The Power of 3x5 Cards

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
The secret of getting started is breaking your complex,
overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks,
and then starting on the first one.”
Mark Twain

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by everything that you have to do? If you want to improve your focus and get more accomplished each day, consider using 3x5 index cards to gain back control of your office and life.

This system helps you stay focused because it sits in front of you and serves as a reminder to work on that task and avoid outside interruptions until that task is complete. You may even want to write on the card the benefit you will realize when that task is complete such as, “Finish XYZ project by 5pm. Benefit: be home to eat dinner with my family.” Or, “call 20 prospects between 1-3pm today. Benefit: schedule two out of required five appointments for the week.”

When you feel overwhelmed, it is important to stop and regroup.

Another use would be to take 10 3x5 cards and clip them with a small binder clip and keep in your purse or pocket. As you’re out and about, think of things that you need to do and write one item per card. When you get back to your office, put them in your “in” box or your tickler file. This way you won’t lose any of those great ideas or have to try to remember important “to do” items that you thought of when you were away from your desk.

Here are the instructions for this simple and inexpensive way to take back control of your day:

• Purchase some 3x5 index cards at any office supply store or corner drug store.
• Whenever you feel overwhelmed, take out the cards and write down one thought or “to do” item on each card.
• After you have all of your “to dos” on separate cards, lay all of them out in front of you and ask yourself, “what is the most efficient use of my time right now?” Take that card and turn it over.
• Then ask yourself, “what is the second most important use of my time?” Take that card and turn it over on top of the first card. Keep going until all of the cards are turned over.
• Flip over the pile. Now you have all of your thoughts in a logical order and in the priority in which they should be accomplished.
• To keep the most important item top of mind, put it in a “page-up” (the "page-up babies" are the best size to use with index cards) and put it on your desk where you are working.

Good luck and let me know what you think!
Nicole