Hack YOUR To-Do List
Lists are an extremely effective way of managing time and an easy way to accomplish your goals. The world we live barely stops for a single second, Which Makes our important to-do's almost impossible to remember.
I mean people can't even remember to take their kids, Or their dogs out of cars anymore... I'm not sure if that's an appropriate thing to joke about, though.
The workload and our constant daily demands on our jobs and personal life can cause our tasks that are missed to have consequences on our work life, And personal relationships.
Having a to-do list can help solve this issue most of the time. Which is surprising because it's such a simple thing, That has been used for many years to keep people on track.
Set Priorities:
You can make the list based on the bare minimum you want to accomplish that day, Or you can make longer ones. You can put the most important at the top and work your way down, Or mix it up. It's pretty much up to you.
What works for me personally is I write my list in my Moleskine planner. I have a blank side on the right, And A "day Of the week" Side to my left. I write the ABSOLUTE things I have to do on the days they are due. And I write a longer list on the blank sheet on the right. For things, I'd LOVE to accomplish during the week, Although they aren't 100% necessary, or due.
Some examples are:
On my left side, I'll have stuff like.
[] Clean Rabbit Cages
[] Write Steemit Posts
[] Update Book Royalty Spreadsheet
[] Laundry
On my Right side, I'll have stuff that doesn't HAVE to be done today. But can be done anytime during the week. Like..
[] Clean Room
[] Publish book
[] Assemble nature book
[] Draw coloring pages for Animal Book
[] Ship Mercari items
[] Ship Listia items
I ALWAYS have a check box so I can color it in, it's like my reward for accomplishing a task. It feels good, Kind of like a "like" on Facebook, In reality, it doesn't have real value.
Organizing Time:
This will help you achieve your goals, you can experiment to see how much you can get done in a day, Or you can use it to "block" out your time. You can even put time periods next to each task to get an idea of when you should work on what. I don't do this, Because I like flexibility. But For some people, it helps. It also can boost your self Esteem if you accomplish a lot in one day, More than expected! It can make a big difference.
Relieve Stress:
This carves a pathway to getting things done Right! It's too easy to "slip" when you don't have a list, Or something written down letting you know what does or doesn't need to be done. Seeing it all written out on paper, Often makes it look less intimidating so you are more likely to take the plunge and go through with it.
Having all the garbage plugged up in your head causes that stress and can ruin your day, And most the time you may not even attempt to do the things that were needed to be done as a result.
So just make the dang list!
Remembering:
Writing things down helps you remember. Not only do you get the benefit of it "crossing" the mind as you wrote it down, But you also get the advantage of it being there for your "review." There is like no way you can forget to do it now!
Motivation:
When you fill your first checkbox, You can't help but be excited! You did
it! Seeing those empty check boxes left over, Will encourage and motivate you to get the others crossed off, it's exciting, and you'll want to knock out the rest of them. So make sure some of them aren't too hard, That way you can cross off a good number of them.
This fast paced environment we live in, Makes it hard to remember things, Now you don't have to forget to feed your dog, Or pick up your kids from school. You can do it all! With a fancy thing called a To-do List!
I've been keeping them for about six years now! & I have trouble surviving without one. It keeps me on track during the day. When I sit there blankly staring at the computer screen, Trying to remember what I'm supposed to do today, I can look at my list, And get started on a new task, so I'm more productive. It also is relaxing and fulfilling to check stuff off.
Thank you Pexels for the great photos
I agree 100%. When you check the box that you have completed something, it is an accomplishment. Any accomplishment, big or small, is satisfying. In my case, I simply write lists and get the satisfaction of crossing off the whole line. - Simple pleasures.
Exactly!! Hehe It's amazing how something so simple and silly is so satisfying.
An alternative to improved efficiency is reduced complexity. I recommend the first objective for anyone trying to manage their time to be simplifying their lives as much as possible. I found that I have a lot more time for joy and fun, if I give myself permission not to be "productive" every waking moment.
So true!!! People need free times too.
Lovely article. I like to organise my to do list in order of priority. Might try the weekly and daily to do list ( may also need a month one). Thanks for sharing.
Try it ! I'm sure it will help :) thank you!
I've turned this into an art, to do lists, Wunderlist, Things, iPhone reminders, lists for lists.. maybe i just go back to pen and paper! ;D
Wunderlist OMG Did I forget to add that one!? I love that app. that chime is so satisfying when you "check" it off.
Hehehe You should try pen and paper I often use Wunderlist for my grocery lists and such, That way as I run out of things I can add them to my list and not forget.
Hahahaa .. thanks for mentioning You're Welcome!
No problem :) I hope some people will go your way.
I hope so when i start blogging ;D
I like to use a Pilot Frixion pen when I do my To-Do lists. These pens have erasers on the end the the ink is erasable. So you can erase an entry and move it to a different place on the list. I used to use Excel to do To-Do lists and I did try Wunderlist. There's just nothing more satisfying than marking a task done with paper and ink.
WOw! That is awesome! I need to look into those pens! I agree you gotta have that paper and ink.
They come in different colors too :)
Ohh AWESome! love when things come in different colors, Everything seems to plain at times hehe.
hackz
Of course :)
The queen of hacks
Heheh yes!!!
i love hacks and to do lists...brilliant!
Thank you hehe :)
Making a list is very practical @kaylinart, I tried to start such list few times in my life, but not for a long time, then ive forgot about them. My wife often writes lists for what she should do during the day or longer. Or she always writes a list when we go shoping, it allows not to buy too much or to by unnecessary thingss and thus saves the family budget and time spent in the store.
Agreed! Writing lists can also help you save money!