To-Do List Formula: A Stress-Free Guide To Creating To-Do Lists That Work!
Transcript of To-Do List Formula: A Stress-Free Guide To Creating To-Do Lists That Work!
TO-DOLISTFORMULA
ASTRESS-FREEGUIDETOCREATINGTO-DOLISTSTHATWORK!
CONTENTS
OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesYourFreeGiftForewordWhatAreYourTo-DoListsSupposedToAccomplish?TheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccessWhyYou'reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItemsReason#1:YouMisunderstandTheGoalOfTo-DoListsReason#2:YouNeglectToAssignDeadlinesReason#3:YourListsAreTooLongReason#4:YourListsHaveTooMuchVariabilityReason#5:YouGiveYourselfTooManyOptionsReason#6:YouNeglectToAddContextForEachTaskReason#7:YourTasksAreDefinedTooBroadlyReason#8:YourTasksAreNotAttachedToSpecificGoalsAssessingYourTo-DoListMastery:ASelf-AppraisalHowNegativeEmotionsImpairYourProductivity10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems#1-TheMassive,All-InclusiveList#2-The“Task+StartingDate+DueDate”List#3-TheTo-DoListTwosome:MasterTaskList+DailyTaskList#4-The"3+2"Strategy#5-The1-3-5Rule#6-TheProject-BasedSystem#7-The3-MITApproach#8-TheKanbanMethod#9-TheMatrixSystem#10-GettingThingsDone(GTD)GettingThingsDone:IsItEffective?HowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoListStep1:IsolateCurrentTasksFromFutureTasksStep2:DefineTasksByDesiredOutcomesStep3:BreakProjectsDownToIndividualTasksStep4:AssignADeadlineToEachTaskStep5:LimitTheNumberOfCurrentTasksToSevenStep6:OrganizeTasksByProject,Type,OrLocationStep7:PruneYourListOfUnnecessaryTasks
Step8:EstimateTheAmountOfTimeEachTaskWillTakeToCompleteStep9:LeadEachTaskWithAnActiveVerbStep10:NoteWhichTasksRequireInputFromOthersHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystemTip#1:KeepA“TinyTask”BatchListTip#2:RemainVigilantAgainstFeelingOverwhelmedTip#3:DefineYourTo-DoListsByContextTip#4:ConductWeeklyReviewsTip#5:UpdateYourListOfGoalsTip#6:AvoidGettingBoggedDownInMethodologyTip#7:BuildAndFollowASystemThatWorksForYOUTip#8:BeConsistentWhatToDoIfYouFallOffTheWagonOfflinevs.Online:WhereShouldYouCreateYourTo-DoLists?TheCaseForPenAndPaperTheCaseForKeepingYourTo-DoListsOnlineHowToIncorporateYourCalendarIntoYourTo-DoListsWhatIsA“DoneList”(AndShouldYouKeepOne)?HowToCreateA"DoneList"FinalThoughtsOnCreatingEffectiveTo-DoListsMayIAskYouASmallFavor?OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesAbouttheAuthorCopyright
OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesThe30-DayProductivityPlan:BreakThe30BadHabitsThatAreSabotagingYourTimeManagement-OneDayAtATime!
Thisactionguidewillhelpyoutoidentifyandbreakthebadhabitsthatarepreventingyoufromachievingyourgoals.Organizedinto30easy-to-readdailychapters,it'sfilledwithhundredsofactionabletips.
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DigitalDetox:UnplugToReclaimYourLife
Stresslevelsarerising.Relationshipsaresuffering.Ourphonesandotherdevicesarelargelytoblame.DigitalDetoxprovidesastep-by-stepblueprintforpeoplewhowanttotakeabreakfromtechnologyandenjoylifeunplugged.
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TheTimeChunkingMethod:A10-StepActionPlanForIncreasingYourProductivity
TheTimeChunkingMethodisoneofthemostpopulartimemanagementstrategiesinusetoday.Ifyoustrugglewithgettingthingsdone,youneedthisactionguide.Productivityexpertsaroundtheworldattesttothemethod'seffectiveness!
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To-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!
Mostpeopleuseto-doliststhathampertheirproductivityandleavethemwithunfinishedtasks.Thisactionguidehighlightsthereasonsandshowsyouhowtocreateeffectiveto-doliststhatguaranteeyougetyourimportantworkdone!
Foracompletelist,pleasevisit
http://artofproductivity.com/my-books/
YourFreeGift
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Ihavesomethingforyou.Itwon’tcostyouadime.It’sa40-pagePDFguidetitledCatapultYourProductivity!TheTop10HabitsYouMustDevelopToGetMoreThingsDone.I’dlikeyoutohaveafreecopywithmycompliments.
Youcangrabyourcopybyclickingonthefollowinglinkandjoiningmymailinglist:
http://artofproductivity.com/free-gift/
BeforewejumpintoTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,I’dliketoexpressmythanks.Irealizetherearemanybooksonthissubjectthatyoucouldotherwisespendyourtimereading.You’retakingachanceonme.Iappreciateit.GivingyouafreePDFcopyofmyguideCatapultYourProductivityismywayofshowingthatappreciation.
Onthatnote,let’sdigin.You’regoingtolovewhat’scomingyourwayinthefollowingpages.
Foreword
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Theto-dolistisoneofthesimplesttaskmanagementsystemsinusetoday.Yetitcontinuestofrustratemillionsofpeople.Youmaybeoneofthem.
First,it’snotyourfault.Fewpeoplereceiveformaltrainingonhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.It’srarelytaughtinschool.Andbythetimemostofusentertheworkplace,we’veadoptedapoor,ineffectiveapproachtogettingthingsdone.
Second,withoutsolidtraining,you’relikelyusingataskmanagementmethodthat’ssabotagingyourabilitytocompletetasks.Icallthisthe“productivityparadox,”whichwe’lldiscussindetailinafewmoments.
Theresultsarecatastrophic.Withoutaproperstrategytomanagetasks,ourdaysspiraloutofcontrol.Our
stresslevelsskyrocketashigh-priorityitemslingerpasttheirdeadlines.Meanwhile,aconstantstreamofnewtaskscomesinanddemandsourattention.Webegintofeeloverwhelmedasourto-dolistsgrowpastthepointwherewecanreasonablyexpecttogeteverythingdone.
That’slifeformillionsofpeople.It’sthereasonIwrotethisactionguide,To-DoListFormula:AStress-Guide
ToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!I’mgoingtoshowyouhowtomanagetasksandcreateto-doliststhathelpyoutogetyourimportantworkdone.Thissingleskillwillcausemuchofthestressyou’refeelingtoevaporate.
To-DoListFormulaisashortbookdesignedtohelpyoutakeactionasquicklyaspossible.That’simportant.You’rereadingitbecauseyoufeelswamped,buriedunderamountainoftasks,projects,andresponsibilities.ThesystemI’mgoingtooutlineforyouwillshowyouhowtoregaincontrolofyourworkdayandstayaheadofthecurve.
Thisactionguideisn’tmeanttobeskimmedandshelved.It’smeanttobe
readandapplied.Thegoodnewsisthatthematerialhasbeenwrittenandorganizedinawaythatmakesiteasytoreadthroughitquickly.Youcanalsochoosetoreadonlythesectionsyoufeelareimportanttoyou.
Applicationofthematerialisuptoyou.Thetitleofthisbook,To-DoListFormula,shouldn’tbetakentoimplythata
single,perfecttaskmanagementapproachwillworkforeveryone.Onthecontrary,thegoalistoidentifytheapproachthatbestcomplementsyourpersonalworkprocess.
Tothatend,I’lldescribeseveralto-dolistsystemsinusetoday.Eachonehasusefulfeaturesaswellasnoteworthyflaws.Afterwediscussthesesystems,I’llshowyouhowtocreateeffectivelists.I’lltakeyouthroughtheprocess,stepbystep.
Towardtheendofthisactionguidewe’lltalkabouthowtokeepthemachinewell-oiledsoitcontinuestoworkflawlesslyforyoudayafterday.Iencourageyoutoadoptthetacticsthatworkforyouandabandontherest.
AsI’vehighlightedinmyotherbooks,you’rethecaptainofyourship.I’llprovidethemapandmakeactionablerecommendations.Youplotthecourse.
Onelastnote…don’tbeintimidatedbythisbook’stableofcontents.I’veorganizedthismaterialsoyoucaneasilyfindthesectionsthatwilldeliverthegreatestimpactinyourlife.Youdon’thavetoreadthemallifyoudon’twantto.Readtheonesthatinterestyounowandsavetheothersforlater.
Havingsaidthat,ifyou’refeelingcompletelyoverwhelmed,Irecommendyoureadthisactionguidefrombeginningtoend.You’lllearnwhyyourcurrentapproachtotaskmanagementisfailing.You’llalsodiscoverthechangesyouneedtomaketomeetyourdeadlines,loweryourstress,andfindmorejoyinyourdailyexperience.
BythetimeyoufinishreadingTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,you’llknowhowtocreatetaskliststhatdomorethanjustdisplayactionitems.They’llactuallyhelpyoutogetthingsdone.Moretothepoint,they’llhelpyoutogettheimportantthingsdone.Thatcouldmeanthedifferencebetweenstrugglingwithchronicstressandself-guiltandenjoyingarelaxed,pressure-freeworkweek.
You’reabouttolearnasystemthatwillrevolutionizehowyouapproachyourwork,bothattheofficeandathome.
Readytogetstarted?Ifso,let’sjumpin.
WhatAreYourTo-DoListsSupposedToAccomplish?
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Here’swhatasolidto-doliststrategywilldoforyou:First,itwillgiveyoucontroloveryourworkday.You’llknowwhatyouneed
toworkonandwhatcanbeputonthebackburner.Agoodtaskmanagementsystemwillmakeyourworkdaylesschaotic.
Second,you’llbeabletomeetyourdeadlines.Asolidto-dolistwillrevealtheday’stopprioritiesbasedontheirimportanceandurgency.Itwillshowyouinstantlywhereyoushoulddevoteyourtimeandattention.
Third,yourto-dolistwillensureyou’reworkingontherighttasksattherighttime.Accordingly,you’llgeturgentitemsdoneandbeabletofocusonless-urgentitemsastimepermits.Ratherthanfeelingoverwhelmed,you’llfeellikeyou’reaheadofthecurve.
Fourth,you’llavoidwastingvaluabletimeputtingoutfires.Remember,yourtasklistwillshowyouwhatyouneedtoworkonbasedoneachitem’surgency.You’lllearntorelyonittomanageyourtime.Aproperlistwillpreventyoufromreactingtoeventsthatseemlikecrises.Instead,you’llassesseachsituationbasedonyourcurrentworkload,andmakerationaldecisionsregardingwhereyoushouldspendyourlimitedtime.
It’sworthnotingthatfew“crises”aretrueemergencies.Theyonlyseemsowhenwereacttothememotionally.Youprobablyknowthisfromexperience.Yourtasklistremovestheemotionsoyoucanmakegooddecisionsthatmaximizeyourproductivity.
Speakingofproductivity,aproperto-dolistwillhelpyoutogetmoredoneinlesstime.Importantly,you’llgettherightthingsdone.Remember,being
productiveisn’taboutcompletingalonglistoftasks.It’snotaboutstayingbusy.It’saboutfocusingonhigh-valueactivitiesthathelpyoutoaccomplishyourgoals.
Sixth,yourtasklistwillgreatlyreduceyourstress.You’llbeabletomeetyourdeadlines,andthuswon’texperiencetheconstant,unpleasant,creativity-killingpressurethataccompaniescompletingtaskslate.You’llavoidbeingdistractedbysupposedcrises,whichwillmakeyoufeelmoreincontrolofyourworkday.You’llconcentrateonhigh-valuetasks,whichensuresyou’llspendyourtimeinthemostefficientmannerpossible.
Seventh,aproperlydesignedto-dolistwillimproveyourfocus.Whenitcomestogettingthingsdone,focusiswherethebattleiswon.Asnotedabove,yourlistwillshowyouwheretospendyourtime.You’llknowwhichtaskscarryahigherprioritythanothers,andthusdeserveyourimmediatetimeandattention.Focusiswhatallowsyoutogetimportantworkdoneratherthanwastetimeonminorortrivialactivities.
Lastly,agoodtasklistwilleliminatethefrustrationandguiltyoufeelwhenyoufallbehindonprojects.Itwillhelpyoutoworkmoresmartlyandwithgreaterpurpose.You’llfocusonitemsthatmoveyouclosertoyourgoals,givingyouarealsenseofaccomplishmentattheendofeachday.
Inthenextsection,we’lltalkabouthowyourcurrentto-dolistsarepreventingyoufromgettingthingsdone.IcallthistheProductivityParadox.
TheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccess
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Takealookatthefollowingnumbers,courtesyofproductivityappdeveloperiDoneThis.
41%ofto-doitemsarenevercompleted.50%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinaday.18%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinanhour.10%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinaminute.
Whatdothesenumberstellus?First,theyrevealthatmanyto-dolistsareineffective.Specifically,thetaskmanagementsystemsbehindthelistsareineffective.Afterall,morethan40%oftasksareneverfinished.Theimplicationisthattheitemsarecarriedovertothefollowingday,postponedindefinitely,ordroppedaltogether.Thesearenotthesignsofaneffectivetaskmanagementsystem.
Second,manyto-dolistitemsarecompletedquickly,somewithinminutes.Thissuggestsmanypeople’slistsfailtospecifytheamountoftimeindividualtaskswilltaketocomplete.Italsodemonstratesthatpeopletendtopicktasksthatappeareasytodo.Theproblemwiththisapproachisthatitfailstoaddresstaskpriority.Alargenumberofto-doitemsmaygetcrossedoffthelist,butthere’snoindicationthey’retherightitems-theimportantstuff.Thisgivesthe
individualafalsesenseofaccomplishment.Third,itindicatesthatmanyto-dolistsaretoolong.They’reoverloadedwith
tasks.Thiscausesusstresssinceweknowwe’llneverbeabletoaddresseveryitemonourlists.We’llbeforcedtocarrythemforwardorabandonthem.
Datasuggestsmostofuswon’tevengetclosetocompletingeveryitemonourto-dolists.AccordingtoiDoneThis,41%ofourto-doitemswillroutinelyremainunfinished.Thisproblemismoreprevalentthanmostpeopleimagine.AccordingtoasurveybyLinkedIn,nearly90%ofprofessionalsadmittonotgettingthroughtheirtasklistsonaregularbasis.
Fourth,thedataabovesuggestthatmanypeopleapproachtaskmanagementwithouthavingacleargraspoftheirschedulesandavailability.Again,considerthat41%oftasksgounfinished.Thisisadisturbinglyhighnumberifwe’remeasuringourproductivitybytaskcompletion.
TheabovedescribestheProductivityParadox.Wecreateto-doliststohelpusorganizetasks,manageourtime,andgetthingsdone.Butbecausewerelyonill-conceivedtaskmanagementsystems,weinadvertentlycreateliststhatsabotageourefforts.
Indoingso,weforfeitourproductivity.Weendupgettinglessdoneinsteadofmore.
Inthenextsection,we’regoingtotakeacloselookatyourcurrentto-dolistsystem.Unlessyou’vereceivedformaltaskmanagementtraining,there’safairchanceyourlistsarehamperingyoursuccess.
PartI
WhyYou'reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItems
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Ideally,youshouldbeabletocrossoffeveryitemthatappearsonyourto-dolistsattheendofeachday.Ifyou’rehavingdifficultydoingthat,carefullyreadthissection.
I’mgoingtocovertheeightmostcommonreasonspeoplefailtogetthroughtheirlists.Anyoneofthemcanwreckyourproductivityandpreventyoufromgettingthingsdoneontime.
Reason#1:YouMisunderstandTheGoalOfTo-DoLists
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Whydoyoucreateto-dolists?Whatdoyouhopetoaccomplishwiththem?Mostpeopleanswer“togetthingsdone.”Butthat’snotthepurposeofa
properlydesignedto-dolist.Themainpurposeofyourto-dolististohelpyouorganizeyourtasksand
projects,andhighlighttheimportantstuff.Itallowsyoutogeteverythingoutofyourhead,wherethingsarelikelytofallthroughthecracks.Bywritingthemdown,you’llcollecttheminoneplaceandgainabird’s-eyeviewofyourbiggestpriorities.
Alistofitemsdisplayedinfrontofyouismucheasiertomanagethanthesamelistswimmingaroundinyourhead.Youcanmoreeasilyorganizetasksaccordingtowhentheyneedtobecompletedandplanyourdayaccordingly.Thisalonewillhelpyoutofocusonyourmostimportantwork.
Mostpeoplemisunderstandthefunctionofato-dolist.Theybelieveit’satoolthatshouldhelpthemtocompleteeverytasktheythinkdeservestheirattention.Onthecontrary,asolidto-dolistwillfocusyourattentionontherightworkandpreventyoufromgettingsidelinedbyless-criticalitems.
Yourtasklistisn’tatoolforgettingeverythingdone.Rather,it’satoolthatwillensureyougettherightthingsdone.
It’simportanttounderstandthedifference.Ifyoumisinterpretthepurposeofyourto-dolists,you’llendupcreatingandusingthemineffectively.That,inturn,willguaranteethatyourlistshamperyourproductivityratherthanincreaseit.
Laterinthisactionguide,I’llshowyoupreciselyhowtocreateliststhat
workstoyourbenefit.You’llwanttomodifymysystemtoaccommodateyourworkflowandpersonalpreferences,ofcourse.Butyou’llfindthebasicprinciplesthatunderpinasolidto-dolistsystemareuniversallyapplicable.
Reason#2:YouNeglectToAssignDeadlines
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Ato-dolistwithoutdeadlinesisawishlist.Nothingmore.Withoutdeadlines,weleantowardinaction.
Deadlinesdomorethanjustimposeasenseofurgency.Theyhelpustoprioritizetasksandprojectsbasedontheamountoftimewehavetocompletethem.Additionally,whentheyloom,theyspurustotakeaction.
