Do Your To-Do Lists Work For You?
I like to-do lists. They help me focus on what’s important and what needs to be done. I keep both a long-term and a short-term list. They are not perfect and a bit messy, but they help me get organised. Some people say to-do lists don’t work anymore but I disagree, they actually do work, but you need to get them right.
So, what are the key points for a to-do list that works?
1) Be clear
First of all, your list needs to be clear. To begin with, just put everything down on paper. Then look at each item and sort them into groups, e.g.: work, home, personal, family, volunteer, long term, short term, etc. Now ask yourself:What is important for me?What would give me joy or a sense of accomplishment?What needs to be done in order to achieve my goal?What is urgent, what really needs to be done? Prioritise your tasks according to their importance and urgency. Keep in mind, some things can be urgent, but not important in terms of achievement, or important but not urgent. So labelling a task as important, urgent, short term or long term makes your list (and mind) clearer. -If your project is big, it can help to break it down into smaller steps, and then add these to your list.
2) Set a deadline or timeframe
The second most important point is to set a deadline or timeframe. Having unfinished projects creates clutter in our minds, and clutter can reduce our motivation to finish things. Therefore it is a good idea to set a realistic deadline or timeframe.To do this, ask yourself:– What is the deadline? – How long will it take to finish the task? – Is it realistic? – Is it do-able?– What resources do I need?– What challenges may I have and how can I overcome them?
3) How much is enough – or possible
Thirdly, you need to figure out how much work is enough – or even possible…If you are like me who has a burst of new ideas everyday, you may find yourself having to let go of some of them. In fact this is a necessity for survival, because you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with unrealistic expectations. So after being clear about a realistic work load, analyse the remaining tasks (if any are left), and then ask yourself: How did I come up with that task in the first place?What makes it not important now?What can I let go of now?
4) Be flexible
And last but not least: be flexible! Life is not set in stone and you know by now that nothing is permanent. Your circumstances may have changed, and goals you may have set in the past could have become non-achievable. Remember, adapting a growth mindset and self-compassion are the key to a happy and successful life.
I hope this is useful.
Love
Nalan Kirsch