Three Index Cards

Batsell Barrett Baxter was a busy man. He was a fulltime college professor who also preached two sermons each week at a local church. He also spoke once per week on national television. I once heard him give this advice on how to get more done.

Brother Baxter said that at the beginning of each week he made three lists (on three index cards). The first card listed things he considered his most urgent tasks for that week. The second card contained things that were important, but not urgent (they needed to be done, but not necessarily that week). The third listed things he would like to do, but which were not all that important. He carried these cards with him all week.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he would pull out the first card – the one that listed matters that were both important and urgent. If possible, he worked on one of those items. He reached for the second card only if he had either completed everything on the first card, or if a situation had arisen where he sincerely could not work on the items on the first card. He went to the third card only if the first two had been completed, or had turned out to be impossible at this time.

That sounds like an effective system, and it certainly worked for Brother Baxter. But, in case you do not like it, let me suggest another way of handling your time.

Do not make lists; just do whatever comes into your mind at the moment. If you get bored or lonely, turn on the television. If you have a spare moment that is not long enough for watching television, play a computer game or search the web a little. I am sure that you can stay busy this way, just as busy as Batsell Barrett Baxter. Of course busy is not the same as productive, but let’s not split hairs.