To-do Lists & Organisation

Living spontaneously often won't get you very far - it's like living with no intention. Getting organised is often the first step to becoming productive.

To-do lists are a key tool in tracking and achieving progression daily/weekly/monthly. It is clear to see what is to be done and what has been accomplished. I aim to break down to-do lists as clearly as possible so you can implement them in your routine TODAY!

Why Use To-do Lists?

With so much going on in our daily lives, it is easy to become so overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be actioned. Often hanging so much over our heads like: work tasks, household chores & personal development goals; we don't even know where to start. We are then more than likely lead to procastinating, worsening the problem.

To-do lists aid in organising your time and prioritising important tasks to ensure they are completed in a timely manner - what boss wants a completed presentation 2 weeks after it was due?!

Time management is 🔑 because:

Time is your most valueable asset... if you know to save your money then when it comes to time you should lock it in a box and lock that box in a safe and bury the safe underground and build a house on top of the site and have knights guard the perimeter. Metaphorically of course.

Types of To-do Lists

There are different types of lists you can compile, varying from daily/pressing lists to more long term but important goals to even leisurely plans you'd like to "get around to" at some point. What's to say you can't have multiple lists? - I actually advice having numerous seperate to-do lists. Getting ideas down in these list halts them bugging your headspace as well as ensuring they are not forgotten.

Simultaneously, you could make to-do lists that are ordered in regards of importance - having the golden task(s) at the top, staring you in the face till you take on the challenge and box them off. Eisenhower's principle (below) aids in focusing in on your priorities.

You could even make chronological lists, which are lists put together in the order you intend on tackling them - you always know what's next on the agenda.

Now, if you really want to harvest your time, you could make a time accounted to do list. Alongside assembling the tasks in chronological order, you assign a time frame/period for the completion of the task. This way every hour of your day is accounted for. The yielded results from these kinds of lists are nearly iniquitous.

Resources

The app/method you use to construct your to-do lists determines whether you'll stick to it or not. It varies by individual and so finding what works for you is paramount.

For some (including myself) the apple notes app is enough. Others prefer jotting it down with a pen and notepad whilst some turn to fancy spreadsheets. Write it on your forehead if you must.

There are a myriad of to-do list apps. These include Todoist, Trello, Habitica, Google Tasks and many many more. These have the advantage over other resources of being very pliable and are saved on the cloud, thus can be retreived from anywhere in a matter of seconds. They also come with built in reminders that can help in sticking to time limits. They vary in complexity and flexibility however.

Try each kind.

To-dos

I'll write this part as a list, as I deem it fitting.

• Plan your day the night before, create your to do lists in this time - this will put you ahead and you'll hit the ground running in the morning.
• One thing - before you start your day, meditate over your list and decide your one thing, that is, the one thing that must be completed by the end of the day no matter what. Here's a podcast I really like by host Paula Pant and guest Geoff Woods describing this idea.
• As you go through your day, write down items as soon as you think of them - ensures you don't forget them and frees up your mind.
• Eat the frog 🐸 - may not be appropriate for everybody, but address the most important/difficult/boring/time consuming task as the first order of business. Reason being, this is when you have the most energy and willpower. Attempting it later in the day may not be as easy or successful.
• Contrary to the point above, it may be beneficial for some to start with the smaller/easier tasks to get the ball rolling, it usually snowballs from there. Small wins build momentum. It really is just about what works best for you, try both and keep what works.

To-don'ts

• Don't clog up the list with tiny things you'll automatically do, like go downstairs or  brush your teeth (unless...nvm lol 😄). Though they give you that dopamine hit of ticking off boxes, they aren't very progressive. You'll tire yourself out before you reach the more important/difficult tasks.
• Don't mix up goals, objectives & tasks. The distinction between them is crucial here. Goals are where you are headed long term and cannot usually be achieved in a single action (example to follow). Objectives are the stepping stones put in place to reaching said goal, they also are a bit too general to be actioned in one action. Tasks are the actions you take to reach objectives. Create a seperate, more long term list for goals and objective.

Example: Become fluent at French {Goal} <- Learn to describe and talk about any weather condition {Objective} <- Translate the four seasons today {Task}.

• Don't make an endless To-do list. Key the daily tasks realistic to prevent overwhelming your self. There's no use in feeling like you're running around trying to accomplish the impossible.

Meticulous planning and a premeditated outlook on life will often lead you to success and a feeling of fulfilment.

to-doles 👋