Considerthis:howquicklywouldyoupayyourcreditcardbilliftherewasnoduedateforthepayment?Howquicklywouldyoupayyourcarregistration?Ifyou’relikemostpeople,you’dpostponebothtasksindefinitely.
Thissameoutcomeoccurswhenpeoplecreateto-dolistsandneglecttoassignadeadlinetoeachtask.Withoutdeadlines,there’slittleimpetustoact.Withoutanimpetus,nothinggetsdone.Thisisthereasonsomanyto-dolistsspiraloutofcontrol,growinglongerandlongerbythedayastasksgounfinished.
Thisisamajorproblembecausemostpeoplestrugglewithprocrastination.Eventhoseofuswhohavemanagedtocurbthehabitmustbeever-vigilantlestitrearsitsheadandregainsafootholdinourlives.
Deadlinesaretheenemyofprocrastination.Theymotivateustotakeactionandfinishtasks.Theyalsohelpustogaugetheeffectivenessofourtimemanagementefforts.Ifwe’reconsistentlygettingimportantthingsdoneontime,wemustbedoingsomethingright.
Deadlinesalsohelpustodecidewheretospendourlimitedtimeandattention.Thisisimportant.Therewillalwaysbemoretaskstofinishthanthetimeneededtofinishthem.Deadlineshelpustochoosebetweencompeting
tasksbasedonthegoalswehopetoaccomplish.RecallParkinson’sLaw:“Workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforits
completion.”Ifyouchoosenottoassigndeadlinestoyourto-doitems,don’tbesurprisedwhenthoseitemslingeronyourlist.
Reason#3:YourListsAreTooLong
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YouknowwhatI’mreferringto.I’mtalkingaboutdailytaskliststhatseemtoneverend.Theygoonandon,containingdozensofitems.
Suchlistsarecounterproductiveinanumberofways.First,they’redistracting.Theypresenttoomanyoptions,eachofwhichpullsyourattentionawayfromyourmostimportantwork.
Second,they’reunrealistic.Liststhataretoolongeventuallyreachapointatwhichtheybecomeunmanageable.You’reunabletogettoeveryitembecausetherearesimplytoomanyofthem.
Third,they’rediscouraging.Youfinisheachdayrealizingthatyoufailedtocompletetheday’slistoftasks.Thisoutcome,experiencedoverandover,canbedevastatingtoyourmotivation.
Fourth,theyencourageprocrastination.Byfailingtocompleteyourto-doitemsdayafterday,youtrainyourmindtoacceptthatoutcome.Withtime,you’lllosethedrive,orimpetus,tocompletetasksinatimelymanner.
Youhavealimitedamountoftimetogetthingsdoneduringthecourseofagivenday.Itfollowsthatyoushouldlimitthescopeofyourto-dolisttoaccommodatethisconstraint.Ifyouonlyhavefourhoursatyourdisposal,makesuretheitemsonyourto-dolistcanbecompletedwithinthattimeframe.Otherwise,you’llsetyourselfupforfailure.
Manypeopledoabraindumpofeverytasktheyneedorwanttogetdone.Theyrecordeverythingonasinglelist.Theproblemis,theyneglecttocategorizethesetasksandputthemonseparatelistsaccordingtocontext,priority,andurgency.Theitemsremainonasinglemassiveregister,whichisthenreferredtoeachdayasarollingreminderofwhatneedtogetdone.
Thisisaterribleapproachtotaskmanagement.Itresultsinalonglistthatgrowslongerasnewtasksareaddedeachday.
Reason#4:YourListsHaveTooMuchVariability
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To-doliststhatserveasbraindumprepositoriesinvariablycollecttasksthatvarytoobroadlyinscope.Itemsthatwilltakethreeminutestocompletearelistednexttoitemsthatwilltakethreeweeks.High-prioritytasksarelistednexttolow-prioritytasksthatcanbeputonthebackburnerindefinitely.You’llalsofinditemsassociatedwithawideswathofunrelatedprojects.
Inotherwords,there’snoconnectionbetweenthevarioustasks.Thereareseriousconsequencestothisapproach.First,facedwithalonglist
ofoptions,you’relikelytoeitherbecomeparalyzedwithinactionorspurredtoengageinalow-valueactivity,suchascheckingFacebook.ThisiswhatpsychologistBarrySchwartzcalledthe“ParadoxofChoice.”Themoreoptionswehave,thelesscapablewearetodecidebetweenthemandthemoreanxietyweexperienceasaresult.
Asecondconsequenceofhavingtoomuchvariabilityinyourtasklistsisthatyoutakelongertogetthingsdone.Whetheryou’reparalyzedwithindecisionoroffcheckingFacebookasawaytoavoidchoosingbetweenyourmanyoptions,youultimatelywastevaluabletime.Thathurtsyourproductivity.
Third,toomuchvariabilityinyourto-dolistsincreasesyourstresslevels.You’remoredistracted,whichmeansyou’llworklessefficiently.You’reunabletochoosewhichtaskyoushouldworkon,whichdestroysyourabilitytomanageyourtime.Consequently,you’releftwithlesstimetocompleteimportantprojects,whichforcesyoutoworkhardertogetthingsdoneondeadline.Withlesstimeavailable,you’remorelikelytomissdeadlines,whichcantriggerfeelingsofguilt,shame,andfrustration.
Thesecircumstancescancauseyourstresslevelstoskyrocket.That,inturn,willmakeitmoredifficulttoproducehigh-qualityworkyoucanbeproudof,anddosoontime.
Thegoodnewsisthatyoucaneasilyavoidtheaboveproblemsonceyouknowhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.I’mgoingtoshowyouthestepslaterinthisactionguide.
Reason#5:YouGiveYourselfTooManyOptions
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Thisissueiscloselyrelatedtohavingtoomuchvariabilityinyourtasklists.Butitdeservesitsownmentionduetoitseffectonhowthebrainmakesdecisions.
Wewakeupinthemorningwithalimitedstoreofcognitiveresources.Thisstoreisquicklyusedupthroughoutthedayaswemakedecisions.Alldecisions,simpleandcomplex,takeatoll.
Thisisthereasonit’seasytochoosebetweenmultipleoptionsinthemorning-forexample,shouldyouhavewaffles,eggs,orcerealforbreakfast?Youhaveafullstoreofcognitiveresourcesatyourdisposal.Attheendoftheday,however,eventhesimplestofchoicescanseemdifficult.Shouldyougotothegym,watchtelevision,orhaveameaningfulconversationwithyourspouse?You’retiredandhavefewercognitiveresourcesatyourdisposal.Asaresult,yourabilitytomakerationaldecisionsisimpaired.
Thisiscalleddecisionfatigue.It’sastateinwhichyou’relessabletomakegooddecisionsbecauseyou’rementallyexhaustedfrommakingdecisionsthroughouttheday.Inotherwords,yourcognitiveresourceshavebeenexhausted.You’rerunningonfumes.
Thisphenomenonisimportanttounderstandbecauseithasadisastrouseffectonourabilitytodecidehowtoallocateourtimebetweencompetingoptions.Webecomelessrational,lessfocused,andlessabletocontrolourimpulses.Consequently,we’remoreinclinedtochooseactivitiesthatofferimmediategratificationoverthosethatarearguablybetterforus,butrequiremoreeffort.
Forexample,attheendoftheday,sufferingfromdecisionfatigue,we’remorelikelytowatchtelevisionthangotothegym.We’remorelikelytogrababagofpotatochipsthanprepareasaladorcookasteak.We’reinclinedtochoosetheeasypath.
To-doliststhatpresenttoomanyoptionsexacerbatethisproblem.Theyforceyoutomakeunnecessarydecisionsconcerningwhichtaskstoworkon.Asmentionedabove,eachdecisionerodesyourstoreofcognitiveresourcesandincreasesyourdecisionfatigue.
Thiseventuallyleadstoapredicamentknownas“decisionavoidance.”Confrontedwithtoomanyoptions,youavoidpickingfromamongthembecausedoingsorequirestoomuchmentaleffort.Instead,youspendvaluabletimecheckingemail,visitingFacebook,andreadingnewsheadlines,allinanattempttosidesteptheactofdecidingwhattoworkon.
Theresultispredictable.Yourproductivityplummetsandyourto-doitems,includingtheimportantones,gounfinished.
Reason#6:YouNeglectToAddContextForEachTask
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Oneofthegreatestfailingsinmostto-dolistsisalackofcontextforindividualtasks.Itemsarewrittendownwithoutanyindicationaboutthetimeneededtocompletethem,theirpriority,andtherolestheyplayinachievingspecificgoals.
Withoutsuchcontext,it’sdifficulttoknowwhichtasksdeserveyourimmediateattention.Infact,it’sdifficulttoevenknowifyou’reabletoworkonaparticulartaskgivenyourcircumstances.
Ifyoudon’tknowhowlongsomethingwilltaketofinish,howimportantitis,andhowitcontributestoyourgoals,howcanyouknowwhetheryoushouldworkonit?Ifyoudon’tknowwhetheryouneedaccesstocertainresourcestoworkonthetask,howcanyouknowwhetherworkingonitisevenpossibleataparticularpointintime?
Theansweris,youcan’tknow.Thisisthereasonto-doliststhatoffernotask-levelcontextareineffective.
Infact,theydomoreharmthangood.Ratherthanpromptingyoutoworkonyourmostimportanttasks,theycauseyoutowastetimeonitemspoorly-suitedforyourcurrentcircumstances.
Forexample,supposeyourto-dolistincludesthetask“callmyaccountant.”Itprovidesnoinformationabouttheitem’spriority.Doyouneedtocallyouraccountanttodayorcanitwaituntilnextweek?Noristhereanyinformationconcerninghowlongthecallislikelytolast.Willittakeafewminutesorwillyoubeonthephoneforanhour?Alsolackingaredetailsregardingthepurposeofthecall.Doyouneedtoaskyouraccountantaquestionaboutapotential
write-off?Ordoyouwanttoexploretheprosandconsofstartingashellcorporation?
Thepointis,it’sdifficulttoknowwhetheryoushouldtackleato-doitemwithoutknowingitscontextualdetails.
Whenyoucreatealistoftaskswithoutcontext,youendupwithoptionsthataredifficulttochoosefrom.Theresult?Yourlist,whichissupposedtobearecordofthingsyouneedtogetdone,becomesagrowingrecordofthingsleftunaddressedandunfinished.
Reason#7:YourTasksAreDefinedTooBroadly
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Theproblemwithbroadly-definedtasksisthatthey’retoolargeinscope.Manylackaclearstartingpointandendingpoint.Asaresult,there’snowaytoproperlymeasuresuccess.
Forexample,supposeoneoftheitemsonyourto-dolististo“buildawebsite.”Thistaskistoobroadlydefined.Buildingawebsiteinvolvesseveralsteps,manyofwhichcannotbeexecuteduntilothersarecompleted.Youwouldneedtoreserveadomainname,findawebhost,createahostingaccount,pointyournameserverstothehost’sservers,installWordpress,installatheme,installWordpressplugins,andmuchmore.
Inotherwords,thisbroadlydefinedto-doitemisactuallyafull-blownprojectmadeupofnumeroustasks.
Ifthisitemwereonmyto-dolist,Iwouldn’tknowhowtogetstartedsinceIneglectedtolisttheindividualtasks.Iwouldbeinclinedtoprocrastinate.Thatbeingthecase,itwouldremainonmyto-dolistunaddressed,causingmeanxietythatincreaseseachdayasIfailtomakeprogressonit.
Incontrast,anarrowly-definedtaskimpliesclearstartingandendingpoints.Forexample,you’dknowwhenthetask“reserveadomainname”hasbeencompleted.You’dknowwhenthetask“findawebhost”hasbeencompleted.Theseto-doitemscarryasingularobjective,andit’seasytoknowwhetherthatobjectivehasbeenmet.
Projectsmasqueradeastaskswhentheyhaven’tbeenbrokendowntotheirconstituentparts.Becausetheindividualto-doitemsareleftunspecified,it’sdifficulttoknowwhentheprojectshavebeencompleted.
Thisisacommonfailinginto-dolists.Forexample,consideranauthorwhointendstowriteanewnovel.Theto-do
item“startwritingnovel”istoovague.Therearetoomanytasksinvolvedthatareleftunspecified.“WritethefirstdraftofChapter1”wouldbemoreeffective.Itsspecificityencouragesactionandmakesiteasytoknowwhentheitemhasbeencompleted.
Consideracollegestudentwhoneedstoprepareforanexam.Theto-doitem“studyforexam”isimprecise.“Completepracticeproblemsonpages171-175”wouldbemoreeffectiveasitgivesthestudentaspecifictasktoaddress.
Consideracorporatemanagerwhowantstoimprovehisdepartment’sworkflow.Theto-doitem“increasedepartmentproductivity”isambiguous.“Schedulemeetingwithteamleaderstodiscussnewworkflowplan”wouldbemoreeffectivesinceitpresentsasingleobjective.It’seasytoknowwhenthatobjectivehasbeenmet.
Thepointis,definingtaskstoobroadlyisdetrimentaltotheircompletion.Theirvaguenessensurestheylinger.Ifyou’rehavingtroublecompletingto-doitems,checkwhethertheycanbebrokendowntosmallertasks.
Reason#8:YourTasksAreNotAttachedToSpecificGoals
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Everythingyoudohasapurpose.Forexample,youchangetheoilinyourcartokeeptheengineingoodshape.Youfileyourincometaxesontimetoavoidpenaltiesandfines.Youmakeareservationatyourfavoriterestauranttoavoidhavingtowait45minutesforatable.
Ourgoalsspurustotakeaction.We’relessinclinedtoprocrastinatewhenwe’reabletopredictthepositiveresultofcompletingaspecifictask.Allothervariablesbeingequal,themorecertainweareoftheoutcome,thegreaterthelikelihoodwe’llact.
Strangely,manypeopleforgetthisprinciplewhencreatingtheirto-dolists.Theywritedown(orrecordonline)everytaskthatcomestomind.Buttheyfailtoassociatethesetaskswithspecificgoals.Consequently,theyendupspendingtheirlimitedtimeworkingonto-doitemsthatmatterlittletotheminthelongrun.
Forexample,supposeyoumaintainablogandrecord“writeanewblogpost”ontomorrow’sto-dolist.It’sataskyouassumeyouneedtodo.Butdoyouknowthespecificreasonyouneedtodoit?Areyoutryingtoachieveaparticulargoalwiththenewblogpost?
PerhapsyouhopethenewpostwillreceiveexposureonFacebookandTwitter,resultinginaninfluxoftraffictoyourwebsite.MaybeyouwanttogiveGoogleanotherreasontodisplayyourblogonitsfirstpageoflistingsforpopularsearchqueries.Orperhapsyouhopeyourblogpostwillgaintheattentionofinfluencersinyourindustry.Thatcansetthestageformakingvaluableconnectionsandpropelyoutothepositionofathoughtleader.
Thepointisthatyoumustattachaspecificgoaltoeachtaskonyourto-dolist.Knowthereasoneachitemneedstobecompleted.Ifyouneglectthisstep,you’llbelessmotivatedtogettheitemdone.
Youmayrelatetothisfromexperience.Ifso,don’tdespair.Ipromisedtoshowyouhowtocreateto-doliststhatspuryoutotakeaction,helpyoutoworkmoreefficiently,andincreaseyourproductivity.I’llmakegoodonthatpromiseinupcomingsections.
Beforewegetthere,though,let’sdoaquickself-appraisalofyourto-dolistproficiency.
AssessingYourTo-DoListMastery:ASelf-Appraisal
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BeforeIshowyouhowtocreatetaskliststhatwork,it’sworthevaluatingtheeffectivenessofyourcurrentlists.It’snotenoughtoknowthatyounevercompletethem.Youshouldhaveagoodideaconcerningthereasons.
Tothatend,thefollowingquestionnairewillhelpyoutoassessyourto-dolistproficiency.Itwillrevealyourstrengthsalongwiththefacetsoftaskmanagementthatmayneedattention.
It’squickandeasy.Simplyanswereachofthefollowingeightquestions,givingyourselfascorebetweenoneandfive.Ascoreofonesignifiesthatyouneedhelpandascoreoffivesignifiesthatyou’reproficient.(You’llnotethateachoftheeightquestionsbelowcorrespondstotheeightreasonswejustcoveredconcerningwhyyou’renotgettingthroughyourdailylistofto-doitems.)
Tallyyourpointsafteryouanswerthequestionsandfindouthowskilledyoutrulyareatcreatingeffectiveto-dolists!
1.Doyouunderstandtheprimaryroleto-dolistsserveinataskmanagementsystem?
2.Doyouassigndeadlines-aspecificdateratherthan“bytheendofthemonth”-toeachto-doitem?
3.Doyoulimitthenumberofitemsonyourto-doliststo10?(Ifso,giveyourselfthreepoints.)Doyoulimitthenumbertoseven?(Ifso,giveyourselffivepoints.)
4.Doyoucreateyourto-dolistswithminimalvariability?Focusonthetimeneededtocompleteeachtaskaswellaseachtask’spriority.Forexample,doyouhave3-minutetaskslistedwithtasksthatwilltake3hours?DoyouhaveA-prioritytaskslistedwithC-prioritytasks?
5.Doyourto-dolistslimityouroptionsconcerningwhatyoushouldspendyourtimeon?
6.Doyouincludecontextforeachto-doitemsoyou’llknowwhetherit’sahigh-valueorlow-valuetask,andthetimecommitmentinvolved?
7.Doyoudefineyourtasksnarrowlyandwithspecificitysoyoucanquicklyidentifywhenthey’vebeencompleted?
8.Doyouassociateeachtaskwithaspecificgoal?
It’stimetotallyyourpoints.Remember,giveyourselfascoreofonetofiveforeachquestionbasedonhowwellyouhandletheissueposedbyit.Onceyou’vetalliedyourpoints,you’llknowyourlevelofproficiency.
