Do you ever look at your computer and see post it notes over every surface, notebook pages filled with unintelligible thoughts and tasks you don’t even know how to start? A lot of people have this problem and it makes our jobs and personal lives more difficult than it has to be and can lead to procrastination. Being organized and productive is an essential part of business, so there has to be a way to keep your to-do list in check.
In order to be your most productive at work and home you have to believe that you have achieved something. When you have never ending and unorganized task lists you can work all day and not feel like anything has been removed from the list.
Be realistic – If you start off the day with a list of 8-10 things and you’ve budgeted your time for them, great. But what happens when you get stuck longer than you had anticipated on number 3? With that delay you finish your day off at number 5 and feel like you haven’t accomplished anything at all. Turn it around and realize that you set the bar too high. Select a set amount of tasks a day that you will feel satisfied with completing (3 large and 2 small according to lifehacker.com) and end the day at that. This way you can feel accomplishment and still have time to yourself during the day.
Focus – During the time you’re working on your tasks focus entirely on them. Put in headphones if needed, sign off your messenger programs, shut down email. Focus your whole attention on the task at hand and watch it disappear.
Work and Personal Life – Make sure you give yourself time to focus on your personal life to prevent burnout.
So instead of focusing your attention on that massive to do list and stressing out about completing it or even not getting it done. Split it into manageable portions and give yourself well deserved breaks along the way. You’ll be surprised with what you accomplish during even a single week compared to before when you overwhelmed yourself.
Hilary Brooks
Hilary Brooks is President, CEO of A Virtual Edge, a full-service virtual assistant company, and Owner of freelance web design company Small Biz Web Whiz. Hilary and her team offer a wide variety of services to busy entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and bloggers, providing the office and creative support they need to succeed without all the hassles of hiring a traditional employee.
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“Select a set amount of tasks a day that you will feel satisfied with completing (3 large and 2 small according to lifehacker.com) and end the day at that. ” — So true. I find that this really works. Better to have a short list that you can accomplish than a long one and get stuck in the middle of it and feel frustrated. I find that the habit of writing to-do lists is also very helpful as it keeps you focused and determined. 🙂
Building a to do list can be a forever ending exercise as I find it grows once on thing it ticked off. When I have a project I then break down each task and work my way through this – one at a time. Otherwise I get overwhelmed. But what do you do when you have all the emails; other distractions. Focusing on the goal and the outcome I want seems to get me through this. I am one of those people that finds to do list overwhelming at the best of times. The goal is what keeps me to action
Thanks for your comments, Reeny & Zsa Zsa. Zsa Zsa, I manage my daily tasks a lot like you, were I concentrate on just a few big items a day. I found that if I set my sights too high, that I would be extremely disappointed in myself if I didn’t meet my goals for that day.
I also agree with you, Reeny, that to-do lists can be overwhelming! I feel it’s all about finding a system that works for you and sticking with it.