My Top 3 Tips for Getting Things Done A free resource

By Leigh Ann Dutton

Notes from the author: All contents copyright © 2016 by Leigh Ann Dutton. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related links may be reproduced or redistributed in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

My Top 3 Tips for Getting Things Done

Do you like making lists?

Do you love the feeling of being organized?

Me too.

I love checking things off a list. That feeling of being organized and peaceful is just wonderful, isn’t it?

I want to share my top three tips for getting things done with you because it's a question I get asked so often! Plus these are the three tips that I go back to most often when my life starts getting a little chaotic and out of control.

1. Make a list

Get those worrisome tasks out of your head and onto paper.

I believe in making a prioritized list each day. A prioritized list is no ordinary list. It's a list made with intention.

I teach you how to make a prioritized list that actually works in my eCourse, Intentional By Grace Unplugged.

By prioritizing my list, it ensures that I am working on the right tasks at the right time throughout the day. Plus a prioritized list means you keep your list short.

Making a list helps you to stay on task and get things done more quickly!

2. Incorporate variety

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time staying motivated sometimes. Some days I wake up ready to tackle the day, but most days I'm exhausted and just don't feel like going through the motions.

Therefore, I've found that by incorporating a variety of tasks into my day helps me get more done because it keeps things interesting.

For example, after I go through my morning routine, I sit down and play with my kids for a bit. If I've been writing for a while, then I will head outside to weed the garden.

I cannot stay on the same tasks, especially the ones I don't particularly like, for long periods of time. So when I make my list, I make sure I'm alternating tasks throughout the day so I don't get bogged down in the same sort of task over and over.

Keeping variety just keeps me motivated! If I find that I'm easily distracted, then that probably means I need to try a different task for a bit. Walk away and come back later. Just make sure to come back.

3. Focus on one thing at a time

As women, we pride ourselves on our ability to multitask. I get it. I love multitasking too.

However, focusing on one thing at a time helps me get more done!

• If I'm sitting down to write, then I close all the tabs on the computer and just write.

• If I'm working on my menu plan, then I'm not going to try to do school with my children at the same time.

• If I'm cooking dinner, then I'm not going to mop the kitchen floor too.

Of course, there are tasks that are easily put together like listening to podcasts while folding laundry. Dancing to the music with your children while making dinner.

I'm not saying never multitask. I'm just saying if you truly want to get more done, then consider only focusing on that one task. Get it done, and then move on to something else.

Those are my top three tips for getting more done everyday.

However, there are definitely days when I don't get everything on my to-do list done (actually most days, if we're honest!). I drop the ball a lot. I lose motivation in the mundane of life. I forget to make dinner. In other words, even though I love getting things done, I'm far from perfect!

Therefore, may we always remember that intentional living doesn’t always mean we accomplish what we want to accomplish. We can seek to be disciplined with our time to do what we believe the Lord has called us to do only to realize He has another plan for us. We have to be okay with His plan. We have to be okay to walk in His grace for it is His grace that motivates us to live intentionally for His glory and not our own.

We can plan, but it is He who directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).

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