How Many Tools in your Toolbox?

If you're like me you have about a gazzillion tools in your toolbox - everything from hammers, to electrical tape, to some strange little tool that measures the diameter of things. But how many do I use on a regular basis? What are the core tools that I just cannot do without?

Well, I'm not an electrician, so the electical tape is out. I'm not a whoever-it-is that needs to know the diameter of things, so that's out. Even the allen wrenches and those coveted channel-lock pliers aren't used that often. No, the basics tools for me are a hammar, a pair of pliers, a flat-head and philips-head screwdriver.

These are the things that go in the top section of my tool box - that part that's the first place you go to for tools, the most accessible, and it usually even has a nice little handle so you can lift it out and take it to where the work is.

Now that's not to say that the other tools aren't useful. I dare say that I bought them special in order to do specific jobs and without them my life would have been very ... well... annoying, to say the least. But they don't sit in the top section - I don't use them all the time.

I learned a long time ago to keep them out of the top section for the simple reason that if they're there, they crowd out those tools that I need most of the time and makes it impossible to find them. I scrape my knuckles looking for them, get frustrated, starting dumping things on the floor and generally waste a lot of time.

The same is true for Time Management tools.

There are a myriad of tools, tips, and tricks out there. And they're all wonderful. They are especially rampant in electronic systems, but even paper systems can begin to overwhelm you with different pages and sections, and if you're not careful, they will crowd out your basic Time Management tools and you will soon get frustrated and stop doing your Time Management all together.

Pare down! I continually focus on the three main tools that will ensure that my day is organized and my time is managed efficiently:

• A Task List
• A Calendar
• A Journal

When I get overwhelmed and Time Management has escaped me, it's usually because I've cluttered up my tool box. When this happens to you, take control - clean out your tool box and get back to the basics. You'll find you're back on track in no time.