Ifyouscoredbetween32and40points,consideryourselfato-dolistninja.You’readept,abonafidemasterattaskmanagement.Youregularlygetthroughyourdailylistsandadvanceyourmostimportantworkalongtheway.It’sstillagoodideatoreadthisactionguideasaformofrecurrenttraining.
Ifyouscoredbetween19and31,you’redoingreasonablywell,butcouldstandtoimproveselectareasofyourtaskmanagementstrategy.Youmightbe
feelingoverwhelmedbyyourresponsibilitiesatworkandathome.Youmayalsobeexperiencingpersistentstressasyourlistoftasksgrowsbytheday.Learninghowtocreateeffectiveto-dolistscandeliverdramaticresultsinyourproductivityandtimemanagementefforts.
Ifyouscored18orfewerpoints,youneedtorethinkyourapproachtohowyoucreateyourto-dolists.You’restressedandfeelthateachdayspiralsoutofyourcontrol.Yourarely,ifever,getthroughyourto-dolists,whichcausesyoutofeelfrustrated,guilty,andevenincompetent.Don’tbeatyourselfup.Thegoodnewsisthatyou’reintherightplace.Bythetimeyoufinishreadingthisactionguide,you’llknowhowtocreatetaskliststhathelpyoutogettheimportantstuffdone.
Inthenextsection,we’regoingtoexplorehowyouremotionscanhamperyourproductivity,evenifyou’reworkingwithaneffectiveto-dolist.
HowNegativeEmotionsImpairYourProductivity
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It’simportanttorecognizetheimpactouremotionshaveonourproductivity.Whenwe’reunhappy,stressed,orfearful,ourproductivitysuffers.Wefeeldisengagedfromourwork,regardlessofitsroleinachievingourgoals.We’realsolesscreativeandhavemoredifficultymakingdecisions.Moreover,welosefocusandbecomemoreeasilydistracted.
Consequently,wegetlessdone.Allofusgothroughperiodsduringwhichweexperiencenegativeemotions.
It’shumannature.It’simportanttorealizethatsuchperiodsaretemporary.Weeventuallyregainapositiveoutlookthatallowsustosnapoutofourfunkandgetthingsdone.
Unfortunately,manypeopleexperienceprolongedboutsofnegativity.Theyallowtheiranxieties,frustrations,andinsecuritiestakeholdoftheirthoughts,whichhasapredictablydreadfulimpactontheirproductivity.
Studiesshowthatchronicstressandfearcanliterallychangehowthebrainfunctions.Ourabilitytoprocessthoughtsandmakerationaldecisionssuffersasstresshormones,suchascortisol,accumulate.Neuroscientistshavediscoveredthat,overtime,thisstatecandamagethebrain,hamperingourdecision-makingability.
Considerthatinthecontextofworkingfromproperlycreatedto-dolists.Evenifyourlistsareshort,includedeadlines,providecontext,presentminimalvariability,andtasksareassociatedwithspecificgoals,yourresultsmaybelessthanstellar.Negativeemotionslikefear,anger,andguiltcanmakeitnearlyimpossibletoconcentrateandgetthingsdone.
Soifyou’rehavingtroublestayingproductiveduringtheworkday,takestockofyouremotionalstate.Areyoustrugglingwithfeelingsthataresiphoningyourmotivation?Areyoudealingwithemotionsthatarehavingatoxiceffectonyourwillpower?Ispersistentnegativityerodingyourfocusandcausingyoutobemoreeasilydistracted?
Ifso,pinpointthereasonsyou’reexperiencingthesefeelings.Forexample,doyoufeelguiltyanddepressedbecauseyou’vemissedimportantdeadlinesatyourjob?Doyoufeelstressedandangrybecauseyou’rebeingoverwhelmedbytoomanyconflictingresponsibilitiesathome?
Onceyou’veidentifiedwhateveristriggeringyournegativity,youcantakestepstochangeyourcircumstancesandrelievethepressure.
Thismayseemunrelatedtoyourto-dolists.Onthecontrary,youremotionalstateplaysasignificantroleinhowsuccessfullyyouworkfromyourlists.Remember,yourto-dolististheretohelpyouorganizetasksaccordingtotheirimportanceandpriority,andidentifywheretobestspendyourlimitedtime.Youwon’tbeabletodothateffectivelyifyou’restrugglingwithpersistentnegativity.
Withthistopicoutoftheway,let’sturnourattentiontothemostpopularto-doliststrategiesusedtoday.
PartII
10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems
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There’smorethanonewaytocreateaneffectiveto-dolist.Thissectionwilldescribethetop10strategiesusedtoday.Youmayalreadybefamiliarwithsomeofthem.Othersmaybenewtoyou.
Thepurposeofthissectionisn’ttohighlightthebestsystem.Rather,it’stogiveyouabird’s-eyeviewofseveralsystemssoyoucanidentifyspecificfeaturesthatresonatewithyou.
Thissectionwillcomeinhandywhenwedesignato-dolistsystemthatsupportsyourworkflowprocess.You’llbeabletointegrateyourfavoritefeaturesfromothersystemstobuildonethat’sperfectly-suitedtoyou.
#1-TheMassive,All-InclusiveList
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There’snothingelegantaboutthisstrategy.Itisessentiallyabraindump.Youwritedowneverytaskyoucanthinkofontoasinglelist.
Youcanalreadyseetheproblemsinherentinthisapproach.First,yourlistwillgrowtoolong.Ifyou’redumpingnewtasksontoiteachday,there’slittlechanceyou’llevergetthroughit.
Second,you’llhavetoomanyoptions.Thiswillimpairyourdecision-makingability.Presentedwithalonglistofchoices,you’remorelikelytobecomeparalyzedwithindecisionthanyouaretotakeaction.
Third,yourlistwillhavetoomuchvariability.Three-minutetaskswillbelistednexttothree-hourtasks.Low-prioritytaskswillbelistednexttohigh-prioritytasks.You’llendupspendingtimeonitemsthatdon’twarrantyourimmediateattention.
Thereareotherproblemswiththe“massive,all-inclusive”listapproachtotaskmanagement.Butatthispoint,yougettheidea.Thisstrategyleavesalottobedesired.
It’sworthpointingoutthatdoingabraindumpisanimportantsteptowardcreatinganeffectiveto-dolist.Butit’safirststep.Afteryou’vewrittendownallofthetasksyoucanthinkof,youneedtoorganizethemaccordingtotheirimportance,priority,context,andotherelements.
We’lldiscussthisfacetofto-dolistmanagementinmoredetaillater.Fornow,it’senoughtoknowthatdoingabraindumpandworkingfromasingle,comprehensivelistisaterribleidea.Youmightfeelproductiveasyoucompletetasksandcrossthemoffyourlist.Butinreality,you’llbeinclinedtochooseeasy,low-prioritytasksthatrequireminimaltimetocompleteandleavethehigh-valueitemsunaddressed.
Thisapproachispopular.Butitspopularityisn’tduetoitseffectiveness.Far
fromit.It’sduetothelackoftrainingmostpeoplereceiveregardinghowtoproperlydesignasolidtaskmanagementsystem.
Iwantedtoaddressthisstrategyfirstinordertounderscoreitsflaws.Theothernineto-dolistsystemsalsohaveflaws.Butthey’relessdetrimentaltoyourlong-termsuccess.
#2-The“Task+StartingDate+DueDate”List
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Theappealofthisformatisitssimplicity.Italsointroducesoneofthemostimportantelementsofapropertaskmanagementsystem:deadlines.
Aswediscussedearlier,mostto-dolistslackconcretedeadlines.Anindividualmayhaveavaguesenseregardingthelatestdatebywhichaparticulartaskmustbecompleted,butheorsheneglectstoassignaformalduedatetoit.
Thisisagravemistake.Deadlinesareimportantbecausetheypromptustotakeaction.Theyalsohelpustoallocateourlimitedtimeamongcompetingprojectsandtasks.Assumingourdeadlinesarerealisticandtakeintoaccountthecomparativeprioritiesofourto-doitems,theyincreaseourproductivity.Wenotonlygetmorethingsdone,butwegetmoreoftherightthingsdone.
Thisapproachtocreatingto-dolistsalsointroducesasecondcrucialfeature:startingdates.Ratherthanleavingyouwithalonglistoftasksandtheirrespectiveduedates,italsoprovidesthedatesonwhichyoushouldbeginworkingonthetasks.
Thisfeatureismoreusefulthanitmightseem.Itdeliverstwoimportantbenefits.First,itallowsyoutofocusonasmallernumberofto-doitems.Youcandevoteyourattentiontotasksthatareinprogressorneedtobestartedthatday.Youcanignorethosethathavestartingdatesinthefuture.
Second,you’llbelesslikelytoworkontasksatthelastpossibleminute.Thetasks’startingdateswillpromptyoutoworkonthemearlyenoughtomeettheirrespectivedeadlines.
Incontrast,considerhowmostpeopleworkthroughtheirto-dolists.Theyselectitemswithoutknowingwhichonescanwaitandwhichneedimmediate
attention.Withoutstartingdatesanddeadlinestoinformtheirdecisions,theyaddressto-doitemsinahaphazardlyfashion.
Thiscanobliterateyourproductivity.You’realmostguaranteedtoendupworkingonthewrongtasksatthewrongtime.
Thisto-dolistsystemisimperfectinmanyways.Infact,ithasmajorflaws.Butit’sbetterthanthemassive,all-inclusivelistdescribedintheprevioussection.
#3-TheTo-DoListTwosome:MasterTaskList+DailyTaskList
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Thisapproachistheone-twopunchofto-dolistcreation.Itinvolveskeepingtwodistinctlists:yourmasterlistandyourdailylist.Aswiththetwoprevioussystemsweprofiled,itleavesalottobedesired.However,thefactthatitmakesadistinctionbetweenyour“braindump”listandyourdailylistmakesitworthyofmention.
Here’sasummaryofhowthissystemworks:Yourmasterlistisarollingrepositoryofeverytaskyouthinkof.It’swhere
yourecordeveryitem,regardlessofitspriority,deadline,thetimerequiredtocompleteit,andtheprojectwithwhichit’sassociated.
Doyouintendtocallaroofingcontractortogetanestimateonanewroofforyourhome?Writeitdownonyourmasterlist.Needtohaveyourtruck’stransmissionreplaced?Thisiswhereyourecordthetask.Doyouplantoresearchthehotbiotechstockyourinvestmentadvisormentionedtoyou?Writeitdown.
You’llnevergetthroughyourmasterlist.Infact,itwillprobablygrowwithtime.That’sfine,accordingtofolkswhousethissystem.Thepurposeofthislististocapturethemyriadtasksswimmingaroundinyourhead,savingyoutheeffortofhavingtorememberthem.
Whataboutthedailylist?Asitsnameimplies,thisisthelistyouworkfromthroughouttheday.It’stheoneyoukeepnearyoursideandreviewperiodicallytogaugeyourprogress.Itsscopeislimitedtothetasksyouintendtocompletebytheendoftheday.
Here’showthetwolistsworktogether:
Eachevening,youwouldreviewyourmasterlist.You’dlookfortasksdueinthenearfutureorthosethatneedtobeaddressedinordertomoveothertasksforward.Onceyouidentifytheseto-doitems,you’dchooseseveralandtransferthemtothefollowingday’sdailylist,assumingyourscheduleallowsadequatetimetoaddressthem.
Alternatively,youmightreviewyourmasterlisteveryfewdaysratherthannightly.Thiswouldentailplanningyourdailyto-dolistsafewdaysinadvance.
Thisapproachtotaskmanagementcanbeeffective.Thekeyisthateachtaskisassignedadeadline,alongwithnotesdetailingitspriority,context,andthetimerequiredtocompleteit.
Unfortunately,fewpeopleusingthisto-dolistsystemgotothoselengths.Theycutcornersandendupdealingwiththesameproblemsseenwithothersystems:liststhatgrowtothepointofbecomingoverwhelming;to-doitemsthatmustbecarriedforwarddayafterday;andvaluabletimewastedonlow-prioritytasks.
#4-The"3+2"Strategy
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Thisto-dolistsystemfollowsasimpleformula:threebigtasksandtwosmalltasks.
Eachday,youselectthefiveitemsyou’llworkon.(Orbetteryet,selectthemthenightbefore.)Thebigitemsshouldtakebetweenoneandtwohourstocomplete.Thesmallitemsshouldtake30minutesorless.
You’veprobablyalreadynoticedoneofthemainstrengthsofthe“3+2”strategy.Itlimitsthenumberoftasksonyourdailyto-dolist.Therearefive.Nomore.Noless.
Anotherstrengthisthatitdefinesthescopeofeachtaskwithrespecttothetimeallottedtocompleteit.Thebigonescanbefinishedinundertwohourswhilethesmallonesshouldtakelessthan30minutes.(Tasksthattakelongerthantwohourstocompletecanusuallybebrokendownintosmallertasks.)
Thisfeatureofthe“3+2”strategymakesitcompatiblewithpopulartimemanagementstrategieslikethePomodoroTechniqueandtimeboxing.
Forexample,schedulefourpomodoros-eachcomposedofa25-minuteworksegmentand5-minutebreak-tocompleteoneofyourbigtasks.Allocatetimeboxesthatgiveyouthetimeyouneedtocompleteyoursmallertasks.
The“3+2”strategyimprovesyourfocusbylimitingthescopeofyourtasklist.Withonlyfiveitemstoworkon,you’relesssusceptibletodistractions.You’llalsolesslikelytosufferparalysisbyanalysis,astateinwhichyou’reunabletomakedecisionsbecauseyou’reoveranalyzingasituation.
Thisapproachalsominimizestaskswitching.Becauseyourto-dolistwillcarryfewertaskstofocuson,you’llbelessinclinedtoswitchbackandforthbetweenthem.Instead,you’llfocusononetaskuntilyou’vecompleteditoryou’reunabletotakeitfurther.Thisreducesswitchingcosts,thelossinproductivitythatresultsfromjumpingbetweenunrelatedtasks.
The“3+2”strategyisn’twithoutinherentflaws.Forexample,nomentionismadeofassigningcontexttoeachto-doitem.Itmayseemasifcontextisn’timportantgiventhatyourto-dolistcarriessofewoptions.Butcontextisstillusefultoensureyourmostimportantworkgetsdoneasearlyaspossible.
Also,nomentionismaderegardingtheoriginofeachday’sfivetasks.Fromwheredotheyspring?Howaretheyidentified?Aretheyselectedfromamastertasklistordoyoubrainstormthematthebeginningofeachday?
Thesequestionshavenoconcreteanswers.Anotherdownsideofthissystemisitslackofflexibility.It’srigid.Itdoesn’t
adapt.Forexample,supposethattomorrowisaperfectdaytocompletealonglist
ofsmalltasks.Eachitemwillonlytakeafewminutestoaddress.Youneedtopaybills,mailyourNetflixDVDs,scheduleadentistappointment,emailafriend,cleanthetoiletinyourmasterbathroom,etc.The“3+2”strategydoesn’tallowforthistypeofday.Youcanonlypicktwosmalltaskstoworkon.
Personally,ifIweretousethe“3+2”strategy,here’showIwoulddoit:I’dmaintainamasterlistofeveryto-doitemthatcomestomind.I’dmakecertaineachitemwasspecificinscopeandattachedtoagoal.I’dassigndeadlinesandaddcontextualdetails.Eachevening,I’dpickmythreelargetasksandtwosmalltasksforthefollowingday.
It’snowherenearperfect.Butthat’showI’dapproachit.
#5-The1-3-5Rule
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The“1-3-5rule”isanextrapolationofthe“3+2strategy”describedintheprevioussection.Here,youchooseonebigtask,threemedium-sizedtasks,andfivesmalltaskstocompleteduringtheday.
Whilethe“3+2strategy”limitsyourfocustofivetasks,the“1-3-5rule”expandsthenumbertonine.
Thefirstadvantagetothisapproachisthatitgivesyoumoreflexibilitythanthe“3+2strategy.”Notonlydoesitallowyoutochoosemoreitemstogetdoneeachday(ninevs.five),butitalsopresentsthreecategoriesratherthanjusttwo.Theinclusionof“medium-sized”tasksisusefulbecauseithelpsyoutobettermanageyourcalendar.
Forexample,supposeyouhaveataskyouknowwillrequire45minutestocomplete.Withthe“3+2strategy,”itfallsoutsidethedefinitionofabigtask(onethattakesbetweenoneandtwohours).Italsofallsoutsidethedefinitionofasmalltask(onethattakes30minutesorless).The“1-3-5rule”offersaplaceforsuchitems.
Anotheradvantageofthissystemisthatitencouragesyoutofocusonhigh-valuetasks.Inthat,ithasalotincommonwiththe“3+2strategy.”Becauseyou’relimitedinthenumberofitemsyoucanincludeonyourlist,you’llbemoreinclinedtoincludethosethathaveahighpriority.
Athirdadvantageisthatyouwon’tfallpreytooveroptimism.It’scommontothinkwecanaccomplishmorethanisactuallypossibleduringanygivenday.Sowepackourto-dolistswithalargenumberoftasks,manyofwhichinvariablynevergetdone.Bylimitingthenumberoftaskstonine,the“1-3-5rule”solvesthatproblem.
Asyou’veprobablyguessed,the“1-3-5rule”suffersfromthesameimperfectionsasthe“3+2strategy.”First,nomentionismadeofgivingcontext
totheto-doitems.Second,nomentionismadeofamasterlistfromwhichtheninedailytasksarechosen.Andthird,thisapproachdoesn’tallowfortheuseofabatchtasklist.
We’lltalkmorebatchtasklistsinanupcomingsection.Fornow,it’senoughtoknowthatthey’reanimportantpartofasoundtaskmanagementstrategy.
The“1-3-5rule”canbeaneffectiveto-dolistsystemwithafewmodifications.Butthereisanevenbetterapproach,whichI’llshowyoulaterinthisactionguide.
Fornow,rememberthebasicsofthisstrategy.Youmaywanttoincorporateafewofitsfeaturesintoyoursystem.
#6-TheProject-BasedSystem
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Thissystementailscategorizingyourto-doitemsbasedontheprojectswithwhichthey’reassociated.Intheend,you’releftwithmultiplelists,oneperproject.
