How do I love To Do Lists? Let me count the ways, or at least write a list of them!
Is there a better feeling than crossing off an item on a list? I’d be hard pressed to think of many, especially if a person is determined and focused.
Some things you need to do everyday, so why not write them down and cross them out as you do them? That way, you are already on your way to increased productivity as you get that adrenaline rush of having accomplished goals. This breeds the desire to do more, to achieve more, to cross off additional items!
Set yourself realistic goals, and list them in “bite size” chunks.
Often it is better to do the items that require the least time investment first, just to get them out of the way. Perhaps they are not the most important on your list, but one theory is that by clearing away the easiest tasks first, your mind is less cluttered or distracted when it is time to get to the real work at hand.
I have a To Do List every day at work that sits on the center of my desk.
I prepare it the afternoon before. In fact, embarrassingly enough, writing the next day’s To Do List is actually on my To Do List. It gets complicated.
On my To Do List, I have three columns. The first contains the “quick, easy” stuff that must be done every day. The second has items that need to be accomplished that day in particular, are time sensitive and are important. The third column is populated with more “project-oriented” goals that will take longer to accomplish. I always get through the first two columns before proceeding to column three.
Once I get to that third column, I try to divide up the project into parts. Upon giving it some thought, some can often be delegated. Often, those parts can migrate over into section two and get accomplished easier than something being daunted by the project as a whole.
If column three projects don’t seem to get accomplished, but things are going OK, maybe it isn’t that important after all. If it IS important and is NOT being accomplished, perhaps you need to either take it home where it is quieter and you have fewer interruptions, or you need to clear some time on your work calendar to JUST DO IT!
Either way, it is a fact that goals that are measured (i.e. written on a list to be crossed out) are more likely to be ACCOMPLISHED.
Come visit us at Curry and I will personally give you a free To Do list pad!
“You will achieve grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day / not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you, step by step, toward your rainbow. Write them down, if you must, but limit you list so that you won’t have to drag today’s undone matters into tomorrow. Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in twenty-four hours. Be patient. Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal / to do the best you can, enjoy this day, and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished.” Og Mandino
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I like doing my to do list on a little piece of paper so at the end of the day it’s easy to throw away.