The very first step to becoming more organized - and more productive-"?is to adjust your life so that you are receptive to more structure. Start off by getting up early each day. It's true that "early bird catches the worm"! Get up at the same time each day. Establish a routine in the mornings that feeds your body, mind, and spirit so that you can begin the day with the best physical, mental, and spiritual foundation. Use part of your morning routine to review your day's calendar so that you can mentally prepare for what is to come and can begin to visualize the successful outcomes of your activities.

Purchase tools to help you stay organized. Whether it is a Day-timer, a Franklin Planner, a Palm Pilot, or a Blackberry does not matter- you should buy the tool that you can use the most comfortably. Whatever you decide, however, don't just have it on your laptop or on your PC - it needs to be mobile enough to take everywhere. Write down every appointment on this calendar, whether it is work, personal, family, vacation, etc. Keeping multiple calendars for work and personal items leads to confusion and disorganization. Review your calendar often throughout the day to keep up with what you've committed to do. And then, be sure to do it!

Make reasonable and realistic "to do" lists and place them at the top of each day on your calendar. Keeping these items on a separate list in a separate place divorces them from the other tasks that you are scheduled to accomplish throughout the day and hinders, rather than promotes, their completion. Your "to do" list for any day should only include what you believe that you can complete that day. Having lengthy lists that have a number of uncompleted items are mentally discouraging and will actually make you less productive. If you do come to the end of the day and have not completed a certain item, evaluate why that is so, then schedule it for a day that you know you will be able to complete it. If you are working on a project, break the project down into manageable pieces and schedule each part on the day that you plan to complete the part. We eat an elephant one bite at a time!

Whenever you complete any item on your calendar, check it off. When I used a paper Day-timer, I always put a checkmark by the item that I had completed; on my Palm Pilot, I place an asterisk by the complete item. By doing so, I can not only keep track of what I have done, but I get a little mental "reward" for accomplishing the task. Don't obliterate the item or appointment that you have completed as you will want to keep a record for future reference.

Procrastination is a killer to organization! There are distasteful tasks and appointments that we need to do to reach our objective. Accept this and do them! If you really dislike doing certain tasks so much that you do keep putting them off, find an alternative to accomplishing them. Hire it done or do it another way that it more palatable to you. But if it has to be done, commit yourself to doing it on a certain date during a certain time frame and do it!

Become a master of organization! Soon you'll find that your calendar will drive your day and you'll find that you are getting more done than you ever thought possible!