Tuesday 15 October 2013

Secrets to a more effective 'To Do List'

Many avoid them, others swear by them



As much as to-do lists work for some, and not for others, theres an element about them that is unmistakably effectiveand that is, that once on paper your mind is free to focus on what matters now, and not on the million things you need to get done today, this week, this year!.

I can guarantee you that if you ask 5 people that you consider to be successful, how they start their day the likelihood of them writing a to-do list would be high up there!

Here are some To do List tips, with the aim of helping you not only write it all down but to learn to prioritize too: 

To Do List Tips:

l  Start your day with getting out a piece of paper/ opening a new word document.

l  Write a list of all that you need to accomplish today

l  Read through your list again and highlight all that HAS to be accomplished today (not tomorrow).

l  Put the highlighted items in order of importance (we are usually most vigilant and less distracted in the morning, so prioritizing time to get the important things done first will save you time later in the day for more menial tasks), leave the remainder of things to do (this week) at the bottom of the list.

l  Give each item a time limit and ensure they are measureable. (ie: Do minutes for AGM. = Type out minutes for AGM and send off to board members by 11am)

l  Give the remaining items a deadline. (Take the dog for its injections - by Wednesday).

l  Once your list is complete schedule in breaks. (Yes, it is legal to have scheduled breaks in your work day). Only you know when you are most likely to start procrastinating, so set time aside to do whatever it is you do, while procrastinating. Keep it to a maximum of 15minutes, as that way you can have numerous breaks throughout the day. Once that time is set into your day, youll find you are less likely to demand of time scheduled for other things.


Be realistic: ONLY you know how much you can really accomplish in one day!!

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