10 Bellevue- Organization Tips

1: Take an inventory of what all you want to get accomplished, and all that you HAVE to get accomplished. There is a difference. For instance, you may WANT to do something during the week (i.e. go bike riding), but you have no time because you HAVE to get a report finished. So, write down everything that has to get done this week and everything you want to get this week. Don't worry about if you have too many activities or projects at this point. Just write it all down.

2: Prioritize your lists... both of them. At 10 Bellevue, we perform so many functions for our clients, it would boggle the mind to imagine what it would be like if we didn't prioritize. The same goes for you. Just rate your items in greatest of importance to least important on a numerical scale.

3: Plan your week accordingly. We all have a finite amount of time during the week, so it's important to plan ahead. You should be able to knock out a majority of your list, just by knowing what needs to be done and writing it down. Don't forget about your WANT list! This list is almost equally important for peace-of-mind!

5: Plan your days. Schedule things that you don't really want to do in the morning while you still have the energy. Depending on the project or activity, if you wait until later in the day, you probably will want to put it off until tomorrow. Don't. Do it while your fresh.

6: Plan your hours. Estimate how long each activity is going to take. Be careful not to under-estimate. You want to give yourself a fair shot at actually completing the task.

7: 10 Bellevue suggests that you track your results on a whiteboard (if you have one) or a legal pad. Write down your daily activities and cross them out as you complete each one. Not only will you feel better about accomplishing something, but crossing out each item will actually energize you!

8: Stick to your plan. Go in to each day with the mindset that no matter what happens, you are going to complete your list. Stick to your guns and don't let up. It's okay to take an occasional breather from long periods of work, but just make sure you get right back to it. 10 Bellevue also suggests grabbing some help, if you need it.

9: Reject unimportant tasks that seem to just come out of nowhere. If Murphy's Law is accurate, planning won't be your only savior. You will also have to hone your ability to say "no" to unimportant things that come up. If you didn't write it down on your list to begin with, and it can wait, let it wait.

10: Take another inventory at the end of the week. Did you get everything accomplished? Do you need to carry-over a task to next week's list? Did you have enough time to plan for yourself and your WANT list? If not, adjust accordingly next week.

- 10 Bellevue