Everyone raves about to-do lists, but they just don’t work for you.
Oh, you've tried using them. You might even have one going right now. But you rarely—if ever—manage to complete all of the tasks on your list.
There's something so demotivating about getting to the end of your day, and coming face-to-face with a long list of stuff that you didn't do. And I bet you've thought about giving up on using to-do lists altogether.
Well, don't give up just yet. There’s a reason so many people rave about to-do lists. They work. But a lot depends on how you make them, and how you use them.
Here are some tips that will help you create a to-do list that actually works.
To-Do List Tip #1: Limit the Number of Tasks on Your List
How many tasks are on your to-do list right now? Ten? Twenty? More?Unless all of the tasks on your list can be done in 10 minutes or less, there’s no way you’ll be able to get those 10 or 20 things done in a single day.
And that’s the “secret” of making a to-do list that works. You only want to include as many tasks as you can reasonably expect to get done in one day. If your to-do list has more than 5 tasks on it, it’s probably too big.
Start thinking of your to-do list as a “To-Do Today List.” That will help you keep it from getting out of control.
Limiting your to-do list to 3 to 5 tasks means there’s a real chance you’ll get everything on the list done before the day is over. Knowing that, you’ll feel more motivated to do the things on your list. And when it comes to getting things done, motivation is key.
To-Do List Tip #2: Limit the Size of the Tasks on Your List
Almost as bad as having too many tasks on your list is having tasks on your list that are too big.For example, “Clean out the kids’ closets.” This is the kind of task you see on many to-do lists. But can you really complete that task in a single day?
Actually, depending on how many kids you have, and the state of those closets, maybe you can. But you probably won’t get to the other 2 to 4 tasks on your list.
Instead of putting big projects on your to-do list, you want to break your projects down into smaller tasks that you can do in 15 minutes to an hour, and put one of those tasks on your list for the day. So don't put “clean out the kids’ closets” on your to-do list. Instead, write something like “go through the old shoes in one of the kids’ closets.” That's much more doable.
To-Do List Tip #3: Don’t Add to Your To-Do List
There are few things more demotivating than a to-do list that just keeps growing, and growing, and growing. For every task you complete, you add 2 or 3 more. And the longer the list gets, the less you feel like tackling any of the tasks on it.Or maybe you find yourself doing the small tasks, things that can be done in five or ten minutes. Sure, this helps to shrink your list. But, while your list is getting shorter, the bigger, more important tasks end up getting ignored.
Fortunately there’s an easy solution to the “never-ending to-do list” problem.
Don’t add anything to your to-do list.
Once you have made your to-do list for the day, consider it set in stone. Don’t add anything else to it. Just focus on getting the 3 to 5 tasks already on that list done.
The only exception is if something pops up that you absolutely, positively have to do that day...or else.
For example, say you’re company might lose a client if you don’t fix a report by the end of the workday. Then of course you should drop everything else and work on the report. But how often are the new things that pop up during the day really that urgent?
Honestly, not very often.
Still, you don’t want to forget those new tasks. So put those potential to-dos on a list of things you might do after you finish the tasks on today’s to-do list. And, if you don’t get to those new tasks today, you can put some of them on tomorrow’s to-do list.
To-Do lists really are one of the best tools you can use to manage your time and get things done. The trick is to create a list that's short, sweet, and only includes as much as you can actually get done in one day.
And when you cross off that last item on your to-do list, knowing that everything you set out to do today got done….Well, it’s a great feeling. So great that you’ll want to experience that feeling again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.
Do you use to-do lists? And, if so, do you have any tips on creating to-do lists that work? Leave a comment below and let us know.
