There’s a wild lion crouching on your desk. It’s sneaky. It’s hungry. And it’ll eat up your productivity if you let it.
It’s your to-do list gone out of control.
Here’s how I turn that ravenous beast into a well-behaved, purring to-do list that actually helps me get things done – and how you can do the same.
1. Brainstorm.
I start by thinking of everything I could possibly work on today. Everything from daily chores to long-term projects to networking. I include big tasks, small tasks, and everything in between. I consult my calendar, my co-workers, and my inbox, if necessary.
The key is to be comprehensive. It doesn’t matter how many tasks go on this list, as long as they are all things you can work on today. The more complete your list is, the fewer surprises you’ll run into later. Don’t leave anything out … for now.
2. Put it in Writing.
I know I harp on writing things down a lot, but I strongly believe in the power of putting things down on paper (or computer screen, if you prefer). It’s something that has been helping me work more efficiently every single day.
Why? Because writing something down also creates a sense of commitment, and leaves me less room for bargaining or rationalizing later on. It keeps me honest – and I think it’ll help you too.
So try it – take that giant list of tasks and write it down.
3. Simplify.
If you’ve done everything right, you probably have a rather daunting to-do list in front of you. Take a step back and look at what you’re up against. Take a deep breath, because now it’s time to simplify.
This is probably the single most important step in the planning process, and it’s also the hardest. Your goal is to shorten that massive to-do list until you have more than enough to finish it all.
Here are 3 tricks that I use to simplify my list:
- Eliminate the minutiae. These are the trivial work tasks clogging up 80% of your to-do list. Eliminate them without mercy. Ask yourself: is it absolutely essential that I finish this task today? Is it absolutely essential that this task gets finished at all? If the answer is no (or even “maybe…”), cross it off your list.
- Break things down. If you’ve got a long-term or large-scale project on your to-do list (anything that you can’t finish in a few hours hard work), start by breaking it down into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks. Now go through that list of smaller tasks and simplify!
- Delegate. Great entrepreneurs know when to delegate. Be honest with yourself. If, even after applying the previous tips, there’s just too much work on your list for one person, it’s time to delegate. Something to think about: delegating doesn’t necessarily mean handing a task off to a co-worker or subordinate. Hiring a freelance professional to handle certain tasks is a very effective (and often more affordable) way to delegate – one that more and more businesses are beginning to appreciate.
4. Budget for Breaks.
You are not the Energizer Bunny. You cannot keep going and going and going without a break. No matter how much Red Bull you drink. Sooner or later, you’ll exhaust your reserves of energy. That’s when your productivity tanks, your judgment wavers, and you start feeling miserable.
When writing your to-do list, remember this: breaks are non-negotiable. No matter how busy you are or think you are, learning to take strategic work breaks will help you stay motivated, alert, and operating at your full potential.
Here’s a side benefit of budgeting for break time – it forces you to overestimate the time you’ll need to finish everything. It creates a kind of buffer, in case something unexpected comes up (as these things usually do). Instead of getting overwhelmed when new tasks come flooding in, you’ll have the time to calmly take them on.
5. Create Reminders.
I never used to create reminders for myself. I went through high school, college, and the early years of my career without taking notes, writing down important tasks, or using a day planner.
I simply relied on my memory to carry me through – and 99.9% of the time things went just fine. I thought it worked for me.
But the truth was – it didn’t.
Sure, I rarely forgot important things, and I was pretty good at staying on top of my responsibilities … but at an enormous cost in terms of energy and time. Even with a good memory, it took time and effort to think back and remember the 20 things I needed to do before the end of the day. I might remember something important and have it slip my mind five minutes later, then not remember it until an hour later. The end result: things got done, but they got done a lot slower.
The moral of the story is to create a system of reminders for your to-do list – even if you have complete faith in your ability to remember everything. Set an alarm on your cell phone. Stick some post-it notes on your computer screen. Write on that whiteboard you bought months ago. Reminders are cheap. Wasted time is expensive.
6. Re-evaluate.
To-do lists are rarely perfect. Even though I’ve gotten a lot better about creating workable to-do lists, I have to be honest and say it’s not a good habit just yet. What’s important to me, though, is that I make progress day by day.
Re-evaluation is the key to daily improvement. At the end of each work day, I go back and look at my to-do list. And ask myself a few pointed questions:
- Did I finish everything on my list? If not, why? Did I make a list that was too long? Did I allow myself to get distracted by trivial tasks or (god forbid) Twitter?
- How well did I stick to my written list? Was I able to resist the temptation of rationalization?
- Did I make the best possible use of my time? Did I keep focus when it was time to work and take strategic breaks when I needed to recharge? Did I choose to work on tasks best suited to my abilities?
- How well did I handle unexpected new tasks or obstacles? Did I budget enough time to accommodate the unexpected? Did I budget too much?
It’s Not Just the List
You’ll notice that many of these tips aren’t just about making a to-do list. They’re also about training yourself to think about work and productivity in a new way. It takes a conscious effort to keep the hungry lion from coming back – and that’s really what this whole process is all about.
How Do You Keep Your To-Do List Under Control?
Have any fantastic tips and tricks for your fellow lion tamers? What’s the hardest part about simplifying your to-do list … and how do you overcome it? Please share your insights with a comment below!
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adriannelacy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Another thing that really helps me is to arrange tasks by time. I don't mean when items are due but rather when I want to get them done, ie “I'm going to finish this, this, and that before going to lunch, and then I'm going to work on this project.”
That doesn't necessarily mean things due first are done first. I also take into consideration how best to knock out more tasks in less time.
The store and the post office are on the way back from the restaurant I'm craving for lunch? Then making my shopping list and getting all my mail together are at the top of my list. I need to do some research before responding to an email? Then I do that first before opening my inbox and writing the five emails I need to write.
But you're right; writing a to-do list is very important for busy, ambitious people. It's not a sign of weakness or poor memory but rather a sign of efficiency. If you have it there, you can't forget to do it.
Besides, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a post-it full of crossed off items. :) Excellent tips!
In my experience, the hardest part of a TODO-list, is to take responsibility for each item that you write on your TODO-list. If you can't do that, you are not going to do them at all, or just maybe do one of them.
It doesn't matter if you have the time or not, your mind will not be commited to actually perform the tasks.
This is one of the things that I'm currently working on
That's a good point, Johan. No matter how organized your to-do list is, you still need the dedication to turn each item on the list into action. It really comes down to having the right mindset.
Good advice! I do my to-do lists on standard paper, never on little scraps, so I can make columns. I make six cells. Work (urgent and non), Home (urgent and non) and Personal (again). That way, I don't have 256 things to do…. divided, they look more manageable and more logical because I'm more likely to do several things from the same cell in a row. It also sorts out which of them to do next: whatever is Urgent.
Thanks for your very detailed and insightful comment! I agree that the way you format your to-do list is very important and can definitely impact your productivity. Perhaps I should post a video with some ideas for to-do list organization. What do you think? Would that be helpful?
Thanks for your very detailed and insightful comment! I agree that the way you format your to-do list is very important and can definitely impact your productivity. Perhaps I should post a video with some ideas for to-do list organization. What do you think? Would that be helpful?
It's really interesting to me how this post and some of what you've written about multi-tasking intersect. For example, when you don't write down what you need to do, your brain tries to remember it all. But, as you say, it's “at an enormous cost in terms of energy and time.” Also anxiety-provoking in my experience.
Once you make a written To Do List, your brain can let go of remembering the items and focus on doing the items.
That's true. Putting things down on paper gives your overworked brain a little rest and relaxation, so to speak. It's just one less thing to worry about.