Forexample,supposeyouwanttoremodelyourkitchen.You’dcreatealistforthisparticularprojectwiththefollowingtasks:
PlanthelayoutofyournewkitchenPickthetypesofcabinetsyouwantSelectyourpreferredcountertopmaterialChooselightfixturesExploreyourbacksplashoptionsListtheappliancesyouwanttoreplaceLookforanewrefrigeratortomatchthedesignofyournewkitchenCallthreecontractorstosolicitbids
You’dcreateaseparatelistforadifferentprojectyou’dliketocomplete,suchasbuyinganewcar.Thislistmighthavethefollowingtasks:
DeterminehowmuchmoneyyoucanspendCompilealistofmakesandmodelsyoulikeNarrowdownthelisttothreeoptionsVisitthecardealershipTestdrivethecarsNegotiatethepriceFindthebestformoffinancingGetapprovedforaloanSignthepaperworktotakeownership
Task-levelcontextisinherentinthissystemasyourlistsareorganizedaccordingtoproject.Anyitemonaparticularlististherebecauseit’sdirectlyrelatedtotheprojectforwhichthelistwascreated.
Anotheradvantageofthissystemisthatitgivesyouabird’s-eyeviewofyourmultipleprojectsinprogress.Youcanselecttaskstoworkondependingonwhichprojectyouwanttomoveforward.
Oneofthedrawbackstoaproject-basedsystemisthatitoffersverylittlestructurewithregardtohowyouspendyourday.Ratherthanworkingfromasingleto-dolistthathasbeencreatedtomaximizeyourproductivity,youpickandchoosetasksfrommultiplelists.Thisfeaturecreatestoomuchvariability.Therearetoomanyoptions,whichopensthedoortotaskswitchinganditsattendantcosts.
Anotherflawisthelimitedcontextgiventoeachtask.Imentionedabovethattask-levelcontextwasinherentinthissystem.Butitisdefinedsolelybyproject.Tasksarenotgivencontextrelatedtothetimerequiredtocompletethem,theirrespectivepriorities,ortheenergyneededtoworkonthem.
Youprobablyalsonoticedtheabsenceofabatchtasklist.(Again,we’lltalkaboutbatchlistsinanupcomingsection.)
Aswiththeotherto-doliststrategieswe’vecoveredthusfar,thissystemcanbeeffective.Butitsuffersfrommajorweaknesses.
Wecandobetter.
#7-The3-MITApproach
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Thisstrategymaybefamiliartoyou.ItwaspopularizedbyLeoBabautaofZenHabits.net,althoughheopenlyadmitsitoriginatedelsewhere.
MITisanacronym.Itstandsfor“mostimportanttask.”It’sthehighest-priorityitemonyourto-dolist.It’stheonethingyoumustcompleteduringthecourseofagivenday.
TheoriginalstrategycalledforidentifyingasingleMIT,andfocusingonitscompletiontotheexclusionofeverythingelse.Onlyaftercompletingthisitemwouldyouturnyourattentiontootheritems.
The“3-MIT”approachisacommonvariant.Infact,it’sprobablymorecommonthanthesingle-MITapproachbecauseit’smorepracticalforagreaternumberofpeople.
Asitsnameimplies,youselectthreehigh-prioritytaskstofocusonduringyourday.Whateverelsehappens,youmustgetthesethreeitemsdone.
DependingonhowmuchtimeyouneedtocompleteyourthreeMITs,therewillbedayswhenyougetthroughyourto-dolistearly.You’llhaveplentyoftimeremainingtoworkonotherto-dotasks.TheremayalsobedaysduringwhichyouhavetoworklateinordertocompleteyourthreeMITs.
Aswithanytaskmanagementsystem,theeffectivenessofthe“3-MIT”approachisinitsexecution.Thedetailsarelefttotheusertodefine.
Forexample,howdoyouchooseyourthreeMITs?Doyoulinkthemtospecificgoalsandgivethemcontextaccordingly?Doyouestimateinadvancehowmuchtimeeachonewilltaketocompletesoyoucanavoidoverextendingyourselfgivenyourscheduleandavailability?HowdoyouintegrateyourMITswithyourcalendartoensuretheyreceivethetimeandattentiontheyneed?Howdoyoumakecertainsmall,butimportanttasksgetdoneinatimelyfashion?
Youcanseethatthissystemisopen-ended.Itdefinesafewguidelines,but
offersconsiderableflexibilityintermsoftheirapplication.Unfortunately,thislatitudecanbealiabilityifyou’recurrentlystrugglingwithyourto-dolists.Itposestoomuchfreedom.
Ifyoustrugglewithprocrastination,areregularlywaylaidbydistractions,andsufferalackofmotivation,anopen-endedtaskmanagementstrategyisn’tagoodsolution.Astructuredsystemwithwell-definedrulesandlesslatitudeislikelytobemoreuseful.
Havingsaidthat,theideaoffocusingonjustafewMITseachdayisapracticalone.It’safeatureyoumaydecidetoincorporateaspartofthestrategyyoudesignforyourself.Soit’sworthkeepinginmindasweexplorehowtocreatetheperfectto-dolist.
Let’squicklycoverthefinalthreetaskmanagementsystemscommonlyusedtoday.Upnext:theKanbanmethod.
#8-TheKanbanMethod
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TheKanbanmethodisamorevisualapproachtotaskmanagementthanthesystemswe’vecoveredthusfar.It’sagreatto-doliststrategyifyouenjoyseeingyourprojectsandtasksinvariousstagesofcompletion.
Here’showitworks:GrabacorkboardandastackofPost-Itnotes.Makethreecolumnsonyour
board.Titletheleftcolumn“ToDo.”Titlethemiddlecolumn“Doing.”Titletherightcolumn“Done.”
Youcanprobablyseewherethisisgoing.TheKanbanmethodinvolveswritingdowneachnewtaskonaPost-Itnote,
onetaskpernote,andstickingitinthe“ToDo”column.Thereitremainsuntilyou’rereadytoaddressit.Whenyoustartworkingonatask,youmoveitsassociatedPost-Itnotetothe“Doing”column.Whenyou’vecompletedthetask,youmoveitsPost-Itnotetothe“Done”column.
Thisstrategyofmanagingto-doitemshasafewnotableadvantagesoverotherstrategies.First,itprovidesavisualrepresentationofyourprojectsandtasks.Thismakesiteasytoidentifyhigh-valueitemsthatneedyourimmediateattention.Italsomakesiteasytoprioritizeitemsaccordingtotheirrespectiveduedates.
Second,theKanbanmethodallowsyoutotracktheprogressofindividualtasks.Youcantellataglancewhetherataskisyettobestarted,iscurrentlyunderway,orhasbeencompleted.
AthirdadvantageoftheKanbansystemisthattaskscanbeeasilyassociatedwithlargerprojects.Thisprovidesvaluabletask-levelcontext.YoucanarrangethePost-Itnotessothatit’seasytoseehowindividualtasksflowwithinalargerconstruct.
Fourth,youcanusedifferentcoloredPost-Itnotestorepresentvaryinglevels
ofpriority.Forexample,useredforhigh-priorityitems,yellowformedium-priorityitems,andblueforlow-priorityitems.TheKanbanmethod’sbiggeststrengthisitsvisualpresentation.
Youdon’thavetouseacorkboard.Youcanuseadryeraseboardtothesameeffect.Keepinmind,thiswilllimityourabilitytorearrangetasksbasedontheirchangingprioritiesandyouravailability.
Inthelastfewyears,anumberofoptionshavesurfacedthatmakeitpossibletousetheKanbanmethodonline.Younolongerneedtohangacorkboardonyourwallorsetupadryeraseboard.YoucanuseappslikeTrello,KanbanFlow,LeanKit,andKanbanote.
Eachappposesitsownsetofstrengthsandweaknesses.Ifyou’reinterestedinplayingwiththeKanbanmethodonline,IrecommendTrello.It’sfreeanduser-friendly.
OneofthedownsidestousingtheKanbanmethodisthatit’seasytolosetrackofsmalltasks.Forinstance,supposeyourmasterto-dolistcontainsmorethan100itemsthathaveyettobeworkedon.ThoseitemswouldencompassalotofPost-Itnotesorganizedinasingle,linearformat(presumably,inthe“ToDo”column).There’safairchanceyoureyeswillglossoversomeofthem,andyou’llmissafewconsideredtobehigh-value.
Color-codingcanbeaneffectivesolution;differentcolorscanbeusedtoindicatetask-levelpriority.Buteventhen,yourabilitytomonitoralargevolumeofto-doitemswillbelimited.
There’salottolikeabouttheKanbanmethod.Butit’simperfect.Noteitsbasicfeaturesandthinkabouthowyoumightincorporatesomeofthemintoyourpersonalto-dolistsystem.
#9-TheMatrixSystem
*
TheMatrixsystemwaspopularizedbythelateStephenCovey,authoroftheacclaimedbookTheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople.Itisalsoknownasthe“EisenhowerBox.”Thesameprinciplesapplytoboth.It’satoolusedtodecidehowtoallocateone’stimeamongcompetingtasks.
Amatrixismadeupoffourquadrantstitledasfollows:
1. Important-Urgent2. Important-NotUrgent3. NotImportant-Urgent4. NotImportant-NotUrgent
Tasksareassignedtothequadrantsaccordingtotheirrespectivepriorities.Thoseplacedinthefirstquadrantshouldbeaddressedimmediately.Thoseinthesecondquadrantarelessdire,butshouldbescheduledtoensurethey’readdressedatsomepointinthenearfuture.Tasksinthethirdquadrantcanbedelegatedtootherswhiletasksinthefourthquadrantcanbeabandoned.
Thissystemprovidesaneasywaytoseewhichto-doitemswarrantyourattentionandwhichcanbeignored.You’llbeabletoeasilyidentifyitemsassociatedwithyourmostimportantwork.They’llbefoundinQuadrantsIandII.You’llalsobeabletodisregardthosethatwillhaveminimalimpact.ThesewillbefoundinQuadrantIV.
Forexample,aprojectwithanimpendingdeadline(e.g.4:00p.m.today)shouldbeplacedinQuadrantI.Itneedsyourimmediateattention.
YourweeklyreviewcanbeplacedinQuadrantII.It’simportant,butcanwaituntillater.Scheduleitsothatitdoesn’tfallthroughthecracks.
Selectmeetingsmightbewell-suitedforQuadrantIII.They’reurgentinthe
sensethattheyoccuratscheduledtimes.Butsomearelikelytohaveminorvaluetoyou.Trytohavesomeoneattendthemeetingsinyourplace.
ReturningunsolicitedcallsfromsalespeopleshouldberelegatedtoQuadrantIV.Theactivityisunimportantandnon-urgent.Youwon’tsufferamajorconsequenceifitisneveraddressed.
TheupsideoftheMatrixsystemisthatitencouragesyoutofocusontasksthatareconsistentwithyourgoals.You’llfindyourselfconstantlyasking“Isthistasknecessary?”asyoureviewyourmatrix.Unnecessarytaskscanbediscardedwithoutguilt.You’llendupspendingmoretimeonhigh-valueitemsandwastinglesstimeonlow-valueones.
Oneofthedrawbacksofthisapproachisthatitdoesn’trequireyoutoprovidecontextforthetasksinthematrix’sfourquadrants.Nomentionismadeconcerninghowlongeachtaskwilltaketocomplete,noritsconnectionwithothertasksandprojects.
Anotherproblemisthatthematrixmaygrowtothepointthatitpresentstoomanyoptions.Thatis,youmayfindalargenumberoftasksinQuadrantII,andhavedifficultychoosingwhichonestoworkongivenyourlimitedavailability.
AswiththeKanbanmethod,there’salottolikeabouttheMatrixsystem(orEisenhowerBox)despiteitsflaws.Youmayfindthatsomeofitsfeaturesarewellsuitedtothewayyouwork.
Inafewmoments,we’regoingtocreateapersonalto-dolistsystemthatwillhelpyoutogettheimportantstuffdone.First,let’stakealookatthefinal-andarguablythemostpopular-taskmanagementsystemusedtoday:GettingThingsDone(GTD).
#10-GettingThingsDone(GTD)
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DavidAllen’sGettingThingsDoneisoneofthemostcelebratedtaskmanagementsystemsinusetoday.Interestingly,ithasasmanydetractorsasithasadvocates(forreasonswe’llgettoinamoment).
Herearethebasics:Youhavealotofstuffswimmingaroundinyourhead.Mostofitremains
uncategorizedintermsofcontext,priority,andintendedoutcomes.Forexample,youmaybethinkingofyourbrother’sbirthday,theshortageof
papertowelsinyourkitchen,andyourdaughter’supcomingpianorecital.Youmightbespendingmentalenergyonthefactthatyouneedtoputgasinyourcar,mowthelawn,andbuybugspraytodealwiththeantsinyourbathroom.
Meanwhile,yourtoothhurts,suggestingit’stimetoseethedentist.Yourbackhurts,indicatedadoctor’svisitmightbeinorder.Andalittlevoiceinyourheadwhispersthatyoushouldmakeexerciseabiggerpriority.
Theseitemsfloataroundinyourmind.There’snoplantotakeactiononthem,whichleavesopenloops.Wewanttogetthesethingsdone,butwehaven’tcommittedourselvestotheircompletion.Openloopscauseusstress.
GTDseekstogetthisstuffoutofyourheadandontoalist.Itmakeseachitemactionable,therebyclosingtheopenloops.Onceitemsareonamasterlist,youspendtimeorganizingthemaccordingtocontext.Partofthisprocessentailscreatingmultiplelistsandplacingitemswheretheybelong.Aweeklyreviewisperformedtostayontopofthings.
That’sasimplifiedexplanationofGTD(entirebookshavebeenwrittenaboutit).Itwillsufficeforourpurposes.
Thisstrategyoffersseveralimportantfeatures.First,itforcesyoutoaddcontexttoeachtask.Thisisinherentintheprocessof“dumping”everythingontoamasterlistandthenmovingtaskstoother,morerefinedlists.
Second,itseparatestasksbasedonimportance.PartofGTDinvolvescreatinga“nextactions”listanda“someday/maybe”list.Bothareuseful.Theformerencouragesyoutokeepyourimportantworkmovingforward.Thelatterallowsyoutocaptureideasthatmayhavevalue,butneedfurtherconsiderationbeforethatvaluecanbedetermined.
Third,GTDadvisesperformingaweeklyreview.Thisreviewisnotanafterthought.AllenreferstoitasoneofthekeystobeingsuccessfulusingGTD.
Fourth,it’sasflexibleasyouneedittobe.WhileGTDprovidesstructure,itdoesn’tforceyoutoadheretospecifictactics.Itoffersaframeworkthatgivesyouenoughflexibilitytocreateyourownpersonalizedapproach.
Havingsaidtheabove,thereareafewchallengeswithusingGTD.First,itfocusesmoreonprocessingtheideasinyourheadthanactuallygettingthemdone.
Second,notenoughattentionisgiventohoweachitemcapturedonthe“braindump”listrelatestoyourgoals.Whileyou’reforcedtogivetheitemscontextandplacethemonmorerefinedlists,you’renotrequiredtolinkthemtospecificobjectives.
Third,theflexibilityinherentinGTDcanprovetobedetrimentaltosomeusers.Oftentimes,peoplewhostrugglewithtaskmanagementneedmoreconstraintsontheirfreedom,notless.Suchconstraintscanhelpthemtoreininbadhabitsandimprovetheirfocus.
Fourth,it’seasytogetoverwhelmedwhileusingGTD.Thissystemiseffectiveforgettingstuffoutofyourheadandontopaper(orintoanonlinenote-takingapp).Butnoteverythinginyourheaddeservesaplaceonyourto-dolists.Muchofitwillbeirrelevanttoyourgoals.Muchofitwillwasteyourtime.Recordingeveryitemcanmakeyoufeelasifyou’regettingburiedunderamountainofminutiae.
GettingThingsDoneispopularasastrategyfororganizingtasksandcreatingto-dolists.There’snodoubtaboutthat.Butthemoreyouresearchit,themoreyou’llfindthatmanypeoplehavetriedandabandonedit.
It’sworthasking“IsGTDactuallyeffective?”We’lltakeacloserlookatthisquestioninthenextsection.
GettingThingsDone:IsItEffective?
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GettingThingsDoneisasystemthatseemshighlyeffectivewhenyoufirstadoptit.Youspendalotoftimegettingstuffoutofyourheadandorganizingitaccordingtocontext.Thesearecrucialstepstowardidentifyingyourmostimportantwork.Thefactthattheyreduceyourstress-tryingtoremembereverythingisstressful!-isanothersignalofthesystem’seffectiveness.
Astimepasses,however,youmaybecomedisenchantedwithGTD.It’sacommonexperience.Thesystem’srigorousfocuson“nextactions”detractsfromproject-levelfocus.Youbegintofeellikeashort-ordercook,pumpingout“nextactions”withoutstoppingtoconsiderthebiggerpicture.
AnotherproblemisthatusingGTDdoesn’tprovideamethodforchoosingamongcompetingtasks.There’snoworkflowmanagementsysteminplacetoensuretheimportantworkgetsdoneandthelessimportantworkremainsonthebackburner.
GTDisalsoweakwithregardtoattachingtaskstospecificgoals.Thelinktogoalsisseveredattheoutsetduetothesystem’shardfocuson“nextactions”ratherthanprojects.Withoutanemphasisonprojects,GTDlacksameaningfulframeworkforgoalsettingandgoalachievement.
Somepeopleclaimthatsettinggoalsisnotonlyunnecessaryanduseless,butharmfulinthelongrunwhenitcomestotaskmanagement.Idisagree.Goalsprovidevision,focus,andmotivation.Theyalsogiveusagaugebywhichtomeasureourprogress.
Inmyopinion,oneofthebiggestdownfallsofGTDisthatitdoesn’tdistinguishbetweenhigh-valueandlow-valuetasks.Thepriorityistogetthingsdonewhilelittleattentionisgiventowhethertherightthingsaregettingdone.
