As I add more & more activities to my plate (more hotels, new business endeavors, writing, talks, coaching clients, etc.), I’ve been asked to share some simple tools I use to prioritize and stay connected with team members.  I’ll be sharing more of them in greater detail from time to time…and you can be sure we’ll have some great tools for you on the Tools For Success website when we launch in a few months (stay tuned).

The one thing that has worked for me over the years is my Daily To-Do sheets.  Although I love how technology has made most of what we do a lot easier, my old-fashioned, manual, paper Daily To-Do list is still my most effective (and beloved) tool–and I carry it virtually everywhere.  I love it because (like me) it’s simple, and it allows me to “download” my thoughts as quickly as they come to me so that I can keep my mind free of clutter.

I have one page for each day of the week, stapled together, with a section for each person who is a direct report, and then a couple areas for projects, phone calls, and miscellaneous.  Each line item has a small box where I can put initials of someone I am delegating to, or where I can rank projects based on priority.  I print these on colored paper so that it stands out on my desk, or in my briefcase.

What I really like about my To-Do sheets is what’s at the bottom of each page:  First, I have a daily reminder to “Avoid anything that I am not passionate about, or doesn’t use my strengths as: Strategic, Maximizer, Futuristic, Achiever, and Relator.” These strengths were identified through the book Now Discover Your Strengths. Second, it includes a few questions to ask team members as I meet with them (I don’t ask the questions every time, and I ask some team members more than others) to quickly get useful information and stay focused.  I don’t recall where I found these questions (sorry to whomever it is that developed them) but they have worked well for me:

1. What DECISIONS do you need from me?

2. What PROBLEMS are keeping you from your priorities?

3. What PLANS are you making (which we haven’t discussed)?

4. What PROGRESS have you made since we last spoke?

5. On a scale of 1 – 100, how are you PERSONALLY?  Why?

6. In what areas can I keep you and your family in my THOUGHTS and PRAY for you?

Without my To-Do list and calendar (I use Outlook and then print out a paper copy to keep with my To-Do list) I would be absolutely lost!  And I have lost it before…I’ve left it at hotels, restaurants, client offices, and even clothing stores in the past, and then paid FedEX to have it sent back to me.

I encourage you not to get seduced by the sexiest looking tool out there.  Instead, go for the tools that actually add efficiency and productivity to your life–whether it is electronic or manual.  I’ve left my paper Daily To-Do list in the past, but have always returned to her as my faithful friend.