By Adam Smith
What Is A To-Do List
We all know what a to-do list is and you’ve either decided If it works for you or it doesn’t. I’ve been in both corners where I’ve written endlessly amounts of to-do list but end up not doing any of them. Then I have written some that I tick off every single one and feel a seance of accomplishment. I researched why this was and it’s pretty much down us as people. The focus you gain by creating to-do lists is a great way of helping you complete tasks which I will go through shortly but what hinders this is a thing called procrastination. That painful inaction that stops everything you wanted or needed to do for short term pleasure but long term pain.
What To Do First
Before doing any to-do list you have to make a pact with yourself to honour your list your about to write. If not it won’t mean anything to you and can easily be cast aside. There are many ways you can hold yourself accountable. I do it because I don’t want to be a liar to myself but this could go much deeper or have it written up where everyone in your house can see it or email it to a weekly accountability partner. Whatever it is make sure you do this first.
How It Can Help You
The main point of a to-do list is to get things done, whether that be a start-up or chores around the house. When you write it down it helps organise your thoughts into clear actions that you can accomplish as well letting your subconscious mind know exactly what needs to be done. Its always so surprising how many goals I tick off later in the month that has been subconsciously coming my way.
How I Use It
For me, I love writing my list down on paper rather than my phone but that’s just a personal preference. If that’s not for you there are 100s of different to-do list apps that can be great for you. (The notebook has been a personal favourite in the past.) When I do write it down I do a monthly list of everything that pops up into my brain. I drain my brain so there’s nothing else left. Then daily I write down the 3 main goals that I have to do no matter what.
This helps me to tackle the big goals then I always look at my monthly to-do list daily for a quick reminder of what other small tasks I can do throughout the day if I have time like making a dentist appointment or getting a new battery for my watch. Then every month I evaluate what’s got done and start the whole process again.
How It Boosts Productivity
Since committing too to-do lists my productivity has gone through the roof. Where before a lot of things used to get done last minute or not at all. Now 80 – 90% of all my tasks get done. It’s not perfect with some tasks that I never get round to but on the comparison, it’s light-years ahead of what I was achieving before.
Final Thoughts
We’ve all got things we need to do. That’s just a thing of life. But the difference between you achieving your goals and your desired outcome is taking action to get there. The focus you gain by creating to-do lists when used the right way can be an effective way of getting thoughts on paper and paper to action. I would love to hear your thoughts on this on whether it works for you or not. I hope it helps you as much as it as helped me.
See you soon on the next post!
