Create a perhaps list

- It's important to keep your mind free and clear of all the many to-dos in your life. Sometimes these to-dos are items that aren't necessary, or you haven't yet fully committed to them. In my course, Time Management Fundamentals, I recommend you put these uncommitted ideas into what I call the perhaps list. The perhaps list is a reservoir of ideas, opportunities, and actions that you might do someday. This list allows us to free up our schedule for the things that's we're truly committed to doing.

But it leaves a question Time Management Fundamentals' students ask me, "What do we do with this growing perhaps list?" First, it's essential you have one and only one place for all these perhaps list items. I find the most convenient place for this is in a digital notepad, such as Microsoft OneNote or Evernote. I have one digital notebook within OneNote that is designated for perhaps list items.

Some people prefer a manila-type folder where they just put in handwritten notes. Whatever you choose, keep them all in one place. Next, we want to have a recurring schedule to review that perhaps list. This may vary from person to person. I find about once every three months is more than enough for me. Schedule this perhaps list review as a recurring appointment in your calendar. I find that it doesn't take long to review my entire perhaps list, maybe 30 minutes at most.

Then, when the appointment arrives, pull open that folder you created, and just sort of browse through the items. Glance at them one by one, looking for answers to three questions. For example, let's say that I had a perhaps list item that said create a new website to sell my services. Question one, did I already complete this? That may sound strange because the perhaps list is technically the place where you're supposed to put things that you're not going to do anything about, but I've found it's very common to have ideas that you put on the perhaps list magically get completed.

Maybe it's because life suddenly made it a priority or that you had forgotten about it and then found new energy to follow through on that wonderful idea that you had. If you already completed it, delete it from your perhaps list. Question two, am I willing to take action on this? To make this idea a reality, you must have some desire to complete it. If the desire isn't there yet, such as I don't have a strong enough reason to create the website in my example, then there's no need to force things.

Just leave it on the perhaps list, and move to the next item listed. Question three, does completing this item support my most valuable activities? There are a variety of things that you can do with your time, but only one or two are truly most valuable. Your success is determined by your ability to stay focused on those one or two things. So if the item doesn't directly support them, maybe it's best to just leave it on the list for now.

If it turns out that it does support your most valuable activities, then simply move that item from your perhaps list into a gathering point. A gathering point is a place like your email inbox or your physical inbox. You'll process those items following the system I've outlined in Time Management Fundamentals. In this way, we move from just having an idea to acting upon it. One last piece of advice, when reviewing the perhaps list, saying no is always an option.

In fact, I believe it's the best option. Leaving items on the perhaps list is something you should do more often than not. I have ideas that I have left in my perhaps list for more than 10 years. For example, I mention in my Small Business Secrets course I had a wonderful business idea of creating a reverse Benihanas, where cowboys cook steaks in front of Japanese business men in Tokyo. It's a great idea! And so I captured it. But am I ready to take action upon it? No, now is not the right time.

And it may never be the right time because it's so far outside of my most valuable activities. So perhaps you'll beat me to the punch. The perhaps list gives you all the freedom and space to look at every wonderful idea objectively and then only pick them up when you're ready to take decisive action, when they support what makes you valuable.