HavepeopleusedGTDtoeffectivelycreateto-dolistsandsuccessfullymanagetheirtaskworkflow?Yes.ButjustasmanyhavefoundthatGTDis
insufficientinmanyways,includingsomeofthewaysIdescribedabove.GTDisn’twithoutpractical,beneficialfeatures.Iencourageyoutolookfor
thosethatmightproveusefulinyourownstrategy.Inthenextsection,I’llshowyouhowtocreateto-doliststhatwork.Rollup
yoursleevesbecausewe’regoingtobuildthemfromscratch.
PartIII
HowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList
*
Thisiswheretherubbermeetstheroad.We’regoingtotakeeverythingwe’vecoveredthusfaranduseittobuildaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.
Thesystemwe’reabouttocreatewillmakeiteasierforyoutogetyourmostimportantworkdoneontime.Itwillreduceyourstress,eliminateyourfrustration,andhelpyoutofocusandavoiddistractionsalongtheway.
Mostpeopleunderestimatetheimportanceoftheirto-dolists.Theymisjudgetheimpacttheirlistshaveontheirproductivity.Asyoureadthefollowingsections,Iencourageyoutotaketheoppositeview.Recognizethatyourto-dolistplaysavitalroleinhowyourdayprogresses.Aneffectivesystemwillnotonlyhelpyoutostayontopofyourworkflow,butwillalsohelpyoumanageyourdailylife.
Let’sbuildtheperfectto-dolist.
Step1:IsolateCurrentTasksFromFutureTasks
*
Inthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems,InotedthatoneofthestrengthsofDavidAllen’sGTDsystemisitsuseofmultiplelists.Itadvocatestheuseofa“nextactions”listanda“someday/maybe”list.
Wecanrefinethispracticetosqueezemorevaluefromit.First,usea“currenttask”listtodecidehowtoallocateyourtimeand
attentioneachday.Thislistwillcarrytheto-doitemsthatmustbecompletedbeforethedayends.
Second,usea“futuretask”listtokeeptrackofalltheitemsthatwillneedyourattentionatsomepoint.Youwon’tusethislistduringthecourseofyourworkday.Instead,you’llrefertoitattheendofthedaytocreatethefollowingday’sto-dolist.
Thissimplestep,separatingcurrenttasksfromfuturetasks,iscritical.Itcanmeanthedifferencebetweengettinghigh-valueworkdoneontimeandbecomingoverwhelmedunderamountainoftaskswithvaryingprioritiesanddeadlines.
Manypeopleworkfromasingle,massiveto-dolistthatgrowsbythedayasnewitemsareaddedtoit.Thispracticecanbediscouragingbecausethere’snoendinsight.Thosewhoworkinthismannernevermanagetogetthroughtheirlists,sotheyalwaysfeelasifthey’remerelytreadingwater.
Separatingcurrentandfuturetasksshort-circuitsthisfeeling.Themassivelist,theonethatcontainsallfuturetasks,issetaside.Noattentionispaidtoitduringtheworkday.Initsstead,thecurrenttasklisttakesthespotlight.Itslimitedscope-remember,itonlycarriesitemsthataretobecompletedthatday-
reducesstressandremovesthesenseofoverwhelm.Thisisaslightdeviationfromthe“nextactions”listusedinGTD.Thatlist
doesn’tlimityourfocustothecurrentday.AsGTD’screatorDavidAllennoted,itisintendedtolistthe“nextphysical,visibleactivitythatneedstobeengagedin,inordertomovethecurrentrealitytowardcompletion.”Assuch,the“nextactions”listcouldpotentiallygoonforseveralpages.
Thisisacrucialdistinction.You’llfindthatcompletingeachday’sto-dolistwillmotivateandinspireyou.There’ssomethinginvigoratingaboutcrossingoffeveryitemfromyourlist.You’llfeelasifthedayisaproductivesuccess.
Imagineexperiencingthatpositivefeelingdayafterday.
Step2:DefineTasksByDesiredOutcomes
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Theonlyreasontodoasomethingisifdoingitmovesyouclosertowardachievingaspecificgoal.Forexample,fewpeoplestudycalculusintheirfreetime.Mostdosoinordertocompleteschoolwork,prepareforatest,orbroadentheirskillset.
Likewise,fewpeoplecleanouttheirrainguttersforenjoyment.Theydosotopreventwaterdamagetotheirroofs.
Wetakeactiontoeffectspecificoutcomes.Otherwise,whywouldwespendtimeandeffortdoingthingsthatpreventusfrompursuingactivitieswefindmoreenjoyable(forexample,binge-watchingourfavoriteTVseriesonNetflix)?
Considerthatnotioninthecontextofyourto-dolists.Howoftenhaveyoufailedtocompletetasks-orevenstartworkingonthem-becausetheyappearedtohavelittleimportancetoyou?Chancesare,thetasksweren’tattachedtospecificgoalsyouwantedtoachieve.
Thesimplestwaytogetthroughyourdailyto-dolististoassigna“why”toeachitemfoundonit.Knowthereasontheitemisonyourlist.Determinewhyyouneedtogetitdone.Writethereasondownnexttothetask.
Forexample,supposeyourto-dolistcarriestheitem“callmyparents.”Youprobablyhaveareasontocallthem,ifonlytocheckinandseehowthey’redoing.Alternatively,youmightwanttoinvitethemtobreakfastoraskthemaboutafamily-relatedmatter.
Thepointis,callingyourparentsisintendedtoaccomplishaspecificgoal.Writedownthatgoal,ordesiredoutcome,nexttothetask.You’llbemorelikelytofollowthroughonitifyouseethereasonfordoingit.
It’snotenoughtokeepthereasonsfordoingtasksinyourhead.Youmustwritethemdown.Doingsomakesitmaterial.Areasonwrittendownismorerealthanareasonbouncingaroundinyourhead.
You’llfindthatwhenyouassociatetaskswithspecificoutcomes,you’llfeelmorecompelledtogetthemdone.Takingactionwillsignifyprogresstowardgoalsyouhopetoachieve-goalsthatareimportanttoyou.
Thisisoneofthedefiningtraitsofaneffectiveto-dolist.
Step3:BreakProjectsDownToIndividualTasks
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You’veprobablyheardthisjoke:Howdoyoueatanelephant?Onebiteatatime.
Itillustratesanimportantconceptrelatedtotaskmanagement.Theonlywaytocompleteanyprojectistofirstbreakitdowntoitsconstituentparts.Aprojectismovedforwardbyworkingontheindividualtasksthatareincumbenttoitscompletion.
Youknowthisintuitively.Butdoyouapplytheprincipletoyourdailyto-dolists?
Whenwe’refacedwithalargeproject,it’sdifficulttoknowwheretobegin.Consequently,webecomemorepronetodistractions.Anydistractionispreferabletograpplingwithanendeavorforwhichwelackdirectionandmomentum.
Thisisthereasonmanyto-do“items”remainunfinishedattheendoftheday.They’retechnicallyprojects.They’retoolargeinscopeandcanseemoverwhelming,whichcausesustoprocrastinate.Weultimatelycarrythemforwardtothefollowingday,wheretheycontinuetonagus.
Ifwedon’tinvestthetimetobreakdownprojectstotheirsmaller,moremanageablepieces,thismotivation-crushingprocessislikelytorepeatitselfdayafterday.
Let’slookatanexample.Supposeoneoftheitemsonyourmasterlistis“cleanthehouse.”Thisisa
project,onethatcanpotentiallytakehourstocomplete.Listedasasingleitem,it’soverwhelming.It’sdifficulttoknowwheretostart.
Solet’sbreakdowntheprojecttosmallertasks,eachofwhichoffersfocusandcanbecompletedinlesstime.Here’sastarterlist:
WashthedishesCleanthekitchencountertopsMopthekitchenfloorCleanthedownstairsbathroomCleantheupstairsbathroomsVacuumthefloorsDustthefurniture
Noticethateachoftheabovetasksisactionable.Andimportantly,eachoneisindependentoftheothers.Youdon’thavetoaddresstheminanyparticularorder.
Thisgivesyouflexibilityinhowyouscheduletimetocompletethetasks.Ratherthansettingasidefourhoursto“cleanthehouse,”youcansetaside10minutestowashthedishes,15minutestomopthekitchenfloor,and30minutestocleanthedownstairsbathroom.
Breakingprojectsdownintosmallertasksmakesthemseemmoredoable.Italsoallowsyoutofocusyourlimitedtimeandattentionontasksaccordingtotheirpriorityandvalue.Forexample,washingthedishesmaybeahigh-priorityitemthatwarrantsyourimmediateattention.Meanwhile,vacuumingthefloorscanbepostponeduntiltomorrowwithoutconsequence.
It’simportanttomakethedistinction.Makesureyourto-dolistsarelimitedtoactionabletasks,notprojects.Ifan
itemrequiresmorethanoneaction,itisaprojectthatcan-andshould-bebrokendown.Bybreakingthemdown,you’llenjoybetterfocusandgetimportantworkdonemorequickly.
Step4:AssignADeadlineToEachTask
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Youalreadyknowtheimportanceofdeadlines.Theyhelpustofocusourtimeandattentiononimportanttasks.Theyhelpustoorganizeourcalendars.Theyencourageustotakeaction.Studiesalsoshowtheyimproveourperformance.
Ultimately,deadlinesincreaseourefficiencyandproductivity,spurringustogetimportantstuffdone.
Forthisreason,everytaskonyourmasterto-dolistshouldhaveadeadlineassociatedwithit.Thedatedoesn’thavetobewritteninstone.Itcanchangeasthepriorityandurgencyofthetasktowhichit’sattachedchanges.
Normustthedatebeprecise.Yourtasklistmayincludeto-doitemsthatneedtobeaddressedatsomepoint,butcanbeputonthebackburnerfornow.Aduedateof“mid-August,”ratherthan“August14,”maysufficeifthetaskisn’tdueforseveralmonths.
Attachingadeadlinetoeveryitemonyourmasterto-dolistmakesiteasiertoknowwhichtaskstoselectforyourdailyto-dolist.Youcantellataglancewhichitemsneedyourattentiontomorrowandwhichonescanbeshelveduntilafuturedate.
Havingsaidthat,it’snotenoughtoassignadeadlinetoeachitem.Themannerinwhichyoudosoisequallyimportant.Itwillinfluenceyourmorale,motivation,andabilitytofocus.Yourstrategyinsettingdeadlineswilldictatewhethertheyareeffective.
Hereareafewtips…First,makesureeachdeadlineisrealistic.Itdoesnogoodtoassignan
impossibleduedatetoatask.Doingsowillonlycauseyoustress,frustration,
anddiscouragement.Second,comeupwithareasonforeachduedate.Forexample,supposeit’s
summertimeandyourchildisdueforadentalcheckup.You’dprobablywanttoscheduleadentistappointmentbyAugust31toensureitgetsdonebeforeyourchildreturnstoschool.Youhaveareasontoact.Thereasonmakesthedeadlinegenuine.
Whenadeadlineissetwithoutareason-thatis,thedateisarbitrarilychosen-there’slessimpetustotakeaction.Thesenseofurgencyisartificial.
Third,giveyourselflesstimethanyouthinkyouneed.ImentionedParkinson’sLawinthesectionWhyYou’reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItems.Thatlawstates“workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforitscompletion.”Wetendtoallowourselvestoomuchtimetogetthingsdone.You’llfindthatnarrowingthewindowwillimproveyourfocusandresultingreaterefficiencyandproductivity.
There’snoreasontodreaddeadlines.Onthecontrary,youshouldlookforwardtoapplyingthemtoeveryitemonyourmastertasklist.They’llhelpyoutoavoiddistractionsandgiveyouthemotivation,inspiration,andenergyyouneedtomoveyourmostimportantworkforward.
Step5:LimitTheNumberOfCurrentTasksToSeven
*
Oneofthemostcommonproblemswithto-dolistsisthatthey’retoolong.Thosethatstartwithjustafewtasksinvariablygrowtoincludedozens.It’snowondersomanypeopleareunabletogetthroughtheirto-dolists.Doingsoispracticallyimpossible!
Ontheonehand,thiscircumstanceisunderstandable.Duringthecourseofanygivenday,newprojectsareconceivedandnewtasksarebornfromthem.
Butthatdoesn’tmeanyoushouldaddthemtoyourdailytasklist.Infact,doingsowouldbesettingyourselfupforfailure.
Istronglyrecommendlimitingthenumberofitemsonyourdailyto-dolisttoseven.Thisisamanageablenumber.Assumingnosingletaskrequireshourstocomplete,it’spossibletogetthroughyourentirelistbytheendoftheday.
Wetalkedaboutthe“3+2”strategyandthe“1-3-5rule”inthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems.Bothmethodslimitthenumberoftasksthatappearonyourdailylists.Bothgetthisaspectoftaskmanagementright.Theykeepyourlistshortsoyoucangetthroughiteachday.Asaresult,you’llavoidthesenseofoverwhelmandself-guiltthataccompaniesfailureinthatdepartment.
Allowmetoclarifysomething.Imentionedlimitingyourdailyto-dolisttosevenitems.Youmightbewonderinghow,atthatrate,you’llgetthroughthehundredsoftasksonyourmasterto-dolist,whichgrowslongereachday.
My“limit-to-seven”suggestionreferssolelytotasksthatrequireatleast15minutestocomplete.You’llfindthatmanyofthetasksonyourmasterlistcanbehandledwithinoneortwominutes.Followingareafewexamples:
MakeyourbedCheckyourvoicemailSortyourmailStartaloadoflaundryMakeadinnerreservationSubscribetoanewsletter(likemine!)ReturnaphonecallAddaplug-intoyourWordpressblogDeclutteryourdesktopDecidewhattohavefordinner
Theseare“tinytasks”thatdon’tbelongonyourdailyto-dolist.Why?Becausetheycouldpotentiallycausethelisttogrowtodozensofitems.
Instead,Irecommendkeepinga“batchlist.”We’lltalkaboutthispracticeinmoredetailintheupcomingsectionHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem.Fornow,recognizethattinytaskslike“sortyourmail”shouldnotbeamongthesevenitemsonyourdailyto-dolist.
Step6:OrganizeTasksByProject,Type,OrLocation
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It’scommontotreatthemastertasklistasarolling“braindump.”Newtasksareaddedtothebottomofthelistasyouthinkofthem.Theproblemis,ifyouleaveitinthatcondition,itwilleventuallybecomeoverwhelming.
Evenifyougiveeachitemadeadlineandprovidevarioustypesofcontext,yourlistwillbecomeburdensomeovertime.You’llfinditincreasinglydifficulttomanagetasks.Alotofitemswillendupfallingthroughthecracks.
Imaginereviewing20pagesofto-doitems.MyownmasterlistusedtobemuchlongerbeforeIlearnedhowtocreateeffectivelists.Findingspecifictasksandmanagingtheassociatedprojectstooktoomuchtime.
Nolonger.Inoworganizetasksbasedonvariouscontexts:byproject,type,andlocation.Imaintainmultiplelistsaccordingly.(Notethattheselistsareseparateanddistinctfrommydailyto-dolist.)
Task-levelcontextisanimportantpartofanyto-dolistsystem.Itdefineshowlongitemsshouldtaketocomplete.Itremindsyouofthereasonstogetthemdone.Itencouragesyoutofocusontasksthathavethehighestprioritiesgivenyourgoals.
Forthesereasons,categorizeeachtaskonyourmasterto-dolistusingthefollowingthreecontexts:
1. Project2. Type3. Location
Irecommendcreatingaseparatelistforeachproject,eachtypeoftask,and
eachlocation.Forexample,thefollowingprojectswouldwarranttheirownlists:
WriteabookRemodelmykitchenBuyacar
Thefollowingtypesoftaskswouldalsowarranttheirownlists:
AnalyticalworkCreativeworkMindlesswork
Likewise,thefollowinglocationswouldwarranttheirownlists:
AttheofficeAthomeOntheroad
Categorizingto-doitemsbyproject,type,andlocationwillkeepyouorganized.Itwillalsohelpyoutochoosetasksforyourdailylistthatcomplementyourcircumstances.
Forexample,“vacuumthelivingroom”isclearlyalocation-basedtask.Youmustbeathometodoit.Ifyouplantobeattheofficeallday,youwouldn’taddthisitemtoyourdailylist.
Sometaskscan-andshould-beassignedtomorethanonecontext.Forexample,considertheproject“WriteaBook.”Oneofyourearlytasksis
to“writethefirstdraftofchapter1.”Thistaskisalreadycategorizedbyproject.Butiftheonlytimeyou’reabletowriteiswhileyou’reathome,itshouldalsobecategorizedbylocation.Moreover,keepinmindthatwritingiscreativeworkthatrequiresmentalenergy.Assuch,itmaybeusefultocategorizeitbytypeofactivity.Thatway,youcanscheduleitonyourcalendarfortimeswhenyourenergylevelsarehigh.
Ifyou’recreatingto-dolistsonpaper,assigningmultiplecontextstotaskscanbeproblematic.Onesolutionistocolorcodethem.
Forexample,thetask“writethefirstdraftofchapter1”isalreadyfoundundertheproject“writeabook.”Color-codingforthatcontextisunnecessary.Butyoucanusecoloredpenstoassignlocationandactivitytypecontexts.Redcansignify“athome”andbluecansignify“creativework.”
Thisisanimperfectsolution,ofcourse.Abetterapproachistouseanonlinetool,suchasTodoist.Itofferstaggingandlabelingfeatureswithapaletteofcolorsthatmakeiteasytoorganizeto-doitemsbymultiplecontexts.
Onelastnotebeforewemoveon.Youmayfinditusefultokeepaseparatelistforhigh-priority,high-valueto-doitems.SomepeoplecallthisaHITlist,orhigh-impacttasklist.
Personally,IfindtheuseofaHITlisttobeoverkill.Ialreadyassignaprioritytoeveryitemonmyvariouslists.Creatinganadditionallistforhigh-impactitemsisunnecessary.Ithampersmyefficiencyratherthanimprovesit.
