How to Tame Your To-Do List

Master Priorities with Lisa Jacobs’ Fast Track Toolkit and the OCN Method

Navigating the tumultuous sea of entrepreneurship can feel like a constant battle against an unending tide of tasks and challenges. Today, I want to introduce you to the OCN Method—a game-changing approach that transforms this chaos into a navigable roadmap, empowering you to sort, filter, and master your priorities. I learned this method from our Integrator, Lisa Jacobs, whose Fast Track Toolkit can help you kickstart this method for yourself.

Whether it's juggling marketing strategies, planning new product lines, or managing customer relations, the constant barrage of tasks can leave us questioning what to tackle next. It's a chaotic dance that can lead to burnout and diminished productivity. But fret not, I have a solution that has transformed my business operations: The OCN Method.

The OCN Method

The OCN method is a systematic approach to sorting and filtering your priorities, ensuring you always know what to work on next. It uses a simple, visual system of columns to organize all your projects and tasks: Open, Closed, New, and No. Let's explore each one.

Open

The "Open" column is where you'll place all pending, active, and unfinished tasks or projects that require your highest focus and commitment. It's also a space for anything that's consuming a lot of your energy, like concerns, indecisions, and worries. It's a priority column, so question everything on it. Initially, your list of "unfinished business" may be overwhelming, but remember, you're clearing out the clutter from your brain and putting it into a system.

Closed

The "Closed" column is a testament to your accomplishments. It contains tasks that have reached 100% completion and won't need to be touched or tinkered with again anytime soon. It's an extremely high-value column as it offers a clear view of what you've been able to produce at the end of the week or month. It serves as a visual reminder of your progress, fostering a sense of achievement and motivation.

New

The "New" column is the party of the bunch! It's where you'll list all the things you want to do, learn, and be. It might get mixed in with "Open" tasks but should not receive the same level of focus and commitment. It's an incubator for your ideas and projects that are not in sequential order or for later. It helps you capture great ideas without being distracted by them, thereby eliminating false starts.

No

The "No" column may be the hardest to maintain, but it's a high-value one. This is where you'll decide what tasks are a "no for now" or a "no forever". It’s an honorary spot on your board, showing that you value your time, attention, and resources. It enables you to eliminate non-essential tasks, allowing you to focus on your priorities.

Getting Started with the OCN Method

Start by creating a running list of everything currently on your plate. The longer the list, the better, as you're freeing your mind from holding all this information. Next, sort this list into the four columns: Open, Closed, New, or No. It's a simple way to give order to your entrepreneurial chaos.

The beauty of the OCN method lies in its simplicity and flexibility. It's a system that can be tailored to fit your unique business needs and personal working style. Most importantly, it puts you back in the driver's seat, allowing you to steer your business towards success with clarity and focus.

Remember, as entrepreneurs, we're not just managing businesses; we're leading them. So, embrace tools like the OCN method that empower us to do so more effectively.

WANT TO GET HANDS-ON AND IMPLEMENT THE OCN METHOD?

Click to learn more about the fast track toolkit from Lisa Jacobs!

Meet Lisa Jacobs | Website | Etsy | Your Best Year

 As Integrator for Team Bonnie, Lisa Jacobs oversees business operations and helps lead the team. Renowned for providing crystal-clear solutions to clients while growing profitability, promoting business sustainability and enterprise-level growth, Lisa prides herself on delivering exceptional quality and innovation that drive our company initiatives forward!

HEAR MORE ON THIS TOPIC ON EPISODE 14 OF THE PROFESSIONAL CREATIVE