september2021 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR
My Daily Checklist
I'M A LIST person. I make lists for just about everything I do. Of course there are shopping
lists, errands lists, personal to-do lists, lists of books I want to read, and so on. But the
lists that are most front and center, and necessary, are my daily work checklists. I have
found that when I start the day without a list of projects, the day quickly gets away from
me and my productivity level is low.
There are a several steps to keep
in mind when creating a checklist
that can get you through the day.
(I've put these steps into a list....)
■ Create your daily checklists when
you are relaxed and unrushed. If
your mind is racing and you're on
your way to your next task, you're
likely to skip over important items
that should be on your list.
■ Create your daily checklists for
several days in advance. I make
my checklists for the entire week
ahead on Sunday.
■ I like handwritten lists in my steno
pad, but you can use your online
calendar or any list-making app for
your checklist. Just make sure it's
something that you keep close at
hand and can refer to often.
■ Schedule your day in chunks of
time. I use 1-hour chunks, but
you can use whatever fits in
your schedule. If I need to, I can
schedule multiple chunks for a
single project, or I can schedule
multiple short projects in one
chunk.
■ When making your checklist,
assign your projects into
specific time chunks, so you
know exactly what you will be
working on at any particular
time of the day.
■ Allow extra time for your
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VOLUME 31, NUMBER 8
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Mary Girsch-Bock
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projects. If a project is likely to take
45 minutes, give it an hour on your
list in case it takes longer than you
expected or you have interruptions.
If that 45 minute project takes only
45 minutes, you've got an extra 15
minutes to catch your breath, start
another project early, or choose
small items from your master list
to fill in the time.
■ Maintain a master to-do list of all
the projects you need to complete.
Most people have more work to do
than they can accomplish in one
day. Your daily checklist is the
manageable list of the number of
hours in the day you are committing
to work. Your master to-do list
is the overall list of all items you
need to complete. You should refer
to the master to-do list regularly to
make sure those items are getting
scheduled into your daily checklists.
■ Keep a list of useful and/or productive
things you do with small bits of
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GAIL PERRY, CPA
Editor-in-Chief
gail.perry@cpapracticeadvisor.com
@gperrycpa
extra time. If you finish a project
early and have a few minutes to
spare before you jump into the
next project, go to your list (mine is
called my Small Bites list) and use
that time to take care of a few little
projects that aren't time-sensitive.
■ Be flexible. If your day changes and
you can't meet the expectations
you set for yourself on your daily
checklist, give yourself permission
to move something onto a future
checklist instead of beating yourself
up about not getting everything
done that you had planned.
■ Leave open spaces on your
checklists to allow for unexpected
yet urgent projects. If you have an
open time chunk coming up soon on
your list, head over to your master
to-do list and fill in the blank with a
project that would have been placed
on next week's checklists.
- Gail Perry, Editor-in-Chief
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