A few years ago, I remember reading an American mom-blog, where the writer talked about her daily and weekly goals. I am 100% certain I rolled my eyes and thought something like "Oh spare me. I would never do something like that*."
Well, a few years on and I find myself doing the same thing. Amidsts the craziest of shouty, chaotic, busy mornings, without fail, I sneak away to spend 15 minutes making my lists for the day.
My morning lists are in 2 parts. First, I fill in my Daily Greatness Journal. Sent by Inspiration Overlord (aka my mother), what I like about it is its overall focus on goals. every day and every week, it is about looking back to what goals you are working towards. With 2 businesses on the go, I have to remain very focused with my time and actions to ensure I am doing what needs to be done. There is a morning and an evening check in. It takes no time at all, but I really like how it keeps me on track. Cheesy? Yes. Does it work? Yes.
Second task is making a practical list for what I need to achieve for the day, in my handy moleskin. This is my catchall notebook with meeting notes, design sketches and other stuff that travels with me wherever I go. On days with children, I limit it to 3 things I am going to do (and housework is never one of them, a clear sign of my priorities, except for today when my Mother is set to arrive tomorrow). on Fridays and weekends, I expand to a few more, usually no more than 6. They are always 1 thing for each business and then something else to improve our lives. With book work largely done, I can put exciting things like "Make Ellis bird wings" and "knit" on the list.
What all of this does is focus my mind on what I need to do in those few spare moments I may have in the day. And for me, that is the key to getting anything done. I don't really get the luxury of long working stretches, so I have to make every single moment count**.
*I also thought the same thing about having babies 1 year apart, and look how that ended. I wonder when I will learn what payback is...
**I hope this post doesn't make anyone else roll their eyes. If it does, just be warned about the above point.