ButIwantedtomentionthepracticeintheeventyoufindithelpsyourworkflow.Remember,thisisaboutcreatingasystemthatworksforyou.
Step7:PruneYourListOfUnnecessaryTasks
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Oneofthemostimportantthingsyoucandoistokeepyourmasterto-dolistclean.Youneedtoprunethelistonaregularbasis,purgingtasksthatarenolongernecessaryorconsistentwithyourgoals.Otherwise,itcanquicklybecomeunmanageableasyouaddnewitemstoiteachday.
Pruningyourlisthelpsyoutokeepitundercontrol.You’llbeabletomoreeasilyidentifyimportantprojectsandtheirassociatedtasks.Taskmanagementismadesimplerwhenirrelevantitemsareremoved,orcrossedoff,yourlist.
Pruningalsoincreasesyourefficiency.Itlimitsyourmasterlisttotasksthatadvanceyourmostimportantwork.Consequently,youwon’twastevaluabletimeandattentiononnonessentialactivities.
Whattypesoftasksarecandidatesforremoval?Lookforthesefouritems:
1. Wishes2. Uncleartasks3. Trivialtasks4. Resolutions
Wishesaretypicallyphrasedasprojectsratherthanactionabletasks.Forexample,youmightwishto“remodelyourkitchen.”Youmaywishto“takeyourfamilytoKauainextsummer.”Wishesareoverlybroadinscopeandrarelyessentialtoachievingwell-definedgoals.Assuch,theyshouldberemovedfromyourmasterto-dolist.
Keeptheseitemsonawishlist.Uncleartasksarethosethatlackcontext.You’llsometimesfindthey’rein
thatstatebecausetheydon’twarrantyourattention.Theyhanginlimbountilyounoticethem.
Anexamplewouldbeto“callJohn.”WhydoyouneedtocallJohn?Howwilldoingsomoveyourimportantworkforward?Arethereconsequencesifyoufailtomakethecall?Ifso,whatarethey?
Ifataskonyourmasterlistisunclear,reevaluateitsvalueinlightofyourgoals.Itmaybeagoodcandidateforremoval.
Trivialtaskscanbeeliminatedwithoutrepercussions.Thesearerandomitemsthatarerecordedwhentheysurface,andpromptlyforgotten.Yourmasterlistwillaccumulatethem.That’sitspurpose-toclearyourheadofthingsthataredifficulttorememberandorganize.Butyou’llfindthat,undercloserexamination,manyoftheseitemscan-andshouldbe-removedfromthelist.
Resolutionsarepromises.Theydifferfromnormalto-doitemsbecausetheytypicallyrequireachangeinhabit.Forexample,youmightresolveto“exercise,”“loseweight,”or“learnSpanish.”It’sfinetohavesuchgoals,ofcourse.Butdon’tconfusethemwithactionabletasks.
Removeallresolutionsfromyourmasterto-dolist.Theydon’tbelongthere.Instead,putthemonaseparate“lifestylegoals”listandtreatthemasprojects.Then,whenyou’rereadytoactononeofthem,createaseparatelistforit.Breakitdowntosmall,actionabletasksandassigndeadlines.
Alarge,cumbersomemasterto-dolistisdiscouraging.Ifyouallowittogrowunchecked,itcanslowlyerodeyourmotivationandcrushyourcreativity.Keepitcleanbyregularlypruningunnecessarytasks.Doingsowillmakeyourlistfeelmorealivebecauseeverytaskonitwillhaveaspecificpurpose.
Withperiodicpruning,you’llbeabletomoreeasilyidentifyimportanttasksforyourdailyto-dolists.You’llalsospendlesstimeoninsignificantitems,greatlyincreasingyourproductivityalongtheway.
Step8:EstimateTheAmountOfTimeEachTaskWillTakeToComplete
*
Youshouldknowhowlongeachto-doitemonyourmasterlistwilltakeyoutofinish.Thisinformationallowsyoutochoosetasksforyourdailylistbasedonhowmuchtimeyou’llhaveavailabletoworkonthem.Ifyouknoweachtask’sestimatedcompletiontime,youcancreaterealisticto-dolists.Youcanavoidsaddlingyourselfwithtasksthatneedtobecarriedovertothenextday.
Mostpeopleneglecttotakethisstep.Sadly,it’soneofthemostdamagingomissionstheycanmake.Itcanmeanthedifferencebetweengettingthroughtheirto-dolistsandfeelingfrustratedandoverwhelmedbythemattheendoftheday.
Inordertocalculateatask’sestimatedcompletiontime,youmustknowwhatisrequiredtodothetask.Thisincludestools,information,andinputfromothers.
Forexample,supposeoneofthetasksonyourto-dolististo“finishtheaccountsreceivablereportforboss.”Inordertocompletethereport,youmayneedinputfromyourcompany’ssalesdepartment.Youmightalsoneedtorefertolastweek’saccountsreceivableandcashflowreports.Howlongwillittakeyoutoobtainthenecessaryinformationandresources?Theserequirementsshouldbetakenintoaccountwhenestimatingthetask’scompletiontime.
Reviewyourmasterlistandassignatimeestimatetoeachitem.Whethertheitemwilltake15minutesor3hours,writedowntheestimatenexttoit.
Resistthetemptationtoguess.Wetendtobeoverlyoptimisticregardingour
abilitytogetthingsdone.Weunderestimatethetimeweneed.Beawareofthistendency.
Comeupwitharealisticestimatebasedontheresourcesyou’llneed(includinginputfromothers)andthechallengesyou’relikelytoencounteralongtheway.
Ifyou’refamiliarwiththetask,you’llknowwhatresourcesyouneedandhowmuchtimeitwilltaketocompleteit.You’llbeabletoassignareasonablyaccurateestimate.Ifyou’reunfamiliarwiththetask,talktosomeonewhohasworkedonitinthepast.Askthatpersonhowmuchtimeitusuallytakeshimorher.
Asyouassignestimatedcompletiontimestotheto-doitemsonyourmasterlist,you’llfaceaninterestingconundrum.Inotedabovethatwetendtounderestimatetheamountoftimewe’llneedtocompletetasks.We’reinclinedtobeoverlyoptimistic.However,wealsotendtogiveourselvestoomuchtimetogetthingsdone.
Forexample,takemowingthelawn.Supposearealisticcompletiontimeis45minutes.Inouroptimism,weconvinceourselvesthatwecanfinishthejobinunder30minutes.Yet,becausethere’snourgencybehindthetask,wegiveourselvesanhourandahalf.
Thisleniencyisdangerousbecauseitimpairsourproductivity.RecallParkinson’sLaw:“Workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforitscompletion.”Althoughyoucanrealisticallymowyourlawnin45minutes,you’lltakeanhourandahalftodoitifyouallowyourselfthatmuchtime.
KeepParkinson’sLawinmindasyouassignestimatedcompletiontimestoyourto-doitems.Itwillhelpyoutodrasticallyreducetheamountoftimeyouneedtocompletetasks.Asaresult,you’llgetmoredoneandenjoymorefreetimetopursueotherinterests.
Step9:LeadEachTaskWithAnActiveVerb
*
Sometimes,allyouneedistherightwordtospuryoutoaction.Verbshavethatpower.Puttheminfrontofyourto-doitemsandyou’llbemoreinclinedtogettheitemsdone.
Whenyouphraseataskwithaverb,thetaskcomesalive.Itgoesfrombeingamerelineitemonyourto-dolisttobeinganactionableassignment.Theverbtriggerssomethinginthebrain,promptingittofocusoncompletingtheitem.
Let’stakealookatafewexamples.Followingare“tasks”(technically,they’relittlemorethannotes)thatlackverbs:
LaundrySandra’sbirthdaycakeAccountsreceivablereportCartiresBreakfastwithparents
Noticehowthetaskslackemotionalandmotivationalpower.Wecanfixthatbyaddingverbstothem:
StartaloadoflaundryBuyacakeforSandra’sbirthdayFinishtheaccountsreceivablereportCheckthepressureinmycar’stiresCallparentstoplanbreakfastdate
Noticehowtheverbs(start,buy,finish,check,andcall)tellusexactlywhat
todo.There’snoambiguity.Youdon’thavetoguessatthetypeofactivitythetaskinvolves.Theverbdefinesit.
Also,noticehowtheverbsmakeiteasiertoestimatetaskcompletiontimes.It’sdifficulttoknowhowlongthetask“laundry”willtake.Butyoucan“startaloadoflaundry”infiveminutes.
Notjustanyverbwilldo.There’sanarttochoosingtherightones.Thekeyistobespecific.
Forexample,considertheto-doitem“contactBobabouttheTPSreport.”Theverb“contact”ishelpful,butimprecise.Itcanmeananyofthefollowing:
CallBobonthephoneEmailBobSendBobatextmessageStopbyBob’sofficeLeaveBobamessageinhisinbox
There’svalueinchoosingthepreciseverbthatdefinesthetask.Again,bespecific.WillyoucallBoboremailhim?Willyoutexthimorstopbyhisoffice?
Therightverbsencourageexecution.Theyencourageyoutotakeaction.Thewrongonesdotheopposite.Theyencourageprocrastination.Verbslikeexplore,plan,andtouchbaselackspecificity.Asaresult,they’relesseffectivethanverbslikeresearch,draft,andcall.Theselatterchoiceshavemoreimpactbecausetheyimplyspecificactions.Theyleavenothingopentointerpretation.
Phrasingtaskswiththerightactionverbswillmotivateyoutotakeactiononthem.You’llbelesssusceptibletodistractionsandlesslikelytoprocrastinatebecauseyou’llknowexactlywhatyouneedtodo.
Theresult?You’llgetthroughyourdailyto-dolistsmorequickly,gettingmoredoneinlesstime.
Step10:NoteWhichTasksRequireInputFromOthers
*
Someofthetasksonyourdailyto-dolistwillrequireinputfromotherpeople.Forexample,youmightbeworkingonateam-basedprojectandneedcertainteammemberstocompletespecifictasksbeforeyoucanaddresstheonesforwhichyou’reresponsible.
Evenifyou’reworkingalone,others’inputmaybevitaltoyourworkflow.Forinstance,theaccountsreceivablereportyou’vebeentaskedtocompletemightrequireinputfromsomeoneinyoursalesdepartment.Theconferencecallyouintendtoholdmayrequireinformationyou’veaskedacoworkertoobtainforyou.
It’simportanttoknow,ataglance,whichitemsonyourtasklistrequireactionfromotherpeople.DavidAllen’sGTDadvocatesthecreationofaseparate“waitingfor”list.Thislistwouldincludeeverytaskforwhichyou’rewaitingforsomeonetoact.
Personally,Ithinktheuseofa“waitingfor”listisoverkill.Ifyou’vefollowedthepreviousninestepsincreatingyourmasterlist,context-basedlists,anddailylists,you’lldofinewithoutit.Infact,a“waitingfor”listwouldjustovercomplicateyourtaskmanagementsystem.
Here’smyrecommendation:writeashortnotenexttoeachto-doitemforwhichyou’rewaitingforsomeone’sinput.Detailthetypeofinputyouneed,itsformat(email,phonecall,report,spreadsheet,etc.),andthedateyouexpectittobedelivered.
Theexpecteddeliverydatewillpromptyoutofollowupwiththepersonifyoudon’treceivehisorherinputinatimelyfashion.Tothatend,itwillhelp
youtosetexpectationsforothersandholdthemaccountableforneededdeliverables.Thisiscriticalifyourworkflowdependsonthemtakingaction.
Mostpeopleneglecttotakethisstep.Theyfailtomakenotesregardingtheirneedforinputfromotherparties.Unfortunately,iftheirworkflowdependsonothers,thisomissionwillruintheirestimatesconcerningthetimeneededtocompletetasks.They’llendupspendingvaluabletimeinlimbo,waitingforotherpeopletoact.This,ofcourse,willhobbletheirabilitytogetthingsdone,severelyimpactingtheirproductivity.
PartIV
HowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem
*
Yourmastertasklist,contextlists,anddailyto-dolistsarecomponentsofabroadersystem.Theireffectivenessdependsonthatsystem’sintegrity.
Ifyouhaveawell-oiledsysteminplace,yourlistswillhelpyoutogetimportantworkdonefasterandwithmoreefficiency.Ifyoursystemisfaulty,yourlistscanactuallyhurtyourworkflow,sabotageyourtimemanagement,anddemolishyourproductivity.
Inthefollowingsections,I’llshowyou,stepbystep,howtomaintainaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.Mostofthesetipsbuilduponcoreconceptswe’vealreadycoveredinprevioussections.Afewintroducenewconcepts.Allofthemareessentialtocreatingasystemthatguaranteesyourto-dolistshelpyoutogetyourimportantworkdone.
Tip#1:KeepA“TinyTask”BatchList
*
ImentionedtheuseofabatchlistinStep#5ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.Thepurposeofabatchlististoorganizeallofyourtinytasksinoneplace.Tinytasksareitemsthattakelessthan10minutestocomplete.Theideaistobatchthemtogetherandaddressthemduringasingleworksession.
Tinytasksdon’tbelongonyourdailyto-dolist.Remember,yourdailylistshouldbelimitedtosevenitems.Savethespaceforhigh-valuetasksthatrequiremoretimetocomplete(aminimumof15minutes).
Norshouldtinytasksremainonyourmasterlist.They’lljustendupclutteringit.
Instead,placethemonaseparatebatchlist.Whenyouhaveextratime,chooseafewtoworkon.Crosstheitemsoffyourlistasyoucompletethem.
Followingareexamplesoftinytasksthatbelongonaseparatebatchlist:
MakethebedStartaloadoflaundryEmailclientRecordyesterday’ssalesdataEmptythedishwasherScheduleameetingwithcoworkerMakeadinnerreservationCheckvoicemailTakeoutthetrashUpdatethebossonanongoingproject
ReturnaphonecallDeclutteryourworkstationPaybillsonlineUpdatesoftware
Eachofthesetaskscanbecompletedinafewminutes.Theproblemis,whenyouaddressthemsporadicallythroughoutyourday,youriskthembecomingdistractions.They’llinterruptyourworkflow,derailingyourmomentumanddestroyingyourcreativity.They’lltemptyoutomultitask,whichwillintroducetaskswitchingcosts.Switchingcostsnegativelyimpactyourperformanceandcauseyourproductivitytoplummet.
Thesolutionissimple.Batchthesetinytaskstogether.Setaside30to45minutestoworkonthem.Thiswillallowyoutofocusontheitems,onebyone,withoutdistractingyoufromyourimportantwork.You’llhavesetasideaseparateworksessiontoaddressthem.
Wheneverpossible,batchtogethertasksthatarerelatedbycontext.Forexample,ifyouneedtoreturnseveralemails,treateachoneasaseparateto-doitemandhandleallofthemduringasinglebatchsession.Likewise,ifyouneedtodoseveralchoresathome,batchthemtogetherandaddressthematthesametime.
Workingonrelatedto-doitemsminimizesswitchingcosts.Asaresult,you’llgetmoredoneinlesstimeandmakefewererrorsalongtheway.
Tip#2:RemainVigilantAgainstFeelingOverwhelmed
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Oneofthebiggestthreatstoanytaskmanagementsystemisthefeelingofoverwhelm.
You’venodoubtexperienceditatsomepoint.Forexample,you’vecheckedyouremailandbecomediscouragedafterseeinghundredsofmessagessittinginyourinbox.You’velookedatyourmasterto-dolistandbecomedisheartenedbyitslengthandlackoftask-levelcontext.You’velookedatyourdailyto-dolistandbecomedemoralizedafterdiscoveringtheitemsyou’veincludedarevagueprojectsratherthanactionabletasks.
Thegoodnewsisthatyoucaneliminate-oratleastminimize-theseproblemsbyimplementingthestepswecoveredinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.Asolidto-dolistsystemwillhelpyoutoefficientlymanageyourworkload.
Butthethreatoffeelingoverwhelmedwillalwaysbepresent.Ifitgainsafootholdinyourmind,itwillsiphonyourenthusiasm,extinguishyourmotivation,andblockyourcreativity.
Forthesereasons,it’simperativethatyouremainvigilantagainstit.Youmustalwaysbeonyourguard.Circumstanceswillconspiretomakeyoufeeloverloadedwithwork.Forexample,yourbossmayfoistmoreandmoreresponsibilitiesontoyourshoulders.Yourcoworkersmightattempttodelegatetheirto-doitemstoyou.Yourspousemayaddtoyourgrowinglistofobligationswithoutrealizingthatyoulackthebandwidthtohandletheminatimelymanner.
Yourto-dolistswillhelpyouinthisregard.Assumingyou’recreatinglistsasdescribedinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,you’llbeable
togaugeyouravailabilityandtakeonnewtasks-ordeflectthem-accordingly.Don’tunderestimatethedemotivatingpoweroffeelingoverwhelmed.Itwill
raiseyourstresslevels,makeyoumoresusceptibletodistractions,andpreventyoufromgettingimportantstuffdone.
Tip#3:DefineYourTo-DoListsByContext
*
We’vecoveredthisconceptindetailalready.Butitbearsrepeatingasweexplorehowtocreateandmaintainaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.
InStep#6ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,Imentionedthateverytaskonyourmasterlistshouldbeaccompaniedbycontextualdetails.Forexample,youshouldspecifytheprojectwithwhichthetaskisassociated;thetypeofactivity(analytical,creative,etc.);andwhetherthereareanylocation-basedconstraintsattachedtoit.
Notingthesedetailsmay,atfirst,seemlikeawasteoftime.Butthey’recrucialtosustainingasmoothly-operatingto-dolistsystem.Whenyouaddcontexttothetasksonyourmasterlist,youcanquicklyidentifytheonesyoushouldworkon.
Forexample,supposeyou’reresponsibleforahigh-priorityprojectthathasaloomingdeadline.Youwouldfocusonthetasksthatmovethatprojectforward(project-basedcontext).
