To-do lists are a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they keep me organized and focused. On the other hand my to-do list can take over my life, creating stress, burnout, and overwhelm.
I’m a master of execution. I get shit done. Colleagues and clients are often impressed by the amount of work I get done in a day, and for this reason people often come to me for guidance on executing their own to-do lists.
And sometimes my to-do list spirals out of control and I notice I’m becoming less effective in my work and life. As my to-do list grows, I start to feel discomfort. This is exactly where I’ve been the last few weeks and it’s time for a refresher.
I know it’s time to refresh my approach when I sit down at my desk in the morning, spending the first 15 – 20 minutes mindlessly checking email or Facebook, or when I’m easily distracted from a task and it takes time to refocus on what I was doing before I got distracted. In the meantime my list gets longer and longer, and I feel worse about my progress. Yikes.
Here are some signs you might need a refresher, too:
Are you struggling under the weight of a to-do list so long you feel like you’ll never get ahead?
Do you collapse in bed at the end of day, only to lay there unable to sleep thinking about everything you didn’t get done?
Are you working evenings and weekends trying to keep up?
If any of these apply to you, don’t worry–I’ve got you! I’m going to share my top tips and strategies to get control of your to-do list! Let’s reform our to-do lists together!
01. Do want you want, not what you should
Stop “shoulding” your to-do list. Look at your to-do list and cross off anything you only added because you “should” do it. This might include any of the following:
I should create a marketing flyer.
I should exercise more.
I should read more professional development books.
My should is posting videos on social media. Posting videos will increase my social media reach and bring attention to my brand, right?
Instead of shoulds, do what you want to do–you’ll get a lot more done and be happier with the results.
02. Every day, cross one item off your to-do list without doing it
Look at your to-do list. Now cross one item off your to-do list without doing it! There’s at least one thing on your list that doesn’t really need to be done.
It might be something someone else expects of you, like baking cookies for a charity bake sale. (See above re: shoulds.)
It could also be something that would be nice to do but doesn’t really need to be done, such as dusting on top of the refrigerator before company comes into town, or posting on every possible social media stream as a business marketing strategy. Or, in my case, blogging every week. Some weeks I cross blogging off my list and allow myself to go a week without a new post.
Don’t add these unnecessary tasks back to your list- cross it off and be done with it!
03. Get specific
Are you doing the right things to reach your goals or creating more work for yourself? An easy way to vet your to-do list is ask who, what, when, how, where, why.
Why do you need to create a marketing flyer? What results are you trying to get? Who are your clients? How do they interact with your business? Where do your clients spend time online and offline?
Be as specific as possible to determine if you’re doing the right things. Don’t do something because it sounds like a good idea, or because it’s what someone else did. Do what makes sense for you and your goals.
04. Follow the 80/20 rule
Stop trying to do everything and do more of the right things.
The 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, suggests that 20% of your effort will yield 80% of your results. What is the 20% that will get you 80% of the way to your goal? Focus on your 20% first–these are your right things! Do more right things and worry less about everything else.
I see better results from speaking engagements than videos or blog posts, so I’m not going to invest the time to find, book, and prepare for speaking opportunities before I worry about videos or blogs.
05. Set a schedule and stick to it
Choose a schedule that works for you and don’t work outside your schedule.
Set your own schedule for household or personal tasks and don’t do household or personal tasks outside your schedule.
Your regular work schedule might be set by your employer, and don’t work outside your scheduled hours.
It will be difficult at first to stick to your schedule at first. If you can stick to your schedule the first few weeks you’ll soon discover renewed motivation and ability to get your tasks done in the allotted time! Plus, all that downtime will help you approach your to-do list rested and refreshed!
06. Try time blocking
Give yourself a specific amount of time to get something done and get it done. Put all other tasks aside during your blocked time. That means turning off your phone, closing open browser windows, and/or relocating to a physical space with few interruptions. For example, when working on my upcoming book, I take my computer to a different location, put in my headphones, and work distraction-free.
Time blocking allows you to fully focus on one thing at a time. Though I prefer to call it “time honoring” instead of time blocking. Whatever, just do it!
07. Take regular breaks
Your productivity and efficiency go up when you take breaks, especially when you take a break after a 20-40 minute block of productive activity. Use your 15-20 minute break time to go for a walk, get a drink of water, do some gentle stretches, or even play a game.
It may be counter-intuitive to take breaks when you have a lot to do, and taking breaks is how you’ll get a lot more done!
08. Work when you’re most productive
Focus your time during the time of day you are most productive- some people work best in morning, other people in the afternoon. Some people work best in the evening. My productivity zone is mid-to-late afternoon.
Find the time of day that you’re most “in the zone”, and use this time to tackle more complex tasks, leaving routine tasks for other times of the day.
09. Work hard, work less
Stop letting your to-do list rule your life. Do good work when you’re working, then give yourself a break! Stop trying to do it all, be it all.
You are enough. You do enough.
When you take the pressure off, it’s easier to be focused and effective when you’re checking off tasks on your to-do list, and without all that pressure you enjoy life more.
Getting control of your to-do list isn’t about doing more- it’s about doing less and changing how you approach your to-do list. Do the right things for the right reasons in the right way.
Now it’s time for me to make some changes to my to-do list and get back to being my usual productivity badass!