Do It: Continuing Adventures in Productivity

    As you may have observed, productivity has been on my mind lately. Last time I wrote about how to stay “On The Jazz,” or motivated, when you really don’t feel like it. This time I wanted to continue to riff on this topic, but focus on one dreaded, abused and often misused tool: 

THE TO-DO list. 

    If you’re like me, then you probably have a to-do list. And it sits there…

...Or on your smart phone screen.
...Or a scrap of notebook paper.
...On sticky notes.

    Days go by and the things on that to-do list don’t get done and I can’t help but ask myself,

“Why?”

    The answer is simple:
    We aren’t utilizing this amazing tool properly.

Let’s fix that, shall we?

Write it down

    At night, before your head hits the pillow, write down the things you’d like to accomplish the following day. Before you get too far, let me warn you….you really don’t want to bog down your Daily To-Do List with too many tasks. It can be overwhelming to look at your list for the day and see 50 things that need to be done.

    As someone who succumbs to this on a regular basis, allow me to suggest an alternative: 

    Try creating a Master List of all the things you would like to achieve, so that those ghouls, I mean goals can stop haunting you. Then split the Master list into categories such as Work, Home, Books I Want to Read…whatever makes sense to you. Then, each night as you’re creating your Daily To-Do List take a peek at your Master List and see if there’s anything that could be added.

    For the Master List, I suggest using a program that will allow you to easily track your long-term goals. Find one that works for you. Here are some suggestions I’ve come across in my travels…pick your poison:

Evernote
Remember The Milk

ToDoIst

Trello
Workflowy
Wunderlist

    For your Daily To-Do List, you can use a program, even the same program that you use for your Master List OR you can go the old fashioned route and use paper. I actually prefer pen & paper because there’s something that sparks the mind about physically writing down tasks. In recent days I’ve been trying out something called Bullet Journaling. While I initially dismissed the idea, it's been working pretty well so far. You can learn more about Bullet Journal by visiting Ryder Carroll's website. I highly recommend giving it a go:

   

     Regardless of how you choose to record your Daily To-Do List there is one vital rule you must follow:

It must always go in the same spot.

    Dedicate a notebook, a physical to-do list pad, an app for your Daily To-Do List and stick with it. You may have to play with this for awhile to see what works for you.

Get a head start

    Now that you have your to-do list written, it’s time to evaluate it. Prioritize items by urgency and logistical constraints.

    Look for anything that might try to sneak off of your list due to circumstances outside your control and plan around them. For example, if it’s the middle of summer and you need to mow the lawn, you’ll want to start mowing before it gets too hot outside, right? See how that works? Just allow yourself to mentally plan ahead.

     Bonus Sneaky Sneaky Trick: See if there is anything small you can accomplish TONIGHT no matter how small. It’s amazing how it feels to wake up in the morning and realize that some of your work for the day is already completed. I usually look for something that will either save me time (like running the dishwasher or a load of laundry while I’m sleeping) or simply the easiest thing on my list.

Get It Over With

    This is where we get to the nitty-gritty. Let’s time travel to the next day. You created your Daily To-Do List the night before and it’s in the same place it always is. You glance at the list and while you already did a small thing, you’ve got a whole list of tasks still needing to be accomplished.

Which task do you do first?

    This is a matter of opinion, and this is mine: The first task you should do is the one you can most easily talk yourself out of. I’m always most easily talked out of working out. So, generally speaking, I do that before my brain has time to focus on anything else. You may find a different way of looking at this, and that's okay. Remember, half the battle is won by learning what works best for you!

Time it

    You may think your to-do list is a benign little inanimate object, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The to-do list is a black hole of time stealing madness!

When we set out to work on our tasks we are striving for our own personal holy grail: the check mark.

    Sadly, there are some tasks that can’t realistically be completed in one day. The solution: set goals & time limits. Set a timer for 30 to 60 minutes and work on a specific task or related series of tasks until the alarm sounds. I like to do this with my cleaning…because seriously, I could clean for 6 hours straight and I’d still find more to clean. By putting time pressure on myself, I’m automatically more efficient. This is also helpful for reigning in tasks that you find more enjoyable than others. (But reading was on my list, really!)

    Bonus: You can also flip this concept around. Sometimes you just need a break: Set the timer and let yourself play video games or watch TV as much as you want…until the alarm sounds! Then get back to work. Boom!

Just Get Busy

    Sometimes the only thing to do is pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get busy. On days when I don’t feel like doing anything, I have to work extra hard to accomplish much. However, the wisdom of my great-grandmother, as passed on to me by my mom, rings in my ears: Just get busy. Do whatever you can. And at the end of the day if you’ve only accomplished one task on your list…guess what? That’s one check mark down.

Now tell me…what is your favorite way to manage your to-do list?