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How To Make Most Of Your To-Do List
photo courtesy of orangeacid
Begin What You Want To Do Now. We Have Only This Moment, Sparkling Like A Star In Our Hand – and Melting Like A Snowflake – Marie Beyon Ray
Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort – Paul J Meyer. Top 8 Productivity Hacks will help you become productive (as is obvious). It consists of some tips, tricks and ideas to make you more efficient.
Productivity Hack #3 – Manage Your To-Do List
Almost all of us maintain our to-do lists in one form or other. Listing down every task frees mind of worry. It allows mind to focus on now with the confidence that no task will be forgotten.
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To Do List Is Not A Wish List
To-do list enthusiasts often forget that a to-do list is to take down tasks which you have to do and not those which you wish to do. Turning a to-do list into a wish list makes list too huge and impractical to manage. The list becomes so overwhelming that it starts getting ignored. It is essential to classify items as tasks or wishes before entering them into to-do list.
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Separate To-Do List For Each Category
I find having a separate to-do list for different categories very efficient. I have lists for household, study/research, blogging, general etc. This makes it easy for me to simply pick up a list and start working on it. I don’t have to scan for items which I can do – since they are already categorized.
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Keep To-Do List Accessible
I keep each to-do list at a convenient place (based on it’s category) along with a pen for ease of use. One mega benefit of keeping lists at accessible places is that there is no reason to postpone adding items to the list for later. This ensures that I don’t forget adding any items to the list. This also helps to avoid creating multiple lists for a single category.
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Finish What You Start
A half finished item creates no impact on the to-do list. You obviously can’t half check it or half cancel it. To shorten your to-do list, finish what you start. One main reason to finish off what you start is that if you don’t come back to it later, the time and energy that you have put in so far has all gone waste. Nothing can be more unproductive than that!
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Block A Day For To-Do List
For those who have a huge to-do list which by it’s sheer size becomes a demotivator, block a day to finish off everything on your to-do list. There is nothing which moves me forward faster than having one dedicated day for canceling items on my list. Don’t forget to reward yourself every time you finish your to-do list.
How do you manage your to-do list? Do share in comments.
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A to-do list is only useful if you actually use it. I had a difficult time when transitioning to a to-do list. I created the list and then let it languish without any attention. It took a while for me to force myself to refer to the list often and to attack the items there. Excellent point on half-finished tasks. Those will destroy to-do list use in a heartbeat.
Ian´s last blog post..USB 3.0 Finalized at 4.8 Gbps
To do list is not a wish list. That’s interesting. I think I do mix the two on the same list! Could explain why my lists are never completed *chuckle*
I still have trouble managing my lists. I have scraps of partial lists all over the house. I have yet to find a system that works for me. You have some good suggestions here, so will have to put more thought to this.
Urban Panther´s last blog post..Check that phone at the door
Separate To-Do List For Each Category – I like this because it works. In fact I keep each separate category on a pad of it’s own. It’s the only way I can keep track of my various projects. I find that the loose slips of paper don’t cut it unless I transcribe to pad.
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Hi Avani: I find that when I leave an item on my to-do list half done it’s because I should have split up the task into smaller pieces. Some people prefer to look at few items on their list but which involve lots of steps; I like to make my tasks as small as possible, even if it means a long to do list.
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Keeping my household to do list accessible is important for my family. We actually have our family/household related to-dos hanging on the back of our front door (it’s not attractive, but we see several times a day).
Stacey / Create a Balance´s last blog post..My First Video Blog! Take Back Your Life Episode #1 – Assessing Your Actions
Just wanted to say, great post, Avani! I just printed it out and stuck it on my bulletin board.
Hi Avani. Oh, I’d be so lost without a to-do list. I keep a small piece of paper nearby where I write down an idea every time I think of another project that needs to get done. I cross them off when they’re complete and the next day I’ll rewrite the list and as always there is something new to add. I’ve considered keeping the list on my computer. But it’s not always convenient if the computer is not on when I get an idea.
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It is indeed very important to learn what exactly goes on the todo list. I have struggled with that more since having kids and working from home. The list is indispensable for me!
Maya´s last blog post..Are you a storyteller? What is your story?
Your “finish what you start” tip is excellent!! I find that when I don’t complete a task, I have this lingering thought at the back of my mind of a half finished item. It continues to bug me until I can get it done!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..My Vision Board Tops Amazon’s Bestseller List?
I swear by my lists at todoist.com. The most brilliantly simple to-do list site. Highly recommended.
ari
Ari Koinuma´s last blog post..Life’s Survival Guide for Sensitive Souls
When I feel really overwhelmed I make a Done List, instead of a To Do List. Each thing I do gets put on it and as I do more I feel better and better.
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Oh I would be lost without my to do lists. What helps me most is writing mines down before I go to bed. That way I know what I’m going to do the next day. It’s easier for me to get up and be motivated to start the day.
Often times we have the to do list backwards though. It’s so important to first know what’s important to you, to have a definite purpose for your life and goals (like you mentioned in your previous post) and then make a to do list that will help you better reach your goals.
Thanks Avani – That is my biggest weakness – turning my to do list in a wish list. And it sucks when you just never seem to get everything done. I will be taking your advice – keeping one day free to finish the list sounds like a great idea.