Managing Your To Do List for Your Start Up Ecommerce Business

Most owners of small businesses have a huge list of things that need to be accomplished. I remember that, especially when I was first beginning my ecommerce activities, my list of things to do often seemed intimidating. Sometimes such a list, rather than achieving our intended goal of making us more efficient, can cause us to fret rather than to act. The time we spend trying to decide what to do next is time better spent on the golf course. At least, there, we would be able to get some fresh air and exercise.

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Here are a few things that I have done to make my list actually help me reach my objectives.

First, call your overgrown list a master list.

Second, divide that list into logical categories. The names for those categories will vary depending upon the type of business. You might have one category of financial or accounting jobs. Another category might be marketing. Yet another category could be website improvements (such as site navigation, reducing above the fold clutter, etc.). I'm sure you get the idea.

Next, place a star (asterisk) beside anything that should improve your bottom line. Those would be tasks that will result in increased traffic or conversion rate, or things that you can do to reduce costs.

Now, take one starred item each from different categories and copy that item to a new list (maybe called the Do Now List) until you reach your magic number. That magic number will vary from person to person depending upon your temperament. For me, five total items seems to work well. A larger number can make me feel overwhelmed; a smaller number makes me feel unproductive.

Get to work on your Do Now List. If something important occurs to you while you're working, do not add it to the short list. Instead, immediately put it into the master list, in the appropriate category, with a star if that is appropriate. Now get back to work.

Once you have finished with the five (or whatever number you use) items on you list, go back to the master list and select five more tasks. Do not start working on that list, yet. Instead, reward your diligence with something you enjoy. Get a cup of coffee, play with the dog for ten minutes, or put your feet up an think about your last vacation. Set a timer to make sure that you do not get carried away, though. Afterwards, you should feel refreshed enough to attack your new Do Now List.