Is "Task" a Four-Letter Word?

For many of us, the word "task" is a four-letter word... a dirty word that makes us cringe deep inside and makes us want to run screaming back to bed, pull the covers up over our head, and try to forget it all.

Well, if that's you, then I won't try to redeem the word for you - it's not really important to do. What IS important is that you focus on what ... um... "tasks" mean and get them done.

A quick look at the thesaurus gives us a plethora of replacement words that you can easily substitute for that dirty, four-letter word. You just might find one these words to be a suitable replacement, and if so, I encourage you to replace away! The goal here is to achieve what we can do with the tool, not what we name it.

So, here are some options:

Action, Allocation, Assignment, Charge, Choice, Commission, Could Do, Designation, Duty, Effort, Engagement, Enterprise, Errand, Exercise, Function, Function, Get Done, Goal, Like To Do, Responsibility, Selection, To Do, Undertaking, Want To Do

So find the word or phrase that works for you. Don't be afraid to try on different words until you find what motivates you!

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.