Organizing Step by Step

I have always been fascinated by people get things done with ease. They seem to have everything together and nothing seems to make them sweat. I get a lot done in my life. I have a lot of responsibilities. Some things I do very well and some things not so well.

One thing I have learned is how to organize almost anything in 4 easy steps. At one time I called it Plan Z but later found out that this had a rather interesting connotation.

Step 1 would be to analyze the situation. What is the final outcome you want to achieve? Do you want to get Little Sammy to school on time or do you need to orchestrate a backyard dinner for 25?

Step 2 is to start working backwards from that goal and determine the things that need to be done to achieve that goal. (i.e. Little Sammy has to be at school at 8 and it takes you 25 minutes with no traffic to get there so you need to leave the house no later than 7:35).

Once you work your way back to where you are now now you need to work your plan recognizing markers along the way to judge the efficiency of your plan.

A common mistake in working out a plan is trying to do all the work yourself. Sure you are in control but you never get the opportunity to enjoy the success of your labor. Divide your goals into manageable chunks and delegate others to assist you. You'd be surprised how well this works in helping to achieve any goal.