Summary : The Agile Manager’s Guide to Getting Organized – Jeff Olson

The reason this technique works is simple: Procrastination is often the inability to get started.

Make a commitment to yourself to work on the project for ten minutes only.

Identify the people whom you’ll need to help. Don’t worry about whether their availability just yet – that’s an issue you can work through

Keep a log for a day or week-however long it takes you to realize that if you’re to get organized and contribute in meaningful ways, you have to gain some control over your day.

Say no to the things and people that aren’t important to you.

Develop your own contribution chart to assess what you should be working on and to highlight the time-wasters.

Simplify your life wherever possible by:
Rejecting or keeping at arm’s length the unimportant.
Taking one thing at a time.
Concentrating your efforts.
Aiming to contribute productively.
Focusing on today, not tomorrow.
Using the power of “No”.

“I once made a list of thirty-five goals. Because I’d made progress in only a few areas, my list depressed me eventually. I ended up burying it in a file cabinet. Now I have six key goals. Rather than depressing me, the list energizes me. “
– Jeff Olson

As you and your values change, so should your goals.

Come up with one or two explicit, key goals for each of these areas, keeping in mind some goals can cover a few areas at once:
Family / Friends
Work / Professional
Community / Volunteer
Education / Intellectual
Hobby
Leisure / Travel
Sports
Spiritual
Financial