• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

To-do Lists and Time Management

By Glenn Muske

Clock

Photo (CC) I Believe, on Flickr

“There never is enough time.”

You probably would agree with me that we hear this phrase repeated over and over by people everywhere.

Because time is a limited resource and we feel we never have enough, we’ve been bombarded with hundreds, if not thousands, of suggestions on how to make the most of the time we have.

One such suggestion is the “to-do list.”

This list comes in many forms and fashions. Today, many list variations are available in a technology-based format. Yet all are driven by two needs: the need to feel in control and the need to get more done from that scarce resource, time.

Although we have no clear history for when the to-do list began, several articles note that Benjamin Franklin was an early user of the list.

To-do lists have a proven track record of working. And yet, many of us do not see the benefits. We have several reasons for that, reasons that, if we are aware of them, may help us get more from this tool.

Common reasons for noneffective list making come from:

  • Making the list, and not the items on the list, the priority
  • Listing too many things – Good lists help motivate us to focus on the priority tasks. They are not intended to schedule every minute of the day.
  • Making too many lists – Some assume that if one list is good, then two are better. That may be a good idea, but all that happens is we become more frustrated, as well as double-book ourselves.
  • Spending too much time on the list so that it consumes us and becomes the priority
  • Not prioritizing what’s on our list
  • Doing the low-priority items just so we can cross things off as done
  • Making and then ignoring the list
  • Feeling guilty when we don’t get our list done

How many of these reasons can you claim? I can put a check beside each one.

And the advent of technology tools, by itself, doesn’t solve these issues. Technology actually just allows us to make more and longer lists.

So effective time management through to-do lists requires your awareness of reasons why they don’t work for you, changing those behaviors and then checking yourself to ensure you are not falling back into old habits.

As a small-business owner, you have lots to do. Effective time management through the old to-do list can be a great friend. Find a way that works for you.

I leave you with a time management quote from the late Beryl Pfizer, a writer and radio and TV producer. You probably can relate to it: “I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.”

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Glenn Muske

Glenn Muske is an independent expert on rural small business, working as GM Consulting – Your partner in achieving small business success. He provides consulting, and writes articles for county extension agents and newspapers across North Dakota. Previously, he was the Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development Specialist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality.
  • Change - December 26, 2018
  • Regular Customers Form Your Base - December 12, 2018
  • Disasters: Is Your Small Business Ready? - December 5, 2018
  • Business Startup: Steps to Remember - November 28, 2018
  • HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM SMALL BIZ SURVIVAL - November 21, 2018
  • Finding a Business Idea - November 14, 2018
  • Does Your Networking Have Punch? - November 7, 2018
  • Build Tomorrow’s Community Business Sector - October 24, 2018
  • Are You Changing? - October 17, 2018
  • Is it really a deal? - October 10, 2018

November 16, 2016 Filed Under: management, Small Biz 100, success Tagged With: effective time management, entrepreneurship, management, small business, time management

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in