If you are at all like I was, you probably have an enormous list of things that you need to get done at the start of your new online business. There were a lot of times when that looming list actually kept me from taking action on anything. I would only stare at the list and worry about what I should do next. I would often add five more items to the list before I would even make an effort to accomplish any of them. I would have gotten as much done if I had read a chapter in a favorite novel.

Now, I could lie to you and tell you that I have completely overcome that inertia. What I can say is that I have at least gotten the problem under control. I have become far more productive in my scheduling by implementing a rather simple plan as far as my ever present list. You might want to try this system.

First, call your overgrown list a master list.

Second, divide your 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.

Only after you have completed all of the five (or four, or six, or whatever number you have chosen) are you allowed to go back to the large, master list to choose five more. Before you start to work on your new Do Now List, reward yourself with something meaningful for a short while (say, ten minutes). Make yourself a cup of herbal tea or entertain your cat. Maybe you can find something fun on YouTube, but I think it would be a better idea to be a bit more active and move away from your computer.