To Do, Or Not To Do

With school back in full swing and the holidays just around the corner, now is the perfect time to consider the “how to’s” of an effective “to-do” list. No matter how frequently or infrequently, successfully or unsuccessfully you have written and followed through on your to-do lists in the past, now is the time to make your to-do list a valuable time-management asset by following these five simple guidelines.

1. Make your list S.M.A.R.T.
Just like any good short or long-term goal, your to-do list should contain activities that are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). Use action verbs as much as possible, and make sure to write only tasks that you can realistically achieve in the amount of time you have. If you see the same activity appearing over and over on your to-do list, ask yourself if it’s something that’s timely and important right now, or something that can wait.

2. Be ready to act.
Many times we put tasks on our to-do list that we are not prepared to follow through on. My husband recently wanted to make cold calls in order to find people who were interested in receiving his promotional package. Call potential clients was not a strong task for his to-do list until he had his packages put together and ready to send. Be prepared to follow through on what you want to achieve, or chunk down your tasks until they are small enough to act on immediately.

3. Start small.
Often our to-do list looks less like a daily task list and more like a short or long-term goal list. Things like Write a book or Lose 15 pounds are awesome goals that belong on a separate list from your daily to-dos. It’s important to have short and long term goals, and your to-do list is a great way to break those goals down into small, manageable steps. When I started writing my book, I was having a difficult time focusing until my coach suggested that I add Write for 45 minutes to my to-do list every day. It was much more attainable to write for 45 minutes per day than it was to approach the task as completing a whole manuscript.

4. Make your “why” bigger than your “what.”
I recently needed to take some documentation to my cell phone provider so I could receive an employer discount. After a few days of not following through on the task, I asked myself, “Why is this important to me?” I immediately thought “If I can save that money, we’ll have more money to put into our vacation savings.” Task completed! Checking an item off our list may be one reason why we want to do it, but thinking of the deeper purpose behind each task, helps us follow through more efficiently. Purpose drives productivity. Make the reason why you’re doing something more important than the act itself.

5. Be clear and easy on yourself.
When and how you write your to-do list (or any list!) is very important. I find that the best time to write my to-do list is after my morning meditation and journaling time. Definitely do not write your list when you feel scattered or over-caffeinated, and don’t write a list because you feel like you have to. The best to-do lists are written when we feel clear. If you write your list when you’re on-edge, it’s likely that you will feel on-edge while completing your list. Also, be easy on yourself! Include some fun activities and treat yourself to a day without a list every once in awhile.

When you’re writing your next to-do list, remember to make your list S.M.A.R.T., to be ready to act, to start small, to infuse each task with purpose and to be clear and easy on yourself through the process. By putting these practical guidelines to use, you will turn your to-do list into ta-da list!