So you say you want to get on top of your game but you always seem to be running to catch up. Why is that?  Why do some people always seem to have it all under control. You know the ones that show up early to their kid’s school play, flowers in hand for their star performer with a charged camera.   

You slide in late in the back while asking the mom next to you if she can take an extra snap shop of your little Joey, in my case Chase or Jaclyn. Yes, I have done it, one too many times.

What is it about those super organized people that always seems to keep them organized and on track. TouchPointe took a hard look at what they do that makes them stay sane.

1. Have a calendar. Do we let the day, week, month, drag us or are we in charge. Do we plug in our most important meetings – those one-on-one times with our children – when we know mom is being a great listener. I am a huge believer in my calendar for several reasons. I start with the motto, "If it’s not in the calendar it’s not going to happen." 

I once had a top sales performer tell me she was frustrated because she was notorious for missing her son’s soccer game. After asking to see her calendar, I could see why; the soccer schedule was not in her calendar. She had not gone ahead and scheduled out what was most important to her, the games. If you don’t schedule your day, someone else will – your employer, your kids, your family, friends. What do you want your day to look like at the end of the day. Plug in key tasks and when you have blocked out that time to accomplish.

2. Set Goals! It doesn’t matter if you run into me at the mall, at work, or a happy hour, you will find in my purse a laminated 3x5 card list of my personal and professional goals. They get set every year and are constantly reviewed so I can evaluate if I am on track. Writing your ideas down forces you to set a plan in motion and visualize where you see yourself ending. 

We often get so caught up in trying to be a perfectionist that we never get around to putting your own thoughts and ideas to paper. There is something magical about taking that next step and writing down your dreams. If you don’t, someone else will come along and make them up for you. This is a great exercise to do with the entire family. What is your spouse’s goals? Your children?  Employees?

3. Have Stamina. Can you go the distance? Being successful requires energy. It requires being in the right state of mind and having the emotional intelligence to get the job done without cracking.  When you’re tired and out of shape you don’t always make the best decisions. Schedule time in your calendar for you to take care of you.  Can you take one hour out of an entire day. Who doesn’t have one hour to take care of one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, your health!

4. Stop being a control freak. Control what you can and leave the natural disasters and all of life’s out-of -your-control worries to the Guy in charge. Days before the Taste of Ladera, I was asked what I was going to do about the rain that was forecast. I could not change the weather. I could, however, decide if it was something I was going to stress about. I decided, rain or shine, the show would go on and  worrying about it would make no difference. We had great weather and I lost no time with pointless worry.   

5. Relationships and being there. I had a boss that was a terrible listener. He had over 150% turnover and it wasn’t long before he was moved out of his position. He was always working on something else when he was suppose to be working with you on a proposal or a project or just simply paying attention. This behavior rolled into all aspects of his life both personal and professional. I always thought had he devoted just a fraction of the time to invest in being present he would gain so much in his bank account of relationships. 

6. Use your prime time. There are specific times of the day when we tend to be at our peak and others when we lull, like an hour after lunch. Do the most mentally taxing activity that requires focus and precision at the times when you are at your best, leaving rote tasks, like filing, to do when you are less energetic.

7. Give and receive clear instruction. When you or someone else is unclear about a project or task, it takes longer and there is more probability it will be done incorrectly. Always ask when you are unclear about what you are expected to do; this saves you time and hassle of redoing it. As my friend Jim Schmitt says, "If you don’t have time to do it right in the first place, what makes you think you have time to do it over!"

8. Delegate whenever possible. As you complete your next task, think about whether or not you are the best person to do it in the future. If not, find someone who can share the task with you or take it over. I am not a cook. I try to be. I aspire to be. In the meantime, in an effort to make sure my family gets a great meal, we do Super Suppers at the Patterson household. The kids love it, my husband loves it, and I don’t sweat not being a gourmet chef.

9. Have a support system. For business advice, I go to my CEO roundtable advisory group. This group gives me candid advice, some of which I would rather not hear about but am faced with that require me to make a tough decision. Who do you go to for candid advice? Do you have a team you can call on? I call this strategy "Building Your Personal and Business Fortress." Who makes up your Fortress. List out everyone from your attorney to your CPA to the local handyman you call on. If you are missing a link in your fortress, leave it blank and be on the hunt to fill that key spot.  

10. Silence! Sometimes it can become uncomfortable for things around us to become quiet. Without any distractions, we are forced to sit alone and think. That may not always be comforting, especially as the laundry list of “To Do’s” start to flood our minds. 

I keep a Nite Note (www.nitenote.com) next to my bed at night and when I think of something I jot it down; once it is out of my mind I can stop thinking about it and know that I can deal with it later. My Nite Note lights up when I pick up my pen and turns off when I put my pen down. Taking time to sit still will give you an opportunity to let those creative juices start flow and be strategic. 

When during your day do you spend time on the Big Picture and thinking strategic. Get out of the daily tasks mode and be a Big Thinker.