The Right Six

How many times have you ended a day and the first thought is – wow, that was a busy day. Have you ever followed that thought up with – but I didn’t get anything done!

This is not uncommon. As a matter of fact busy does not equate to getting things done.

In light of this being a problem for many busy business professionals I took a moment to analyze my own business. When doing such a task it is important to look at what is working, and do more of it, of course. Also looking at what is not working, and really try to stop that behavior immediately.

Upon my recent analysis I found that my list making skills were a little lacking. Now, believe me, I have looked at all sorts of ways to create lists. There are some pretty complex systems out there, that come with the disclaimer that once you learn it you will love it!

What? I have to learn how to write a list?

I don’t think so!

Oh, wait, I just learned that my list making was not producing the results I need. So maybe I do need to learn how to do better. However, I really don’t think I need a complex system of categorizing, indexing, and putting it in the right bucket. By the time I finished my list I would have had a very busy day with nothing to show for it except a list.

Now some of the list basics really did resonate with me. Here I will share my new system for creating my lists. I think it has really made a world of difference in getting the right things done during the day!

• Write the list at the close of business for the next day. This does help get the day kick-started, and it eliminates the time spent in the morning trying to remember where you left off and what you really should be doing today in order to work on the right things.
• Only write six. By only writing down six things you really have to evaluate the things that are the most important things that need to be done.
• The Right Six List should not contain fires. Look over the list and ask one simple question, “Is this an item that affects my bottom line?” Cross anything off that does not directly affect your bottom line.
• Replace – Rinse – Repeat! Each time you eliminated something go back and replace it, ask the same question, and repeat until you have found The Right Six.

Just because you eliminate things from your list, by no means does this mean that it is not an important task. There are many tasks that require attention that do not affect the bottom line. The purpose of The Right Six is really to identify the things that are business builders. The outlook for tomorrow will be much brighter if you are working on the right things today.

So try building your Right Six List today and make sure that you are really working on the right things first.