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Creating (and following) an organized to-do system is the best way to make sure daily tasks are getting completed according to schedule. With the right system, you’ll never accumulate more than a week’s worth of paper at any time, and will have no reason to miss a deadline or pay a bill late. You can stop worrying, “When will I get it all done?” — because you know that any to-dos will be taken care of during your next regular admin period.

Get Organized For Action

You must keep paper moving through your system, instead of allowing it to stagnate on your desk. You do this by “verbing” each new to-do that enters  your life. Start with the nearest pile — ask what you need to do with each item, then create folders for those answers. Set these files up in a rack — so all to-dos have a set place to live until you can tackle them. You’ll come up with categories like:

Revamp Your Schedule

Once your to-dos are in one spot, you need to do them. Don’t wait until you have time — make time. Schedule a regular weekly appointment with yourself (maybe an hour once or twice a week) — blocking off that slot as an “admin period.” Your goal is to go through each folder in order, trying to complete every item inside. If you can’t, put that to-do back in the folder and tackle it later. And if you finish action #1 (paying a bill), but then have another step to take with that paper (perhaps calling to correct a billing error) — move it to the appropriate folder, and deal with task #2 during your next admin period.

Consolidate Your Efforts

Why would you worry about working through one folder before moving to the next? Take a “mass production” tip from Henry Ford — you’ll accomplish more in less time when you complete each activity in sequence. That means paying all of your bills at once, then making all of your calls, then doing all of your filing — as opposed to bopping back and forth between different tasks.