If you haven’t heard me talk or post about the Daily Docket, that means you’ve been reading less than three years, because that’s how long it’s been since I brought up this little tool. It’s been available on the downloads page pretty much for the duration of this blog, but there hasn’t really been more to say.

But several of you write me often about this download. It seems like I actually get at least one email weekly regarding the Daily Docket, which at almost three years, means I’ve got a file of almost 150 emails. Not really, but you get my point—you guys talk to me a lot about this download.

I recently decided to dust off the original Daily Docket, make some changes both practically and aesthetically, and share it again with you. Once more, it’s free for you to download, print, and use however you like.

What is a Daily Docket, you ask? Let me remind you.
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Written by Jeannett Gibson of Life Rearranged.

Are you working through Tsh’s ebook One Bite at a Time yet? I’m tracking my progress through the very practical (and manageable!) tasks monthly through this series. The projects aren’t chronological and you can do them in any order, so feel free to start now! You can buy the book here for just $5!

For lots of people, e-mail is a beast with a never-ending bottom.  Like the bottomless fries at some restaurants, only not nearly as salty delicious. 

I would imagine that Tsh’s inbox, with a variety of blogs to manage and books to write, would probably make most of us pass out on first glance.  But for the rest of us, with a more average number of unread emails, this project may not seem all that important to tackle.  Or is it?
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The following is a guest post from Mandi Ehman, founder of Life Your Way and Jungle Deals & Steals.

On weeks when my schedule and to-do list are overflowing, I always seem to get more done.

Does that sound familiar?

For a long time, I thought it was because of the adrenaline during those packed weeks.

What I’ve realized, though, is that while that may be true sometimes, I think I’m more effective when I have more to do for one simple reason. I like to call it “productive procrastination.”

Productive procrastination?!

When my to-do list is small and I want to procrastinate, I end up zoning on Facebook, blog hopping or, if I can pull myself out of the internet fog, reading a book.

But when my to-do list is overflowing and I don’t feel like working on project A or folding laundry, I still have a long list of activities to choose from (some of which I am probably excited about).

By choosing those activities – even if it’s not the most critical thing on my list — I’m able to make forward progress.

What this looks like in my life.

For example, I was feeling kind of lazy about an hour before I started writing this post. I should probably be working on a post for my blog, but I’m not really feeling inspired or motivated to do that.

I started to sink into the rabbit hole that is the internet before I reminded myself that this is a crazy busy week and took another look at my to-do list.

One of the items on there? Testing a ricotta cheesecake recipe for my sister’s graduation party this weekend.

That certainly sounds like a lot more fun than writing a post.

I got the ricotta cheesecake ready and in the oven, and then I moved right onto another fun project, which also happens to be on my to-do list…making a photo mobile for said party.

I’m about halfway through cutting those pictures, and it’s getting pretty tedious, so I took a break to, well, write this post.

When I finish the draft, I’ll go back to cutting the pictures, and when that’s done, I’ll sit down and write the original post that sent me running to the kitchen.

At the end of today, I will have made pretty significant progress on my to-do list, even if it wasn’t in the perfect order, so I will feel like it was a productive day. And I’ll do it without white knuckling my way through.

Ways to productively procrastinate.

How else does this play out in our day-to-day lives? No matter what your daily responsibilities look like, here are some more examples of ways to use productive procrastination to your advantage:

Note: Not all of these are fun activities. Some of them simply get you moving or allow you to check something easy off your to-do list!

• Call a friend
• Exercise
• Do a brain dump
• Read to the kids
• Fold laundry
• Work on a scrapbook
• Write a blog post
• File paperwork
• Go for a walk
• Start dinner prep

Of course, there are still times when we have to suck it up and get something done on your to-do list now and not later. And there’s definitely value in eating the frog first thing in the morning.

Understanding your personality and motivation is an important part of developing discipline and becoming more productive, so look for ways to use productive procrastination, not just as a way to avoid some dreaded task, but as a way to get more done!

Have you ever used procrastination for your benefit? What else would you add to the list of ways to productively procrastinate?

I’m in a writer’s group with my friend, Meagan Francis of The Happiest Mom. I love everything she writes, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to let her share her words over here today. They fit perfectly with our month-long theme here of goal-making…

We’re almost halfway through January. How are your resolutions holding up?

Have you been exercising? Eating better? Is your closet organized, your calendar streamlined?

Or are you struggling a little to fit those new goals in? Maybe you’re feeling anxious, like there’s something you know you “should” be doing…you just can’t remember what.

Too much doing…

Like many of you, I’ve been plugging along on several important goals during the first weeks of 2012, and yes, I’ve made some progress. But I’m also getting a little weary of so much doing. How can I possibly maintain this burst of energy throughout the year, to keep doing the things that are most important to me without burning out?

Then the other day it occurred to me: how can I expect to make room for those new goals until I axe some of the stuff that’s getting in the way?
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Note from Tsh: Tomorrow morning I fly out to Pennsylvania for Relevant, so I’m having Anne of The White Space Solution share this post today, giving me a few extra minutes to finalize my presentations. I loved reading her ideas here!

How many items do you have on your to-do list? How about goals? Do you have more than a few that you’d like to achieve? If you’re looking to simplify your life, likely that’s because your list is filled to the brim with goals, interests, activities, passions, people, and work.

It gets especially sticky taking action and completing anything on your master project list after you become a parent.

Since my daughter was born almost four years ago, I’ve had to adjust and reframe how I reach and set big goals in my life. It used to be so easy! But now, with a toddler in tow, a job managing someone else’s online business, a husband who needs my attention, too, writing for my own blog, writing my first book, and the myriad mommy duties, I need time and space to actually reach all those goals—and finish anything.

If your life is bursting at the seams, like mine, then you might like to know these three things I’ve learned to make space in your life, so you can actually get down to the business of getting things done.

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