>The Daily Three philosophy fits nicely into my Action goal for 2009. This process limits planning to a managable amount. The to-do-list stays short, provides focus.

It’s quite simple. Several plurk buddies have picked up the habit of announcing a list of three goals each morning. As they accomplish each goal on the list, they post the news on plurk. Here are a few examples from my lists of three.

3 goals: grocery shopping, go to bookstore, thoroughly check garden for ripe peas!

This list came up right after vacation. I’d been gone for a week, the refrigerator resembled Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, and the garden had grown quite a bit in my absence. The bookstore run: well, I never need an excuse for a bookstore visit. Really.

3 goals: post office, harvest lettuce, catch up on Time Magazines.

Post office is often on my list because I list books through Paperbackswap.com. On this particular day, I had six books to mail. Lettuce is on the list for bunnies and people; salad with supper tonight, bunny food at bedtime. I cut it back to the roots and it grows again. Time Magazine: I like to catch up before the news is old, but even so, I will get a little more depth on the stories I read in the newspaper or saw on CNN.

Setting goals is also useful when I’m feeling lazy, but can’t afford to waste the day. Here’s a recent set:

1- plan decent supper 2 – go to school 3 – start laundry.

I specified goals for working in my classroom, too: basic hallway decor, posters, science kits. I want the room to look good, look welcoming in case kids wander through the hallways early. When the room appears ready, I can focus on actual planning and preparation.

One of the best elements of the Three Goal plan is the focus, the prioritizing. There’s much more to do in a day than these three items, but this reduces the overwhelming feeling of “There’s too much to accomplish! I can’t get it done!” Checking off each major item brings a great feeling of accomplishment. When the main three are completed, anything else feels like a bonus.

Now: off to school to get a little more work done toward Open House tomorrow night!!