Your To Do: Do a To Do List!

Your To Do: Do a To Do List!
By Tami Eggleston, (c) DrivingSecrets.com

OK, I get it, To Do lists get a bad reputation. When you even hear To Do list, you think of awful things that you really don't want to do like "exercise, clean the gutters, go the grocery store, clean the garage, etc. etc." But here is the deal, you need To Do lists and no other time do you need a To Do list more than at the beginning of a race season (well unfortunately with busy racers, we need To Do lists all season, but you really need a To Do list now!).

So to try and take some of the agony out of the dreaded To Do Lists...here are few suggestions:

1.) Don't confuse your To Do list with your long term and short term goals. To Do lists are things you need to get done and do. Your long term goals should be written on a separate piece of paper and then break that down into some short term goals. I also like to put some things on that list of goals that are more future oriented (e.g., get a spare transmission).

2.) Then on your To Do list, put short specific things that ABSOLUTELY must get done. These things should be very specific (not goals like get the trailer organized). Rather you should write things like buy case of Oil from CarQuest, buy oil filters from Car Quest, get first aid kid from Walgreen's, buy 24 Qt Oil holder online from http://www.tuffpaw.com/, check the air pressure in race car trailer tires, etc. Be very specific on what needs to be done. If it really doesn't need to be done ASAP then put that information back on your goals page.

3.) Group your To Do list by things you can do at home, things that you need to buy in town, things you need to do online, things that have specific dates, etc. Then you can knock out the things at the same time. For example, try to get all of your things in town done on one day, don't keep running to town everyday for one thing.

4.) Try to put enough things on a To Do list for just one day or one week, depending on how much you have to do! If you put too many things on one list, it gets overwhelming and you will just want to give up.

5.) Don't put things on your To Do list that you automatically do and won't forget. For example, saying load fuel into the trailer is a good idea (you might forget that), but don't put load race car on your to do list, (you won't forget that!).

6.) Finally, reward yourself! If you complete everything on your To Do list for a week, then you deserve a reward! Many people just keep plugging away at their To Do lists and never reward themselves for the work they are completing. Think of somethings you would like to buy or do for rewards (e.g., buy more aluminum products at http://www.tuffpaw.com/, buy some new race car parts, tools, race clothing, etc.).

There you go, now go make that To Do list and Get 'R Done!