Planning and performing tasks go part and parcel with maintaining your organizational systems.

A big part of knowing how to get organized is knowing when to get organized. Probably the most important strategy that I can recommend for maintaining your productivity and organizing systems over time is that you schedule time to maintain them. No matter how great the system is that you have set up, no system can completely maintain itself all on its own. It requires input from you because, after all, it’s your system—it’s designed to meet your needs. It is up to you to maintain your system over time.

Keep your to-do lists close by at all times. That way you’ll be sure to catch any new business ideas, to-do’s, or actions right as they come up. You won’t have to waste time wracking your brain trying to figure out what you were thinking of at that meeting a few hours ago.

Take some time to review and adjust your schedules daily. Things will happen over the course of the business day that will force you to shift some of your tasks around. Make sure that you take the time to adjust your calendar as needed. As you are going through your to-do lists and prioritizing your tasks, look for tasks you can delegate so you can focus on those that are most critical for you to do.

Make appointments with yourself to maintain your systems. That can be as little as five or ten minutes a day or an hour or two a week. It all depends on the systems you’ve set up and how much maintenance they require. But all systems require some, so make sure that you set aside adequate time to ensure that your systems continue to serve you over time.