Anyone who’s seen me around the home or office knows I’m a planner… and I’m rarely seen without my to do list. In fact, many people enjoy making fun of it… what with all those checkboxes and lines. But it doesn’t matter to me. My to do list helps me distinguish between the “important” and the “urgent”.

In this era of instant communication, it’s easy to forget about your truly critical task when your boss (or your son!) starts your BlackBerry vibrating like crazy! My to do list (which I try to make the night before, as suggested by professional organizer Jacquie Ross) helps me make sure I don’t let something really important slip through the cracks… it’s always the last think I look at before I shut down my computer for the day (and usually how I remember to take the next day’s Let’s Dish! meal from our freezer!).

Set aside 10 minutes every evening to plan your business and personal schedule for the next day. Write down the high priority items and highlight them so that they don’t get missed. The lower priority items can be done only after all high priority items have been taken care of. If your list is particularly long, try to think of ways that you can delegate some of the tasks. By discussing your schedule with your family members, you may be able to get some help, particularly with household chores.

Planning ahead on a daily basis, rather than weekly, can relieve some of the stress of feeling overwhelmed, and allow you to get the most important things done on time!
- Jacquie Ross, Professional Organizer, CastAway the Clutter!