Orsupposeit’smid-afternoonandyourenergylevelsarelow.You’ddowelltofocusonmindlesswork(e.g.dataentry,declutteringyourdesk,etc.)ratherthananalyticalorcreativework(activity-basedcontext).
Orsupposeyou’reattheoffice.Youwouldfocusonto-doitemsthatcanonlybedonethere(location-basedcontext).
Task-levelcontextinformsyourdecisionsregardingwhatyoushoulddonext.Whileprovidingcontextualdetailsupfronttakestime,doingsostreamlinesthedecision-makingprocesslater.It’sagoodinvestment.
Irecommendedearlierthatyoumaintainmultiplelistsbycontext.Thisisan
approachthatworksforme.Isuspectitwillworkforyouaslongasyouapplyitwithconsistency.
Tip#4:ConductWeeklyReviews
*
Weeklyreviewsarecritical.Theymakethedifferencebetweenasystemthatmotivatesyoutogetimportantstuffdoneandonethatencouragesyoutoprocrastinate.Theydeterminewhetheryousuccessfullykeeptrackofeverythingyouneedtodoorletitemsfallthroughthecracks.
Mostpeopleneglecttoconductregularly-scheduledreviews.Theythinkthemunnecessary.Theyassumetheyhaveasolidgraspoftheirworkload,andthusformalreviewswouldbeawasteoftime.
Thismayindeedbethecaseforyou.Supposeyourmasterlisthasfewerthanadozenitemsonit.Youcanprobablykeeptrackofeverythingwithoutconductingweeklyreviews.
Butchancesare,youhavefarmorethanadozentaskstomonitor.Ifyouhaveanyresponsibilitiesorgoalsatall,yourmasterlistissuretogrowpastthepointofbeingmanageablewithoutperiodicreviewsessions.Countonit.
Imaginethatyourto-dolisthasmorethan100itemsonit.Withoutperiodicreviews,youwon’tbeabletoaccuratelygaugeyourprogressonthem.Norwillyoubeabletomentallyorganizethemaccordingtocontext.It’stoomuchtokeeptrackof.
Thisisthepurposeofholdingaweeklyreviewsession.Itgivesyouanopportunitytoevaluatetheextentofyourprogresstowardyourvariousgoals.Italsogivesyouachancetoreprioritizetasksasneeded.
IconductmyweeklyreviewsonSundayevenings.Youshouldchooseadayandtimethataccommodatesyourcircumstances.Notethatyou’llneedtofocus.So,setaside45minutesduringwhichyoucanworkundisturbed.
Howdoyouconductaweeklyreview?Herearethebasicsteps:
1. Gatherallofyourto-dolists.Thisincludesyourmasterlistandcontext-
basedlists.2. Doabraindumpofallthetasksandprojectsfloatingaroundyourhead.
Addthemtoyourmasterlist.3. Breakdownnewprojectsintoindividualtasks.4. Separatenewtasksaccordingtocontext(project,type,andlocation).
Createnewcontext-basedlists,ifnecessary.5. Clearoutyouremailinbox.Sendresponsesifthey’renecessary.Ifan
emailrequiresyoutotakeaction,butisn’turgent,makeanoteofitonyourmasterto-dolistandarchivethemessage.Also,archiveemailsthatdon’twarrantaresponseoraction,butmaybeneededlater.Deletetherest.
6. Reviewyourmasterlistandcontext-basedlists.Purgetasksthatarenolongernecessaryorimportant.
7. Notethetasksthatarebothimportantandurgent.Markthemascandidatesforyourdailyto-dolist.
8. Notethetasksforwhichyou’rewaitingoninputfromothers.Writedowntheperson’snameandthedateyouexpecttoreceivehisorherinput.Thedatewilltellyouwhentofollowupifyoudon’treceiveit.
9. Reviewyourcurrentdeadlinesforhigh-valuetasks.Makeadjustmentsifnecessary.
10. Assigndeadlinestonewtasksyou’veaddedtoyourmasterlistandcontext-basedlists.
11. Reviewyourcalendarforthecomingweek.Createyourdailyto-dolistbasedonyouravailability.
Theabovemayseemlikealotofwork.Intruth,itis.Butit’sagoodinvestment.Aweeklyreviewisintegraltomaintainingawell-oiledto-dolistsystem.Itwillensureyoufocusyourlimitedtimeonthehigh-valueitemsthatwillmoveforwardtheworkthatismostimportanttoyou.
Tip#5:UpdateYourListOfGoals
*
Yourgoalsdictatehowyouspendyourtime.Theygiveyouclarityaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve,intheshortrunaswellasyearsdowntheroad.
Theymakeyouaccountable.Whenyouknowwhatyou’retryingtoachieve,youbecomeawarethateverydecisionyoumakeeithermovesyouclosertowardyourgoalsorfurtherawayfromthem.
Goalsalsohelpyoutofocusonwhat’simportant.InStep#2ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,Irecommendedassigningaspecificgoaltoeachtaskonyourlist.Thepurposeofdoingsoistogiveyourselfanincentivetoact.Whenyouknowthereasonaparticulartaskneedstobedone,andthereasonisconsistentwithsomethingyouwanttoaccomplish,you’lldeveloplaser-sharpfocusonthetask.You’lltreatitasapriority.
First,creategoalsthatarespecific.Mostpeople’sgoalsarevague.That’saproblembecause,withoutspecifics,it’sdifficulttogaugeone’sprogresstowardachievingthem.
Takealookatthefollowingexample.Vaguegoal:retireearly.Specificgoal:retirebyyour60thbirthdaywith$2millioninliquid
investmentsanda$5,000monthlyincome.Notehowthevagueversionmakesitnearlyimpossibletotrackyour
progress.There’snowaytotellhowcloseyouaretoachievingitbecauseyouhaven’tclearlydefinedthemetricsbywhichyougaugesuccess.
Incontrast,thespecificversionprovidestrackablemetrics.Second,writedownyourgoals.You’llbelesslikelytoabandonthem.In1979,graduatesofHarvard’sMBAprogramwereaskedwhetherthey
wrotedowntheirgoals.Eighty-fourpercentadmittedtheyhadnospecificgoals;thirteenpercentclaimedtheyhadgoals,buthadnotwrittenthemdown;three
percentwrotedowntheirgoalsalongwiththeirplanstoachievethem.In1989,theinterviewersfollowedupwiththegraduates.Theynotedtwo
remarkablefindings.First,the13%whohadgoalsearnedmorethanthe84%whohadnogoals.Second,the3%whowrotedowntheirgoalsearned10timesasmuchasthe97%whodidnotwritethemdown.
Youcanseethere’spowerincommittingyourgoalstopaper.Torecap,you’vecreatedgoalsthatarespecific.Andyou’vewrittenthem
down.Nowwhat?Thethirdstepistoreviewthemmonthly.Setaside30minutesattheendof
eachmonthtotrackyourprogressandreevaluatewhetheranyofyourgoalshavechanged.Iftheyhave,makenotesaccordingly.
Yourto-dolistsystemisdrivenbythethingsyouwanttoaccomplishinyourlife.Someofyourgoalswillbeshort-terminnature-forexample,youmightwanttoearnapromotionatworkthisyear.Otherswillbelong-terminnature-forexample,retiringbytheageof60with$2millioninliquidinvestments.
Reviewandupdateyourgoalseachmonth.Doingsowillhelpkeepyourto-dolistsystemrunningsmoothly.
Tip#6:AvoidGettingBoggedDownInMethodology
*
It’scommonforpeopleinterestedinbeingmoreproductiveandlearninghowtobettermanagetheirtimetotrynumeroussystems.Wediscussedsomeofthosesystemsastheyrelatespecificallytoto-dolistsinthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems.Whenwebroadenthespectrumtoincludesystemsrelatedtotimemanagementingeneral,weencounterthePomodoroTechnique,timeboxing,theFranklin-Coveysystem,ZenToDone,andothers.
Tryingdifferentsystemsisimportant.It’stheonlywaytodeterminewhichonescomplementthewayyouwork.It’salsoagreatwaytodiscoverindividualtacticsyoucanincludeinyourownapproach.
Thisisessentiallywhatwe’vedoneinthisactionguide;weexploredseveralofthetopto-dolistmethodologieswithaneyeforthefeaturesthatseemtoholdthemostvalue.Wethencreatedato-dolistsystemusingsomeofthosefeatures.
Butthere’sadarksidetoproductivityandtimemanagementsystems:it’seasytogetboggeddowninthem.Webecomesofocusedonthemethodologiescreatedtohelpusmanageourtimethattheybegintonegativelyimpactourproductivity.ThisisaversionoftheproblemwediscussedinthesectionTheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccess.Thesystemsdesignedtohelpusendupholdingusback.
Thepurposeofanyproductivitysystem,includingyourto-dolistsystem,istohelpyougettherightthingsdoneontime.Thegoalistoincreaseyourefficiencyandultimatelymakeyourlifeeasiertomanage.
Whenyoufocusonmethodologiestothepointthattheybecomethepriority,youriskforfeitingthesegoals.
Youprobablyknowsomeonewhofitsthisdescription.Sheadoptseverynewtimemanagementsystemshecomesacross.Orsheusesasystemthatissocomplexandrequiressomuchtimetomaintainthatitendsuphamperingherproductivity.(Toseeexamples,visitYouTubeandsearchfor“timemanagementbindersystems.”)
Yourto-dolistsystemistheretosupportyou.It’stheretohelpyougettheimportantstuffdoneandmoveyouclosertoyourgoals.It’snottheretoruleyourlife.
Don’tbecomesoboggeddowninthemethodologythatyouforgetitspurpose.Beopentomodifyingaspectsofyourto-dolistsystemasyourneedschange.Bewillingtoadoptnewfeaturesasyoudiscoverbetter,moreefficient,waysofdoingthings.
Justrememberyourto-dolistsystemistheretoaidyou,notcontrolyou.
Tip#7:BuildAndFollowASystemThatWorksForYOU
*
Thereisnoperfectto-dolistsystem.Theapproachthatworksforothersmaynotworkaswellforyou.ThisisapointI’vestressedthroughoutthisactionguide.
Whilethebasicbuildingblocksofaneffectivesystem-e.g.deadlines,task-levelcontext,andseparationofcurrentandfuturetasks-haveuniversalvalue,otheraspectsarelesscrucial.Theycanbemodifiedorswappedoutforothers.
Infact,youshouldmodifyorswapthemoutifdoingsoimprovesyourabilitytogetthingsdone.
Theaimofthisactionguideisnottoforceyoutoworkwithintheconstraintsofasinglesystem.Onthecontrary,itsaimistohelpyoutocreateasystemthatworksforyou.
Noteourprogressthusfar…Wediscussedthemostpopularto-doliststrategiesusedtoday,highlighting
theirbestfeatures.Wealsocoveredthefundamentalsofeffectivelists,allofwhicharevitaltocreatingasuccessfulsystem.Andwe’renowdiscussingthecorefeaturesofasolidsupportstructurethatwillensureyoursystemworkssmoothlyoverthelongrun.
Theconceptswe’vecoveredhavehadasinglegoal:tohelpyoucreateyourpersonalto-dolistsystem,amethodologythatworksforyou.Yourapproachisgoingtolookdifferentthanmyapproach.That’sasitshouldbe.Ourcircumstancesaredifferent.Ourworkprocessesaredifferent.Ourpredilectionsandproclivitiesaredifferent.
Itfollowsthatourrespectiveto-dolistsystemswillbedifferent.
It’sworthrepeatingthatthebasicbuildingblocks,coveredinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,arethesame.They’reessentialtocreatinganeffectivesystem.Butyourapplicationofthemwilldifferfrommine.
Themostimportantthingisthatyourapproachcomplementsyourworkflowandcircumstances.
Tip#8:BeConsistent
*
Yourto-dolistsystemwillonlybeaseffectiveastheconsistencywithwhichyouapplytheprincipleswe’vediscussedinthisactionguide.Consistencyisthekeytosuccessinanyendeavor,andmaintainingasuccessfultaskmanagementsystemisnoexception.
It’sonethingtoknowhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.It’sanotherthingentirelytoapplythebasicsonadailybasis.Doingthelatterwillmeanthedifferencebetweenasmoothly-operatingsystemandonethateventuallyoverwhelmsyou.
Thechallengeistwofold.First,consistencyrequireshabitchange.Lefttoourowndevices,mostofusareinclinedtogiveourselvestoomuchlatitude.Weneedtobuildthehabitoftakingactiononaregularbasis.Itdoesn’tcomenaturallytous.
Thesecondchallengeisthatskippingadayortwocanhaveasnowballeffect.Onceyouskipaday,itbecomeseasiertoskipforthcomingdays.
Youcanprobablyrelatetothisfromexperience.Evernoticehowpostponinganunpleasantactivity-forexample,visitingthedentist-makesiteasiertopostponethatactivityagainandagain?Thesamethingcanhappenifyoufailtoapplythestepsandtipsexplainedinthisactionguidewithconsistency.
Ifyoustrugglewithbeingconsistent,Irecommendyouusethe“JerrySeinfeld”strategy.Here’showitworks(I’llexplainitshistoryinamoment):
First,learnthe10stepstocreatinganeffectiveto-dolistsystem.(ThesestepswereexplainedindetailinthesectiontitledHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.)
Second,memorizetheeighttipsforensuringyoursystemrunssmoothlyoverthelongrun.(TheseeighttipsarefoundinthecurrentsectiontitledHowtoMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem.)
Third,buyawallcalendarthatdisplaystheentireyearonasinglesheet.Also,buyaredpen.
Lastly,applythestepsandtipsyou’velearnedtoyourmasterlist,context-basedlists,anddailyto-dolistseachday.Afteryou’vesuccessfullydoneso,crossthedayoffwiththeredpen.
Seinfeldusedthisstrategywhenhewasonthecomedyclubcircuit.Hewouldwritejokeseachday,crossingthedayoffonhiscalendar.Thered“X”markseventuallyformedachain,whichhemadecertaintoneverbreak.Seinfeldcreditedthis“chain”strategy,whichencouragedhimtowriteconsistently,tobecomingaskilledcomedian.
Untilyoudevelopthehabitofconsistentexecution,trySeinfeld’sapproach.Iusedittotrainmyselftoexercise.Itworkedperfectly.I’dbewillingtobetyou’llhavesimilarsuccessusingittomaintainyourto-dolistsystem.
WhatToDoIfYouFallOffTheWagon
*
Intheprevioussection,Inotedthatyoumustbeconsistentwithyourto-dolistsystemifyouwantittobeeffective.Theproblemis,beingconsistent,dayafterday,isdifficult.It’stemptingtoletthingssliphereandthere.
Unfortunately,lettingthingsslipcanquicklyleadtoaspiralofdecline.Beforeyouknowit,yoursystemhascrumbledandyou’retryingtodigyourselfoutfromunderit.
Thisismorecommonthanyoumightimagine.Manypeoplefallofftheproductivitywagon.Theylettheirsystemscollapsearoundthem,eventhoughdoingsocarriesaconsiderablecost.
Whydoesthishappen?Ithappensbecauseanyproductivitysystem,whetherit’sfocusedontaskmanagementorworkflowefficiency,isaseriesoflearnedbehaviors.Keepingitrunningsmoothlyrequiresdevelopingnewhabitsandapplyingthemwithconsistency.Ittakescommitmentandresilience.
Expecttofacechallengesasyouworktokeepyourto-dolistsystemrunningsmoothly.Therewillbetimeswhenyoufeellikethrowinginthetowel.That’sunderstandable.Replacingbadhabitswithgoodonesistoughwork.
Thekeyiswhatyouchoosetodowhenyoustumble.Somepeoplegiveup.Theyfigureit’stoodifficulttomaintaintheirto-dolist
systems,andpointtotheirfailuretosuccessfullykeepthemgoingasevidence.Withadefeatistattitude,theylettheirsystemscrumbleandsurrendertotheconsequences.
Otherstaketheoppositeapproach.Theyacknowledgethatperfectionisapipedream.Adelusion.Theyexpecttostumbleoccasionally.Insteadofgiving
up,however,theyforgivethemselvesandgetbackintheproverbialsaddle.Iencourageyoutotakethislatterapproachif,orwhen,youstumble.Don’t
beatyourselfup;self-guilthasnovalue.Instead,brushthedustoffandforgiveyourself.
Then,trytodeterminethereasonyoustumbled.Wasitalackofclarityregardingsomeaspectofyourto-dolistsystem?Wasitalackofenergythatinducedyoutoneglectyourweeklyreviews?Areyoutryingtodotoomuchgiventhelimitedamountoftimeatyourdisposal?
Onceyouknowthereason(orreasons)foryourslip-up,youcanmakechangestocorrecttheunderlyingproblem.
Aproperly-developedandconsistently-executedto-dolistsystemwillimproveyourproductivityaswellasyourqualityoflife.You’llexperiencelessstressandenjoymorefreetimetoconnectwiththosewhomyoulove.You’llalsoenjoymorefreedomtopursuepersonalinterests.
Butit’simportanttorealizeyou’llencounterchallenges.Whatyoudointhefaceofthesechallengeswilldeterminewhetheryoursystemdoesitsjoboverthelongrun.
PartV
Offlinevs.Online:WhereShouldYouCreateYourTo-DoLists?
*
It’sthedebatethatneverseemstoend.Shouldyouusedigitaltoolstocreateandorganizeyourto-dolistsorplain
‘olepenandpaper?Thetruthis,there’snouniversally-correctanswer.Thereareprosandconsto
bothmethods.Thissectionwillpresentthecasesforbothsides,soyoucanchoosetheoptionthat’srightforyou.
TheCaseForPenAndPaper
*
It’snotsexy.Butmillionsofpeopleswearbyitseffectiveness.Thetruthis,there’salottolikeaboutcreatingyourto-dolistsonpaper.
First,there’ssomethingaboutwritingdownataskthatcementsitinourminds.We’remorelikelytorememberit.We’realsomoreinclinedtoactonit.Typingthewordsonyourlaptoporphonehasalessereffect.ThisisoneofthereasonsIrecommendedwritingdownyourgoals(inthesectionHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem).
