I like to write down my ideas and action items on paper. Sometimes my family kids me about the lists I keep, but that’s okay because they help me stay focused on what needs to be done.
I seem have lists for many occasions:
- grocery items
- daily to do items
- short term to do items
- long term to do items
- wish list
Of course these lists usually grow every day, tasks are forwarded to other lists and some tasks turn into their own more detailed lists. I’ve even had a foreign exchange student comment, in a good way, about Americans and their lists. We like to get things done and lists are one tool we use to organize our activities.
Occasionally, I review my lists I have recorded. It’s pretty amazing to see how many of these tasks have been completed. One trend I’ve noticed is that when a task is written down, it eventually comes to fruition. Of course in the past, when I wrote these tasks down, I didn’t put a completion date on them. So they were things that I would like to be completed sometime in the future. Napolean Hill would have said they were just dreams.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napolean Hill
I’ve got a pretty good start, I know I’ve been getting things done. However, I think Napolean Hill had it right. Adding deadlines to the dreams will convert the dreams into goals. The end result will be getting the more important things done.
Till next time, add deadlines to your dreams 😉