Making lists is an easy, effective way to get organized, and one of the oldest is the simple to-do list. Here are a few things you can do to really get the most out of them.
Subdivide into Smaller Lists
Splitting your list into smaller lists can help you prioritize work. Date is a good way to approach it, but breaking into sections like Home, Work, Pleasure, etc. can be helpful too. A to-do list stops being helpful if it is too long or confusing to effectively remind you of your responsibilities.
Keep it Short
Maybe you need two lists; one can cover the most important things that must be done today, and other can cover the less important stuff. Maybe you can just be critical of what goes on the list. The important thing is not to let “pay electricity bill” get buried beneath “rent the first season of CSI.”
Use Check Boxes
This is one of my favorite and 95% psychological. True, check boxes are useful for quickly recognizing what’s done and what’s undone, but the emotional boost you get from checking off each thing is much more important. It’s a great feeling that will keep you working.
Account for Other People
Most likely, something on your to-do list involves someone else’s participation. If so, it’s important to remember that other people aren’t always reliable. Attack these early, and if that contact in LA takes four hours (or four days) to respond to you, you wont be sunk.
Go Digital
I am still fond of my paper to-do list, but there is a lot to be said for digital versions. They’re often easier to restructure (so that you can move that new assignment to the top priority), but the real gem is that many digital lists can be active about reminding you. Whether on your phone or your computer, a digital alarm tied to a to-do list can be a life saver when it comes to time or date sensitive tasks.
Keep it With You
A to-do list is no good if you can’t see it. If it’s only for work, maybe you can get away with keeping it on that dry-erase board over your desk. However, for most uses, a to-do list will only be helpful if you can carry it with you easily. Mine stays in a little Moleskine notebook that fits neatly in a pocket or book bag, so that it’s never far away when I get my next appointment or assignment.
Check it Often (But not too often)
A list is only as helpful as the number of times you check it. If you never see your list, it can’t help you. However, checking it too often can keep you distracted. If you’re really trying to get things done, the best way to go is to sit down with your list, pick the most important task to work on next, and then go back to your list only when you’re ready to check off the first task and see what’s coming next.
Schedule for Fun
We’re all really busy, but it’s important to kick back occasionally. So while you shouldn’t flood your to-do list with recreation, including a few things can help. Again, this is partly psychological. Every time you look at that long to-do list and groan, you’ll remember that at least some of what’s coming up is fun. Avoiding feeling discouraged is important to staying productive.
This is just a small sampling of ways you can improve your productivity with the simple to-do list. What other ways do you make them more useful?
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