Second,anotepadwilladaptseamlesslytoyourpreferredmethodofjottingdownnotes.It’sperfectforlinearorganization,theformatusedforatypicalto-dolist.Itcanalsohandlemind-mappingandothernote-takingstyles.
Third,youcanavoidworryingaboutyetanotherpieceofsoftware.Chancesare,youalreadyuseanumberofapplications,fromwordprocessorstospreadsheets,throughoutyourday.Anyofthemcouldpotentiallyfail,interruptingyourworkflowanddestroyingyourmomentum.
That’sthedownsideofrelyingonsoftware.It’sworthnotingthatusingcloud-basedappsdoesn’tguaranteeround-the-
clockaccess.Whathappensiftheserversgodown,arehacked,oryoudon’thaveaccesstoyourlaptoporphone?
Theseproblemsareirrelevant-atleastintermsoftaskmanagement-whenyouusepenandpapertomaintainyourto-dolists.
Fourth,anotepadiseasytocarry.Youcankeepitwithyouatalltimes,jottingto-doitemsdownasyouthinkofthem.Usingadigitaltoolishighermaintenance.Forexample,considerthechallengeofkeepingtrackoftasksonalaptop.Wheneveryouthinkofanewitem,youhavetoretrieveandfireupyourlaptop,navigatetoyourtaskmanagementsoftware(orwebsite,ifthesoftwareisinthecloud),andtypethingsout.Usingyourphoneisn’tmucheasier.
Fifth,there’snothinglikethetactileexperienceofusingapentocrossoffacompletedto-doitem.Clickingabuttononyourcomputerscreenorphonewon’tgiveyouthesamefeeling.It’snotnearlyasgratifying.
Let’snowshiftourfocusandexplorethereasonstousedigitaltoolstocreateandmaintainyourto-dolists.
TheCaseForKeepingYourTo-DoListsOnline
*
Digitalsolutionsaboundforthosewhowanttomaintaintheirtaskmanagementsystemsonline.FromTodoistandEvernotetoTrelloandAsana,there’snoshortageofappswithwhichtocreateandorganizeyourto-dolists.Andmoreappsareintroducedeachyear.
Intheprevioussection,Ihighlightedfivereasonstousepaper-basedto-dolists.Here,I’llgiveyoufivereasonstousedigitaltools.Remember,therightapproachistheonethatworksbestforyou.
Thefirstreasontogodigitalisthattoday’sappsmakeitveryeasytoorganizeyourtasklistsbycontext.You’llrecallfromthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoListthatyoushouldmaintainmultiplelistsorganizedbyproject,typeofactivity,andlocation.Youmightalsohaveadditionalcontext-basedlists.OrganizingandmaintainingthemissimplerwithtoolslikeTodoistthandoingsoonpaper.
Second,youcaneasilymoveto-doitemsfromlisttolist.Thisisusefulifyouneedtore-categorizetasksormakechangestothecontextualdetailsattachedtothem.
Third,manyonlineappslikeTodoistallowyoutosetalarmsandremindersbasedondateandtime.Imaginehavingamastertasklistwith200items,eachofwhichyou’vegivenadeadline.Nowimaginetheonlineappalertingyouofimpendingdeadlinessoyoucanprioritizeyourdailyto-dolistsaccordingly.Youcan’tdothatwithpaper-basedlists.
Fourth,youcanorganizeprojectsandtasksinanestedstructure.Thisimprovesvisualizationofyourworkload.Youcangetabird’s-eyeviewofthe
tasksthatmakeuplargerprojectsandmonitoryourprogresstowardcompletingthoseprojects.
Fifth,toolslikeTodoistallowyoutointegrateyourto-dolistswithyourcalendar.Thisisanimportantfeaturesinceyourcalendardefinesyouravailability.OnceyoucreateyourlistsinTodoist,youcansyncthemtoyourcalendartoolofchoice(forexample,GoogleCalendar).It’sworthnotingthatintegrationwithsomecalendarsisdependentonthird-partytools,suchasZapierandIFTTT(IfThis,ThenThat).Don’tworry.Thesetoolsaredesignedtobeeasyandsimpletouse.
So,shouldyouusepaper-basedto-dolistsorcreateandmaintainyourlistsonline?Theanswerdependsonhowyouwork.Somepeoplethrivewithpaper.Personally,IprefertouseTodoist.It’seasytouse,free(apremiumaccountcostslessthan$30peryear),andplatform-independent.Youcanuseitonyourlaptop,iPhone,orAndroiddevice.
Ifyoususpectapaper-basedsystemwon’tsuityourneeds,IhighlyrecommendTodoist.It’sperfectforpersonaluse.
Ifyoumanageprojectsandteams,tryTrello.LikeTodoist,it’sfreewithalotofusefulfeatures.Youcanupgradetoapremiumaccountiftheneedarises.
HowToIncorporateYourCalendarIntoYourTo-DoLists
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Anotherbigstandoffintheproductivityspaceisbetweento-dolistsandcalendars.Isoneoptionbetterthantheother?Bothhavestaunchadvocatesandvocaldetractors.
Thetruthis,neithertoolshouldbeusedtotheexclusionoftheother.Thebestwaytomaximizeyouroutputeachdayistocombineyourto-dolistandcalendar.
Imentionedintheprevioussectionthatyourcalendardefinesyouravailability.Ittellsyouhowmuchtimeyouhaveatyourdisposaltoworkonto-doitems.Tothatend,itdoesnogoodtocreateato-dolistthatrequiresfivehoursofworkifyouonlyhavethreehoursavailabletoyou.Doingsowillsetyourselfupforfailure.That,inturn,willleadtodisappointment,stress,andfrustration.
There’saneasywaytoavoidthisoutcome:syncyourcalendarandto-dolists.Lettheformerinformyourdecisionsregardingthelatter.
Here’sasimpleapproach:First,attheendoftheday,reviewyourcalendarforthefollowingday.
Determinewhenyou’llbeinmeetings,onconferencecalls,orotherwiseunavailable.
Second,estimatehowmuchtimeyou’llbeabletoallocatetoyourto-doitems.Don’tforgettoleaveyourselftimeforlunchandbreaks.Also,padtheestimatetoaccommodateunexpecteddelays-forexample,imprompturequestsforhelpfromyourbossandcoworkers.
Second,buildthefollowingday’sto-dolist.Youshouldhaveafairlygood
idearegardinghowlongeachtaskwilltakeyoutocomplete(recallstep#8fromthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList).Createyourto-dolistbasedonyouravailability.
Third,thinkofyourdayasaseriesof30-minutetimechunks.Anhour-longmeetingwillrequiretwochunks.Atwo-hourconferencecallwillrequirefourchunks.Theseperiodsshouldbeblockedoffonyourcalendar.
Fourth,scheduletimetoworkonyourto-doitemsduringtheperiodsthatarenotblockedoff.
Forexample,supposethisyourschedulefortomorrow:
8:00a.m.to9:00a.m.-Meetingwithyourboss10:30a.m.tonoon-ConferencecallwithsalesteamNoonto1:00p.m.-Lunch3:00p.m.to3:30p.m.-Departmentmeeting
Theaboveschedulerevealstheperiodsduringwhichyou’llbeavailabletoworkthroughyourto-dolist:
9:00a.m.to10:30a.m.1:00p.m.to3:00p.m.3:30p.m.to5:00p.m.
That’sfiveandahalfhours.Trim45minutesforbreaksandimprompturequests,andyou’releftwithfourhoursand45minutes.Youcannowcreatearealisticto-dolistfortomorrowbasedonyouravailability.
Yourto-dolistisaninventoryofwhatyouhopetoaccomplishduringthecourseofagivenday.Yourcalendardetermineswhetherit’spossible.Workingwithonetool,butnottheother,isarecipeforfailure.Usethembothtomanageyourtimeeffectivelyandsetreasonable,realisticdailyproductivitygoals.
WhatIsA“DoneList”(AndShouldYouKeepOne)?
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Oneofthemostcommonchallengestostayingproductiveoverthelongrunisalackofmotivation.Youknowthefeeling.Yourunaroundalldaytogetthingsdoneonlytowonderattheendoftheday“wheretheheckdidIspendmytime?”
Everyonegoesthroughthis.Everyoneexperiencesthisfeelingfromtimetotime.Manyexperienceitonaregularbasis.
Theresultsarepredictable:frustration,stress,andguiltforfailingtocompleteimportant,high-valuetasks.
A“donelist”seekstofixthisproblem.Itrecordsallofthetasksyouaccomplishthroughouttheday.Theideaisthatseeingthecompletedtaskswillinspireyoutogetmoredone.Thedonelistrejuvenatesyou,fillingyouwiththemotivationyouneedtopressonward.
So,doesitwork?Canadonelistactuallymotivateyoutotakeaction?Itdepends.Ifyouneedmotivationtoworkontasks,thiscanbeasound
strategy.Yourdonelistwillhighlightyouraccomplishmentsduringthedayandensurethatyoudon’tforgetaboutthem.Incontrast,whenyouworkfromato-dolist,crossingofftasksasyoucompletethem,it’seasytooverlookhowmuchyou’veactuallygottendone.
Ontheotherhand,ifyoudon’tneedmotivationtotakeaction,adonelistmaybeunnecessary.Infact,itmayevenhurtyourproductivitysinceit’sanotherlistforyoutomanage.Itwillneedlesslyencumberyourto-dolistsystem.
Ifyou’renotsurewhetheradonelistwillhelpyoutogetthingsdone,Irecommendthatyouexperimentwithit.Maintainadonelistfortwoweeksand
notehowitinfluencesyou.Ifyoudiscoverthatithasapositiveimpactonyourproductivity,keepusingit.Otherwise,dropit.Remember,thepointofthisentireactionguideistocreateato-dolistsystemthatworksforyou.
Inthenextsection,I’llexplainhowtocreateadonelist.It’sdrop-deadsimple.
HowToCreateA"DoneList"
*
First,yourdonelistshouldnotreplaceyourto-dolist.Imentionthisbecausemanyproponentsofdonelistsrecommenddoingexactlythat.Theyadviseabandoningyourto-dolistsentirely.
Idisagreewiththatposition100%.ItshouldbeclearthatIfeelaneffectiveto-dolistsystemisinvaluableto
organizingtasksandprojectsandgettingthingsdone.Adonelistcannotpossiblytakeitsplaceasataskmanagementstrategy.It’snotsufficientlyflexible.
Thatsaid,itcanbeausefulpartofyourto-dolistsystemifyou’remotivatedbyseeingyourdailyaccomplishments.Sohere’showtocreateandmakeuseofadonelist.
First,writedowneverytaskyoucompleteduringthecourseofyourday.Thesizeofthetaskdoesn’tmatter.Nordoesitspriority.Didyoudeliverthereportyourbosstaskedyouwithlastweek?Writeitdown.Didyouscheduleameetingwithyourmanagers?Makeanoteofit.Didyoufollowupwithaprospectiveclientregardingyourbidforanewproject?Ifso,putitonyourdonelist!
Second,reviewyourdonelistafteryou’veofficiallycalleditaday.Takenoticeofhowmuchyou’veaccomplished.Then,takethetimetoappreciateyourhardwork.Giveyourselfapatontheback.
Third,thefollowingmorning,beforeyoutacklethenewday’sto-dolist,lookatyesterday’sdonelist.Noteagainhowmanytasksyoucompleted.Usethisasmotivationtobejustasproductiveduringthecurrentday.
That’sit.That’syourdonelistinaction.Idon’tuseadonelist.That’snotbecausethepracticeisineffective.Onthe
contrary,manypeoplefindittobehighlyeffective.I’vetrieditandfounditdoeslittleforme.
AsImentioned,ifamotivationalboostpromptsyoutoworkmoreefficiently,experimentwithusingadonelist.Youmayfinditaddssignificantvaluetoyourworkflow.Justdon’tletitreplaceyourto-dolistsystem.
FinalThoughtsOnCreatingEffectiveTo-DoLists
*
I’vementionedthispointafewtimesthroughoutthisactionguide,butit’sworthrepeatingonelasttime:yourto-dolistsystemshouldcomplementyourworkflow.Itshouldsuityourmethodofgettingthingsdone.
I’vegivenyouthebasicingredientsinthisguide.I’vealsohighlightedimportantfeaturesthatshouldbeapartofyoursystem.
Butultimately,thetaskmanagementstrategyyoudesignforyourselfshouldbetailoredinawaythatworksforyou.
Here’sanotherpointthatbearsrepeating:thepurposeofyourtasklists-fromyourmastertasklisttoyourdailyto-dolists-isn’ttomakesureyougeteverythingdone.Rather,theirpurposeistomakesureyou’refocusingyourlimitedtimeandattentiononyourmostimportantwork.
Remember,beingproductiveisn’taboutkeepingyourselfbusy.It’saboutgettingtherightthingsdonebasedonyourshortandlong-termgoals.
Oneofthebiggestadvantagesoftheto-dolistformulaI’vedescribedinthisactionguideisthatitallowsyoutogeteverythingoutofyourhead.YoucandumpeverythingontopaperorintoanonlinesolutionlikeTodoist).Fromthere,youcancategorizeitemsbycontext,deadlines,andotherdetails.Thisensuresimportantworkfloatstothetopwhilesimultaneouslypreventinglower-priorityitemsfromfallingthroughthecracks.
Lastly,onceyou’vecreatedasoundsystem,themostimportantthingyoucandoistoconsistentlyapplythebasicprinciples.Dosodayafterdaywithoutfail.Consistencyistheoilthatkeepstheenginerunning.
Youhaveamillionthingstodotoday(nottomentiontomorrow,nextweek,
andnextmonth).It’snotpossibletorememberallofthem.Norisitpossibletoorganizethemeffectivelyinyourhead.
Thesolutionistomaketo-dolists.Younowhavetherecipeforcreatingto-doliststhatwork.Youalsoknow
howtheyfitwithintheframeworkofabroadertaskmanagementsystem.Armedwiththisinsight,youcannowcreateliststhatwillguaranteeyougettheimportantstuffinyourlifedone!
MayIAskYouASmallFavor?
*
I’dliketothankyoufortakingthetimetoreadthisactionguide.Itmeanstheworldtome.Iknowtherearenumerousbooksavailableonthesubject.I’mhonoredthatyouchosetospendthistimereadingmybook.
Asyouknow,I’manindependentauthor.Thatbeingthecase,oneofmybiggestprioritiesistospreadthewordaboutmyactionguides.
IfyouenjoyedreadingTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,wouldyouconsiderlettingothersknowaboutit?Thereareseveralwaysyoucandoso.Forexample,youcould:
1. LeaveareviewonAmazon(clickhere)2. LeaveareviewatGoodreads.com3. Tellfolksaboutitonyourblog4. ShareitonFacebookorTwitter5. Mentionittoyourfriendsandfamilymembers
ReviewsonAmazonencourageotherreaderstogiveindependentauthorslikemyselfachance.TheyhelpmorethanIcandescribe.Andbelieveme,IcanuseallthehelpIget.
ThanksagainfortakingthetimetoreadTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!Isincerelyappreciateit.
Ifyou’dliketobenotifiedwhenIreleasenewactionguides(typicallyatasteepdiscount),pleasesignupformymailinglistathttp://artofproductivity.com/free-gift/.You’llreceiveafreePDFcopyofmy40-pageguideCatapultYourProductivity:TheTop10HabitsYouMustDevelopToGetMoreThingsDone.You’llalsoreceiveperiodictips,tricks,andhacksformanagingyourtimeanddesigninganenriching,fully-satisfyinglifestyle.
Allthebest,
DamonZahariadeshttp://artofproductivity.com
OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesThe30-DayProductivityPlan:BreakThe30BadHabitsThatAreSabotagingYourTimeManagement-OneDayAtATime!
Thisactionguidewillhelpyoutoidentifyandbreakthebadhabitsthatarepreventingyoufromachievingyourgoals.Organizedinto30easy-to-readdailychapters,it'sfilledwithhundredsofactionabletips.
*
DigitalDetox:UnplugToReclaimYourLife
Stresslevelsarerising.Relationshipsaresuffering.Ourphonesandotherdevicesarelargelytoblame.DigitalDetoxprovidesastep-by-stepblueprintforpeoplewhowanttotakeabreakfromtechnologyandenjoylifeunplugged.
*
TheTimeChunkingMethod:A10-StepActionPlanForIncreasingYourProductivity
TheTimeChunkingMethodisoneofthemostpopulartimemanagementstrategiesinusetoday.Ifyoustrugglewithgettingthingsdone,youneedthisactionguide.Productivityexpertsaroundtheworldattesttothemethod'seffectiveness!
*
To-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!
Mostpeopleuseto-doliststhathampertheirproductivityandleavethemwithunfinishedtasks.Thisactionguidehighlightsthereasonsandshowsyouhowtocreateeffectiveto-doliststhatguaranteeyougetyourimportantworkdone!
Foracompletelist,pleasevisit
http://artofproductivity.com/my-books/
AbouttheAuthor
DamonZahariadesisacorporaterefugeewhoenduredyearsofunnecessarymeetings,drive-bychatswithcoworkers,andadistraction-ladenworkenvironmentbeforestrikingoutonhisown.Today,inadditiontobeingtheauthorofagrowingcatalogoftimemanagementandproductivitybooks,he’stheshowrunnerfortheproductivityblogArtofProductivity.com.
Inhissparetime,heshowsoffhiscopywritingchopsbypoweringthecontentmarketingcampaignsusedbytoday’sgrowingbusinessestoattractcustomers.
DamonlivesinSouthernCaliforniawithhisbeautiful,supportivewifeandtheirfriskydog.He’scurrentlystaringdownthebarrelofhis50thbirthday.
www.artofproductivity.com
Copyright
Copyright©2016byDamonZahariades
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,distributed,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopying,recording,orotherelectronicormechanicalmethods,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedincriticalreviewsandcertainothernoncommercialusespermittedbycopyrightlaw.Forpermissionrequests,contacttheauthorthroughthewebsitebelow.
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http://www.artofproductivity.com