A Better To-Do List: 3 Simple Tips
Even the most basic outline of the things you need to do can help you accomplish your daily goals! The very act of writing out a list forces us to face our tasks in a concrete way, instead of keeping all of our to-dos as vague objectives floating in our heads.
3 Simple List Tips
1 - Thought Dump
With a list pad, notebook, journal, or even a plain piece of paper, write out all the tasks you need to get done in no particular order of importance. Try to write down the very small tasks (like, “put laundered clothes in dryer”) to the larger ones looming on the horizon (such as “create ad campaign for new summer launch” or “backpacking research”).
2- The Big Three
From your list, extract the largest three objectives. Either highlight these items, or write them on a separate list, sheet of paper or index card. These tasks may have such a large scope, checking them off your list by EOD may not be likely; but the key is to keep these goals constantly in front of you! By doing so, you keep your focus on the big picture, and ultimately will break these weighty deliverables into smaller, more manageable steps.
3- Identify Your Prime Time
Have you ever noticed you have peak productivity times? And conversely, do you ever find yourself less motivated during certain times of the day? It may be worth identifying your productivity patterns, and then organize your to-do list accordingly. All the difficult tasks you got lined up? Schedule to knock those out during your “prime time”, when your energy is high and you’re buzzing on focus and intent. And those easy list items that require less mental input? Save those for the post-lunch lull, or any other time period where your bandwidth feels limited!
Don’t Let Your List Run You
These are just a handful of creative, but tactical ways to structure your busy life. Remember to be kind to yourself, and be ok with moving unfinished items to a new list for a new day. And be sure to schedule in brain breaks, exercise and quiet time for yourself!
