Managing Your List of What You Need To Do for Your Start Up Online Business

If you are at all like I was, you probably have an enormous list of tasks that you need to get done at the beginning of your new online business.  There were a lot of times when that looming list actually kept me from taking action on anything.  I would simply look at the list and worry about what I should do next.  I would often end up adding five more things to the list before I would actually make an effort to accomplish any of them.  I would have gotten as much done if I had read a chapter in a favorite novel.

I wish I could say that I have completely overcome that inertia.  What I can say is that I have at least gotten the problem under control.  I have become far more productive in my use of time by implementing a rather simple plan pertaining to my ever present list.  You might want to try this approach.

Spend a little time on your huge list.  (I bet you thought I was going to tell you to actually do real work.)

Rearrange all of the items in your list so that they are grouped as categories of similar tasks.  Give each category a name.  A category might contain jobs related to you web site, itself.  A different one might deal with changes you want to make to your website design.  Another might pertain to creating an integrated marketing campaign.

 Next, place a star (asterisk) beside anything that should improve your bottom line.  Those would be tasks that will result in increased traffic or conversion rate, or things that you can do to reduce costs.

 Now, take one starred item each from different categories and copy that item to a new list (maybe called the Do Now List) until you reach your magic number.  That magic number will vary from person to person depending upon your temperament.  For me, five total items seems to work well.  A larger number can make me feel overwhelmed; a smaller number makes me feel unproductive.

 Get to work on your Do Now List.  If something important occurs to you while you're working, do not add it to the short list.  Instead, immediately put it into the master list, in the appropriate category, with a star if that is appropriate.  Now get back to work.

 Once you have finished with the five (or whatever number you use) items on you list, go back to the master list and select five more tasks.  Do not start working on that list, yet.  Instead, reward your diligence with something you enjoy.  Get a cup of coffee, play with the dog for ten minutes, or put your feet up an think about your last vacation.  Set a timer to make sure that you do not get carried away, though.  Afterwards, you should feel refreshed enough to attack your new Do Now List.

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