We also can look at this information to…

. What a wonderfull idea the Matters Most List

Submitted by chrisbrogan on Tue, 2006-07-11 17:57.

Recently, I’ve fallen off the planner wagon, but I’m here to repent. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been lazy and overwhelmed at the same time, and the mix has turned into something of a nightmare. I’ve come to realize in this time, however, that one thing surely DOESN’T work: to-do lists.

A To-do list is basically a collection of things you “could” do in a day. That’s all well and good, but truly, is it what you need? You could fill to-do lists until the end of time, if you think about it. Anything is fair game on a to-do list. Instead, I propose a new type of list: a Matters Most list.

There are pages that fit this description in the D*I*Y Planner kit, and if you were to actually look at that list often, you’d find that the actual bits and bobs of a to-do list would mostly fade away. In fact, I posit that to-do lists are for when we’re feeling weak about our already-agreed-upon methods of planning and organization.

I recommend addressing the following items on a big index card:

• No more than five- More than five items on the list of what maters most to you, and you’ll get cluttered.

• Be specific but open-ended- Don’t put down “family.” Your family DOES matter most (and if you’re failing this, fix it). Instead, put down: “home by dinner, no work until after the kids are in bed, 2 date nights a week.” See how that is all actionable?
• Cover all bases- don’t forget to be selfish and add what maters most to you alone (without external influences). Get some of that done daily, too.
• Allow for breathing room- this is a list to remind us what maters the most to us, not what has us chained to our agreements. This should be upbeat, and should make us feel a little more focused on what is important.
• Review this twice a year- Priorities change, as do the details of your obligations. You might be getting home great every night, but missing out on the date nights. Change your list when it’s out of sync.

You can turn this list into smaller to-do lists, and there are certainly things you don’t want to forget simply because they don’t align directly with what maters most to you (for instance: “pay mortgage” doesn’t matter most, but it will wreck your life if you don’t do it).

What might you put on your list?

–Chris Brogan writes about creativity and self-improvement at [chrisbrogan.com]. He’s about to cross the 300 mark for free subscriptions. Want to help?.

. What a great idea labor Productivity Slows Down In Second Quarter - All Headline News

.Did you know that Labor means labor A political party representing workers’ interests, especially in Great Britain. This also saved me time stocks modestly higher WKYT 27 - Productivity growth was reported slowing in the second quarter while unit labor costs, watched for inflation signals, were rising sharply. And there’s the oil situation. Crude was lower this morning after yesterday’s spike, but traders think the risk …Did you know that Higher means something that has no quantitative value; zero: a score of two to nothing. wow… this is such a great idea