In the quest to get things done and accomplish more, many professionals turn to their To Do lists for guidance. I have found that many people have one big To Do list of which the content continues to roll over from day to day without ever getting done. Sound familiar? There is a good reason why this happens and it’s easy to remedy.
The reason this happens is you don’t consciously know what’s underneath the items on your list. The list is coming led with actions, good ideas, and projects. Some of which you should be doing because it’s your job or role and some of which you should not be doing at all. The challenge is you may not be conscious to what the sub actions are that need to be done to check off a particular item. The not knowing causes the anxiety and procrastination. People will do just about anything to avoid uncertainty.
The fix is to get the items on the right list. I’ll share with you four key lists you may want to consider creating to enable you to stay focused and work from just your one To Do list and thereby get more accomplished.
The only thing that should be on your To Do list are single action items you know you can actually do. Keep in mind you can’t do a project, although you can do actions that lead to the completion of a project. Consider having a To Do list that contains only true action items. Consider another separate list titled: Projects.
Pull out your current list. You know, the one that has been rolling over and over. Next to each of the items that are single action items, write an ‘A’ for action. Next to the items that take more than one action or step to complete, write a ‘P’ for project. Keep the ‘A’ items on your To Do list and transfer the ‘P’ items to the newly created Projects list. Then, for each item on the Project list, think through and identify what actions are needed to complete each project. Post those actions items to your To Do list. This will obviously increase your To Do list. It may seem like more work. Stick with me here.
Keep in mind, time exists so you don’t have to do everything all at once. This process will greatly reduce any overwhelm you may have been experiencing.
To really get your power back create two more lists. One titled: Another Good Idea and another one called: Not To Do. Now comb through your first two lists – Actions and Projects. Pull from each of those lists the items that seemed like a good idea at the time you entered them but may not be moving the genius meter anymore. Move those over to the Another Good Idea list. You can always go back to your AGI list and pull items back onto the To Do list when and if appropriate.
Hopefully, as you transfer items onto the AGI, your To Do list is reducing in volume. To continue bringing your To Do list down to a manageable inventory of items, identify those actions that really won’t make a difference in supporting your goals if they don’t get done. Park those items on the Not To Do list. Notice the tasks and activities that suck your time throughout your days and write those down on your NTD list too.
To take back your power and start getting more done, make it habit of taking the time to recalibrate your new lists weekly. Update your To Do list daily. Each evening as you end your day identify the 3-6 items from your To Do list that must get done the next day. Imagine having completed them successfully. The following day stay focused on getting them done. As you have those great ideas of new things to do park them on the AGI list and when their time is right move them to your Project or To Do list. Check yourself periodically during the day to make sure you have not drifted into doing anything on your NTD list.
Give this process a couple weeks and notice how much more you get done and how much more in control you feel.
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