To Do List

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The “to-do” list – Here’s 10 tips to make it work for you   Making lists is one of the most effective time management tools you have at your disposal.  Why is it so hard to use this tool effectively?  Some people find themselves spending all their time making lists and not executing them.  Others find themselves writing lists on scraps of paper, misplacing them and finding them when it’s too late.  Do you make the common mistake of writing a list of tasks that you KNOW can’t humanly be accomplished in the time allotted?  A daily “to do” list will help you to organize your day, determine time lines, focus on your goals, delegate tasks and is your memory’s best friend.  Use these ten helpful tips to get the most out of this very good habit.   1.     Avoid great detail.  The task and the time required is all you need to note on the list. 2.     Keep it realistic by only listing what you can reasonably expect to accomplish on this day. 3.     Estimate the time required for each item on the list.  Remember that work has a way of expanding to fit the time allotted.  On the other hand, most people tend to underestimate the time needed. 4.     Execute in order of priority.  Not the easiest or fastest leading to the most difficult or time consuming. 5.     Check off the items as you complete them, it is a MOST SATISFYING FEELING!! 6.     Establish a routine for daily tasks, doing these at the same time each day. 7.     Transfer the tasks that you were unable to complete today to tomorrow’s list, cross them off today’s list.  Finish each day with the items on your list either completed or rescheduled. 8.     Take a few minutes at the end of each day to overview and tentatively plan tomorrow.  9.     DO NOT use napkins, post-it notes, scraps of paper, chocolate wrappers and the like to write and keep your lists.  A very good tool is the old-fashioned spiral notebook.  If you keep one with you at all times, you have a permanent record of your lists and all sorts of other valuable info that you accumulate every day.  It may be a gem of an idea you have on the way to an appointment or it may be a note from a telephone conversation you had a few days ago, all in one place and easy to refer back to. 10.                       Planning well ahead is a very good idea in almost every instance except this one.  Focus on today and tomorrow, tentatively schedule beyond that.  Too many variables can change your plans and you end up re-writing the list, wasting time.   BONUS TIP:  Check tomorrow’s list at the end of today, is there one task that you can blast off right now?  Something that will require 10 minutes or less?  It’s a great feeling to start the day ahead of the game!!   The list is a very powerful tool if used effectively.  To help you determine if you are using this tool to your best advantage, try answering the following questions: q       Where do I keep my list(s)? q       How many “to do” lists are on the go at any one time? q       How often do I refer to and check off the items on my “to do” list?   Do you have a burning organizing question that you would like help with? Please send your questions to Stacy via the contact form at www.gettinaroundtoit.ca or call 780-717-1745 anytime.     Stacy Walker Gettin’ Around To It Professional Organizing Edmonton, Alberta