The Master List

One way to become better organized and more effective in your time management is to use a Master List.

What is a Master List?

It is a weekly list of all your things to do or to remember. It can be as simple as a lined page or notebook, or some computer program or electronic device, or you can make up a list of your own. Following is one I designed for myself after a sample from the book "Organized for Success" by Kenneth Zeigler.

Make the list something simple enough so that you can easily use it or take it with you.

Then use your Master List to record everything you need or want to do, from appointments to working on projects, from reminders to do the laundry or getting groceries to making calls, writing e-mails, fillling out applications, wish items like where you want to go on vacation, and everything and anything else.

The benefit of using a Master List is that it clears out your mind. When you try to rely on your mind to keep all your stuff "in mind", it keeps your mind subconsciously busy when it doesn't really need to be. In fact, for most of us these days, it probably keeps your subconscious mind overbusy - which may well be why we feel tired and overwhelmed.

But, if you get all that "stuff" down on a Master List, your mind can start to relax, knowing that those items are now "remembered".

It's best to keep this as a weekly list. Longer than that and it becomes too long and complicated.

It's also a good idea to make your list from Friday to Friday. That way you can finish off the week's list on Friday, transfer anything you want to move forward to the next list, and review and plan for the coming week. WIth that done, you are freer to relax and enjoy your weekend.

Okay. So now you have this long list of all these items. What do you do from there?

Now you bring in your Daily List - see the next post for that.