, you have to keep at it consciously till it becomes second nature. The rewards are well worth it.

#1. Accept the reality that your memory is not infallible.
Do you rely on your memory to get organized? Given the avalanche of information we are exposed to every day, its not surprising that our brains heavily filter what we focus on. In that process, it's easy to forget something important. The answer is of course, to use other means - note book, PDAs, your portable computer, etc to write down what needs to be done.

#2. Corollary to the above - carry a note pad / PDA with you at all times.
That way, the moment you schedule a meeting or anything else, you can jot it down. Excellent way to get organized.

#3. Use a to-do list
This need not be complicated. A prioritized to-do list is one of the most common elements you'll see effective executives use. And this is something most people don't do consistently.

#4. Plan ahead
It's a terrific idea to have daily, weekly and monthly plans. These are not strategic plans, like your business expansion, etc. We're referring to activities you plan to undertake in those timeframes, for both business and personal life.

#5. Have a set time schedule every day
This might sound monotonous to some folks. But it's one of the best ways to stay organized and ensures things get done without delay. Have a fixed time for everything and then follow it strictly.

#6. Use the reverse side of business cards effectively.
How? Just jot down a few details about that person on the back of the card. That way, next time you meet him, chances are good that you'll remember when and where you met him. Don't do it in front of that person, though!

#7. Organize your business cards properly
You may have collected a number of business cards during a day. File them correctly at the end of the day. Perhaps you have a separate file for important clients, another for friends, yet another for your vendors, etc. This is an area where you need to stay organized or else it's very easy to become lost.

As you can see, it is not very difficult to get organized. Just follow the above guidelines, use common sense and you'll be well on your way to becoming far more productive.

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