Secrets of the Perpetually Prepared

Three ways to organize your life

Get it together
Everyone knows the simplest way to get organized is to put all your tasks down on paper - but organized people know the key to making a list work is prioritizing.

Think about all the small tasks that pile up day after day on your to-do list. Most of them can be accomplished and let go of quickly, but instead they languish behind the bigger, more time-intensive items, leaving you overwhelmed and stressed by all the things you have to get done.

The first secret to success: get it together. At the start of each day, spend your first half hour tackling any tasks that can be accomplished in less than a few minutes. Then prioritize the rest of your to-dos, based on time each will require as well as their importance.

Get going
Of course, ultra-organized people know that sometimes making lists can actually make you less productive. Some list-makers get caught up in adding daily tasks to the list, evaluating and prioritizing then, rather than just getting them done in the moment.

The second secret to success: get going. Throughout the day, don't just let your list pile up. Evaluate each task as it arises -- and if it's something that will take less than a minute to accomplish, like sending a short reply to an email, stop what you're doing and take care of it right then.

Get it done
At the end of the day, successful people know that to accomplish their goals, they can't wait around for days to get longer or lists to get shorter. They understand how to prepare for and create opportunities for productivity.

The third secret to success: get it done. Organized people understand the value of productive multitasking. Instead of reading the old magazines in the waiting room of your doctor's office, bring that article your boss has been telling you to read. While you're on hold waiting to talk to a customer service rep, don't surf the internet for celebrity gossip - use that time to reply to those week-old emails in your inbox.