Do you get up in the morning with a million things to do, yet none of them gets done by the end of the day?
TIPS ‘N’ TRICKS
Do you get up in the morning with a million things to do, yet none of them gets done by the end of the day? Do you have a long to-do list, but are never able to tick off anything?
Well, welcome to the club. As per a survey released by LinkedIn, a whopping 89 percent of people aren’t able to finish their to-do lists on an average day!
But why? A good reason could be impractical to-do lists. A perfect day needs to be planned out, but the plan needs to be actionable and well-designed. A good to-do list not only helps us plan our day well, it also motivates us to get tasks done on time.
Here are five tips for an efficient and effective to-do list.
1. Rocks and gravel
When choosing tasks for your to-do list, mark three tasks as the big rocks, which would be high priority tasks, and mark the rest as “gravel” or less important tasks. This would help in making a realistic amount of progress every day. This is where the rubber meets the road on focus and prioritization. If you could only do three things today to get closer to your goals, what would you do? Make these the rocks on your to-do list.
The rocks need to be prioritized and kept separate from the gravel. Mixing the gravel and rocks would mean that you are likely to waste your time on low impact, easy to complete tasks. It may give you a sense of accomplishment, but you might have wasted time on what is easy and quick but not strategic.
We need to understand that there are only 24 hours in a day and no matter what we do there’s only a limited amount of time and energy that we can use to finish our tasks with full focus. Long to-do lists are never an answer to a productive day. They are overwhelming and depressing. It is important to figure out how much time we actually have for our tasks and then making a realistic plan accordingly.
2. Task dump
List down your gravels, but don’t create a mountain of it. You need to limit the smaller tasks, too, keeping in mind the time you would have on hands after getting done with the rocks. If you have a hard time limiting your to-do list or your mind keeps wandering off thinking about all the other things you need to do, I recommend a task dump.
A task dump is a portion I allocate in my weekly planner where I write down every task I can think of that needs to be done during the week or month. Every time I get an impulse to get a less important task done, I dump it in the task dump. It helps get pending issues out of my head and focus on the tasks at hand. It also helps keep a list of pending matters, so I can schedule them to another day when making a to-do list. But for the time being, these are the tasks over which I should not be stressing.
After all, if you aren’t taking action, worrying will just waste your energy.
3. Conquering Everest
You can’t conquer the Everest in a day and therefore that cannot be a task on your to-do list. It would just be too overwhelming to actually begin with, and you would definitely not accomplish anything during the day.
A good task on your to-do list has the following characteristics:
Listing tasks that are too big in nature is a mistake. It’s better to break down huge tasks into smaller ones, so you can realistically allocate your time. Every small step towards the bigger goal would not only give you a sense of accomplishment but also keep you motivated and driven.
The satisfaction of accomplishing a task activates the brain to yield Endorphins and Dopamine - these are neurotransmitters that our brain produces to nudge us into doing stuff - helping us stay focused, productive and enthused to achieve more.
4. Add the details
Be specific when writing down a task. For example: “Call Sarah between 2 pm and 3 pm today and discuss Passage 7 of Book 1” is more actionable than “Call Sarah”.
Now you have the time allotted to the activity and a goal specified for the action.
Having a time estimate and an action-specific goal for every task would not only help in getting things done on time, it would also keep you focused on the goal.
A specific time slot allotted to each task holds you accountable regarding how you spend your time. Specifying the resources and information needed helps you start the task in a well-planned manner with all the required essentials.
5. Divide to multiply
My personal to-do list for the day is divided into four parts:
Setting goals for all the four aspects help me maintain a balance in life. Something small as reading a book for personal development, or drinking enough water for selfcare, or working on a project for professional growth or getting home tasks done to put in my bit of participation. Each part has at least one task that would help me grow in that facet. Dividing the day well, would multiply your growth.
I do make sure that these actions are consistent. I allocate a specific time to each and mention actionable details.
It is the little steps towards the top that help us conquer mountains.
Now pick up a pen and a planner to make your perfect to-do list for tomorrow. One that motivates you to move towards your goals. Let’s start our days with a “can-do” attitude and optimism!
