Turn productivity into a game

Advisors always have a lot to do. How can they put some energy and fun into the process of getting things done? Dennis Wayne Bell, CFP, CHS, a 17-year member from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, suggests this:

“Everybody is familiar with the to-do list. Now take that to the next level. Every day when I come into the office, I sit there and I write down my to-do list for the day. After I do that, I prioritize that to-do list, writing the numbers. Let’s say there are 10 tasks on there. I’ll identify the most important — not the one that is the easiest or the one that is the most fun, but the one that needs to get done the soonest. After I’ve numbered them all, I set a timeline for myself. A little bit of a game. Can I get numbers one through five done before lunchtime? Can I get number one through seven done before I get up from my desk and take a break? A to-do list is only as good as the timeline that you place on getting that to-do list done. Then I reward myself by actually stroking through each one of those tasks.

“Quite often, I’m reworking that to-do list all day long, too. I’ll take a scratch pad, rip off that sheet, I’ve got seven of them done. New things have popped up. I’ll add those things to the new to-do list, and then I’ll number them again, and I’ll put another timeline on it again. I’ve found that really, really beneficial as opposed to just the usual traditional to-do list.”