I love my whiteboard. Love, Love, Love it. If there is one tool absolutely vital to the successful management of time, it is the almighty, glossy white, dry-erase whiteboard on my wall. We live in busy times. There are 1000 things to do and 10 minutes to do them all. You must believe me on this one...the whiteboard is a GAMECHANGER.
I know...I know...you're asking, "Professor, do I have to make my room at home look like my cube at work to be successful?" I don't blame you for asking (I told you, I love my readers!), but this is one thing that you will thank me for making you do.
Get yourself a $25 whiteboard at your nearest office supply store, hang it up in your home office (sometimes a home office is just a clear spot on the wall near a table or desk, by the way) and watch what happens to your personal effectiveness. At first, it may just serve as a doodling area for stress release...or maybe a grocery list...or maybe you start to dabble with a loosely structured To Do list.
The list goes on as far as potential uses, but the real strength of this mighty tool is when it is used in tandem with the pocket calendar. This dynamic duo is like a one-two punch when it comes to slaying the time vampires in your life. The pocket calendar is a good enough tool to deserve its own post, but you get the idea...pocket calendar is the whiteboard in your pocket, the whiteboard is your pocket calendar on the wall.
Do you need both? YES. Without the calendar, you'll have a tough time scheduling things when you're out and you are making plans...But the whiteboard...oh baby! The whiteboard greets you each day, with calm, but important items waiting to be attacked! The whiteboard loves you and wants you to succeed.
It wants to show you a compartmentalized list of things you have to do...things for work, for your personal growth, for your family, for your debt collectors, for a new job, better body, funner party...you name it, the whiteboard echoes your lifestyle and is willing to let you list your items and cross them out when you accomplish them! Oh the joy! The rapture! I know, it's hard to believe that anything could make you feel this way, but like they say in the Harley ads...own one, and you'll understand.
Just a few things to do with the Mighty WhiteBoard:
- Shortlisting - bills to pay, prescriptions to pick up, gym visits
- Career Moves - redo resume, email that contact, apply for that dream job
- School Assignments - I would have failed out long ago without this one...
- Dates - upcoming birthday presents to buy, reservations to make, meetings
- Words to live by - Lose that weight! Visualize! Make a new friend today!
- Projects - Front yard: edge island, pave driveway, buy tree, bench, mulch, flowers
- Brainstorming - vacation ideas, friday take-out list, gifts for mother's day
There are no limits! Just remember, for the most part the whiteboard is to help you focus temporarily on semi-urgent items or multi-step tasks. This way you move along on your personal goals, one step at a time, making real progress in many aspects of your life. Sure, you can have a small corner for a favorite quote, or a section of the board reserved for your daughter to draw on, but the functionality of the whiteboard decreases as it is filled with immovable items (much like your computer). Gotta defrag every now and then, you know?
A good reference is 3/4ths full with items that get done in a given period (weekly, maybe monthly), maybe the last quarter left for long term goals or something like that. Experiment. You'll find your way. Just don't go without it...I mean, we've all been there. It's an unhappy place with many names...The Rut, The Deadend, Drowning in Inefficiency. It's where the life of quiet desperation comes in and we put our dreams and goals aside.
Well old goals, get ready! Dream big! Move forward! Get your whiteboard on the wall, start listing a few items on it, cross 'em off as you do them, and before you know it...You'll be living the betterment way. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
Talk to you soon,
Professor Betterment
