How to stay organized and focused during the day

Make your days more productive with a simple list.

In today’s workplace, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. From meetings to constant emails, losing focus on what you should be doing is simpler than people would like to admit. This can happen in any part of a company, from the company’s leaders to its interns. At times, it can feel like you’re simply reacting to others’ issues instead of completing goals.

There is a way to cut through all the hustle and bustle and keep yourself organized: a to-do list.

Audio: Listen to this article.

Creating a to-do list is a fantastic way to make sure your days are focused and productive. Simply the act of writing (or typing) something makes it easier to remember to do it, and listing it makes it easy to reference in case you start getting distracted or diverted from your main goals.

Making a to-do list

Before starting your workday, list the things you want or have to do before leaving the office that day. The tasks in it should be the core of your workday.

Your to-do list can be as long as you need. On some days, it might have one thing you need to do, but on other days it might be six or more. All that matters is that the list contains everything you need to do that day.

You can make your to-do list whenever you want. You could make it:

• As soon as you finish the previous day’s tasks
• In the morning before you reach the office

To-do lists for your team

You can also make to-do lists collectively for your company or team you work with. Share these at the start of the day, such as during a company meeting early in the day or via email. Store them in a location everyone can easily access so referencing them is as easy as possible.

This is particularly important for projects everyone needs to play a part in. A to-do list for a team helps people know what they need to do so nobody accidentally steps on another’s toes. This helps everyone optimize their time.

Don’t let your emails guide your day

When dealing with the day’s work, it’s tempting to let what you get in your emails dictate what you do that day. However, this can leave you unfocused and without any overarching goals. Stick with a to-do list and check your emails every once in a while instead of gluing yourself to your emails, waiting for the next response.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore your emails and any issues or assignments that come from them; just don’t let them dictate what you do during the day. Being proactive with a to-do list leads to more productive days than being purely reactive to emails does.

To-do for success

Keeping organized with a to-do list is just what you need to focus on your goals instead of being purely reactive. It’ll only take a few minutes to create, but it’ll pay off dividends for your productivity. If you haven’t made one, there’s no time like the present to start.

Clients love Jacob’s speed. Jacob is an inbound marketing-certified webmaster. He earned an integrated communications degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Jacob joined Axia PR as an intern in August 2015 and earned his way into a critical role at our PR agency.