Do you struggle with your never-ending to-do list? Before long, the whole thing becomes so overwhelming that you stop actually looking at it. You might default to doing whatever is flying at you or what is screaming the loudest. This is a very common phenomenon. Because we have so much to do in our lives, it's really easy to be overwhelmed.
Whether it’s paper or digital, there are a few principles I recommend to structure your to-do's so your list becomes approachable. The great unlock is to remember that a to-do is not connected to a when rarely gets done. Each to-do has to get assigned a day or a time. Otherwise, you're just hoping to do it when you remember it or when you have a free moment (which doesn’t ever seem to happen). Instead, with just a few actionable tips, your to-do list can transform into a realistic game plan to get your most important tasks done.
Integrate To-Do’s Into Your Calendar
A master to-do list can go on for 3+ pages and become so overwhelming you avoid looking at it altogether. I’ll never be able to finish everything on this list, we think to ourselves, so why bother trying? On the other hand, your calendar represents all the time you have to get things done. For every to-do, ask yourself, “When am I going to do it?” and then schedule it into your calendar, just like a meeting. You’re creating a “Do date” (as opposed to a Due date) for yourself. Your calendar becomes a sort of silent assistant, planning and protecting the time, motivation, and accountability to get things done.
Categorize to Track your Balance
It's very hard for people to switch their mental gears between very different types of tasks. When your to-do’s are captured in a chronological list, you can feel fragmented as you toggle between work tasks and home tasks or deep thinking and admin tasks. Instead, take time to clearly define the various categories you need to allocate your time between. Define the categories that make sense to you–it can be as simple as Work, Home, and Personal, or more specific within your workday–e.g.Client, Team, Admin. If you capture your to-do’s by category, you’ll be able to keep an eye on the balance across your various roles and responsibilities. And, if any category gets too heavy and is using too much time, you can quickly see what is getting short shrift and come up with an action plan to get back in balance.
Use Action Verbs
A to-do needs to be concrete, actionable, and clear. Start all to-do’s with an action verb. Vague notations, such as “Board report” or “Blog”, burden you with having to remember what you meant and will slow you down as you take the time to remember,” What am I supposed to do with that blog?” Instead, try “Write the first draft of blog.”, or “Polish final draft of blog.” Then add time estimates next to each to-do, especially if you tend to overbook your days. Jotting down a time estimate for each task keeps you very conscious and realistic about how much you can realistically get done in a day. And if you end up with any free time, like a 60-minute meeting gets canceled, you can easily scan your list. You are ready to grab a 60-minute task from your to-do list that fits right into that new opening.
Ultimately, structuring your to-dos on your calendar, in categories, with action verbs and a time estimate, takes the pressure off. You’ll no longer avoid the long ambiguous scroll of to-dos. Your plan becomes realistic yet flexible. Your time is properly allocated to the most important tasks — and when more things feel do-able, more things get done.