Too many times your task list focuses on work time, while the rest of your life is left dangling.

Has any of this every happened to you?

• You get into bed and notice that the sheets have a slight smell of a locker room.

• You get up in the morning and walk into the kitchen and your stomach turns.

• You throw the coffee grounds into the garbage, only to have them spill all over because the garbage is overflowing.

• You notice that your nice entertainment center is now a weird shade of gray, and the dust is about 1/8 inch thick.

• You reach behind the chair to retrieve the pen you dropped, only to come out with a face full of cob-webs.

• You call your best friend just to talk. She announces that they are on their way out to dinner for her birthday. You totally forgot.

How successful do you feel at these moments? You could be the best neurosurgeon in the country, but if you don’t have your life together, you still won’t feel like much of a success.

Here are some tips to help you get a grip on your whole life, not just part of it.

Start your day off right. Walk into a clean kitchen and bathroom.

Well, OK, that means you had to have done something the night before.

No matter how tired you are, make yourself do this. Take the extra 15 minutes and clean off the counters, put the dishes away. The pay off is well worth it.

Heck, I sleep walk my way through this every night. But I don’t allow myself to go to bed until it’s done. I wash all the animal bowls so they’re ready to be filled in the morning. The coffee is set up so it’s ready when I walk into the kitchen.

Now, fast forward to morning….

Take 10 minutes. Sit down with your beverage of choice and a pad of paper. Plan your day. The whole day.

If you need to run to the post office or the cleaners, write it down.

If you need to pick your child up at a different time, put it on the list.

Write down what you are going to have for dinner. Do you need to pick anything up? Put it on the list. Take the meat out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. Right now.

Do you need to send a note to a teacher?

Is this the day to dust & vacuum?

Do you need to check emails?

Put it on the list.

Every time you put something on the list, you are telling your subconscious that it’s important. And for some reason, handwriting your list is still more effective. (The same goes for goals too.)

There’s just something about the way our brain works that make the act of writing something down more significant.

Keep your list with you. Every time you complete a task, cross it off.

Again, this is an important step. You are acknowledging an accomplishment.

How many times do you complain because no one notices when you do something? How often do you give yourself credit for a job well done?

Every time you cross something off the list, give yourself a compliment, “Good Job”.

In just a couple of days, you ‘ll start to notice that you’re getting more done, forgetting fewer things, and feeling a lot better about yourself.

Amazing technology – that pen and paper!

Feel good about yourself. You’re getting better everyday!