is an important part
of getting organized.
For those of you who have tried making a to-do list in the past with little or no success, I encourage you to try again.
List-Making helps you to realign with your motivation and clarity.”
Ideally, you want to move through your day productively. But completing projects sometimes feels like traveling through the desert, and it’s better to travel the hot, sandy desert by horse and wagon than it is to crawl on your hands and knees!
Everyone falls off the organizing-wagon sometimes, and here are some hints to get you back onto that wagon so you can arrive at your destination easily and more quickly — fresh, hydrated, and optimistic!
The 2 Best Reasons to Update Your Task List
Yes, the technique of keeping a current, written task list will help you to get more stuff done, but honestly, that’s not even the primary reason why I promote it. Here are two better reasons:
Reason #1 ~ The Process Itself Is Clarifying
List-Making helps you to realign with your motivation and clarity. It refocuses your energy!
Reason #2 ~ It’s Like Meditating
The process of crafting a to-do list helps you spill the contents of your noisy mind onto paper so that you can feel better and free up space to think about nicer things. It creates serenity.
It’s true that everyone has a different metabolism and everyone processes information differently, and you might be tempted to think that you’re not a list-making type of person — that you’re too in-the-moment, too creative… or too tired! But, really, all types of people benefit from lists, and the trick is to figure out which type you are.
Primarily, there are 3 types of people: those that scribble down their to-do lists at night, those that make their lists in the morning, and those that keep an on-going list on their computer in real time.
3 Types of Organizing People
Type #1 ~ Night People
The night-folks like to empty their brains before bed so that they can relax and sleep better. They sit down at the dining room table for a few minutes in the evening, and visualize their day tomorrow, writing down everything that comes to mind.
Type #2 ~ Morning People
The day-folks think more clearly in the a.m., and like to take a few moments in the morning to write down what they want to accomplish that same day, usually while they have their tea or coffee.
Type #3 ~ Tech-Savvy People
Tech-Savvy People are these gadgety folks that habitually keep an eye on their blackberrys, iPhones, Outlook Tasks, or Backpack virtual office.
The advantage to doing it the tech-savvy way is that you don’t have to keep re-writing unfinished tasks onto a new list (although, some people want to do it this way, as it encourages them to get things done on the first day).
I use Backpack, because I access it from anywhere, and because I like both my business partner and my assistant to have access to my list, too. (Additionally, I have the Backpack iPhone App, “Satchel” that helps me update my list in real-time from anywhere.)
Another advantage of going digital, is that you can slide tasks easily up or down your list depending on their priority that day (though an old-fashioned hardcopy list works too, because once you’re done writing your list, you can just scribble next to each individual task “A,” “B,” or “C” depending on its priority).
Now that you’re convinced of the significant benefits of keeping a current task list, and also you’ve figured out what type of organizing person you are, and you’ve crafted a list of things you’d like to accomplish. Now comes the daunting part, you must figure out how to jump into the list and get at that first task! Well, daunting as that may seem, actually, is pretty simple:
3 Ways to Decide Which Task to Do First
Way #1 ~ Start with Whichever Task Is the Most Revenue-Producing
This does not have to be a corporate office/spreadsheet kind of process. State-of-the-art homemakers, too, can prioritize their lists based on revenue!
For instance, if one item on your list reads “return shower curtain to Target,” well, that’s a revenue-producing task, because at the end of it you will have ten dollars more in your pocket! Or let’s say that you have a satellite-radio subscription at home, but you haven’t hooked it up yet. Well, you’re paying for it, but you’re not enjoying it, so if you either cancel the subscription or finish hooking up your speakers — either way you’re creating more value for your money, so that’s “revenue-producing.”
Way #2 ~ Do the Task that Has Been on your List the Longest.
Come on, you know that task I’m talking about: the one that’s been lingering on your list for ages and is now all covered in dust! Sometimes it feels energizing just to knock that sucker out and get it done… finally!
Way #3 ~ Do the Task that You Least Want to Do!
There’s always that one task that makes you go, “bleh.” It can be very empowering just to finish that task so that it no longer haunts you and drains your emotional energy. You’ll be left with an exhilarating sense of accomplishment!
Okay, so are you ready to give task lists another try?
Let me know how it goes, in the comments section below! Meanwhile, here’s a very short video about lists that I did at Partners Trust Real Estate Brokerage in Los Angeles:
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Having a list definitely helps with clarity. Without a to do list my plants would be dead.
Thanks, Dane! Getting it all down on paper always helps. And I also took your advice on how to prioritize tasks, which REALLY helped. Once I decided which tasks had to be done sooner, I was able to complete them one after the other, without wasting time on deciding which to do next, and without wasting time on tasks that weren’t urgent.
I still have a pretty full list, but I feel more in control of it, now.
I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like to have 150 items on my list. But I’d like to think that with your help I’d be just fine.
Thanks, again.
Prioritization can be a constant challenge for everyone these days — the more creative and interesting you are as a person, the more there is to potentially distract you!
The big, grounding question then becomes “out of all of this stuff on my plate today, which is most important to accomplish and will reap the biggest returns?”
{ twitter = @danenow }
I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed by my to-do list, lately! It has grown substantially in the past week, and it’s all personal — so work is getting in the way of my checking things off the list. I can’t stop thinking about it, either. It feels like this giant weight that won’t let me breathe until it’s all done. HELP!
@Liz The most important thing is to capture it all.
Once you think of a task you need to do, get it down on paper (or digitally), and once it’s captured, you don’t have to hold it in your brain anymore. It’s not uncommon for busy people to have up to 150 items on their task list. It’s okay. Let the list grow! When you’re ready to hit it, you’ll hit it. (My list hasn’t been to “zero” in years. And that’s fine by me.)
Thanks for this great post Dane!!! I am most productive when I base my actions on a prioritized list. Although I must admit that tasks that I perceive as difficult seem to languish and sometimes cause anxiety. It is true that there is tremendous satisfaction and sense of peace when everything is completed. I really appreciate your advice.
Good advice Dane. I really enjoy looking at a “to-do-list” with everything crossed out, and get an equal degree of pleasure from starting my next one!
Joel, you make an excellent point. Many of us are tempted to see our lists with dread and negativity, when in fact: using to-do lists can be a lot of fun and can provide us with a strong, regular sense of satisfaction and accomplishment!