How do you manage to get things done? We all aim for productivity, most days we’re more successful than others. If you’re a list maker like me, you may notice writing an endless list of tasks to do for the day becomes an incomplete list. Creating to-do lists are excellent for keeping a record of what needs to get done for the day or week but there is more to them than having to cross them off. One of the ways we can increase our productivity with our list is by altering it to fit our needs and what works best for you.
So, what are some of the ways you can alter your list to work for you? Here are some five quick, start tips to improve your to-do lists to get you to complete your tasks.
Use Apps
Let’s face it we are in the age where technology is used daily than pen and paper. There are many apps now making it easier for you add to your list, organize your list by categories, add reminders, and place days on them. There are many apps such as Evernote, Google Tasks, Todoist, to name a few that have different features which will work for you. They’ll keep you organized and allow you to refer back to your lists without having to rummage through papers.
Divide List
When it comes to creating our to-do lists, we can write an endless list of tasks to do, but it can sometimes be overwhelming. By dividing our list of to-dos into sections, we’re able to organize our tasks into parts of what we do, for example, project development, meetings, calls, or unscheduled items. When we create categories for our list, we’re able to detail out our to-dos based on our categories and work on them throughout the day.
Get Specific
The more specific you are with your list, the more likely you are to be motivated to complete the task and finish it. If you’re broad on your list, for example, say I write “add new employees to the website,” well how do I know when I’m finished with adding employees when they’re in the process of being hired? Now, if I was to be more specific and write” add five new employees to the website,” there is an end to my goal which is both concrete and achievable. Writing specific to-dos helps you be realistic in setting goals and determined in completing your goal. Plus, you get the feeling of being productive.
Group Tasks And Prioritize
Grouping tasks can help you save time and energy. Not all tasks we do require the same amount of time or process from us which is why it’s important to know how to group tasks without having to switch back and forth from activities. How you arrange your tasks is dependent on the time of day you find yourself more productive. If you have a harder time concentrating in the morning, then do tasks that require less focus time like answering emails, or filling out paperwork. Grouping tasks with other similar responsibilities can make the transition to other work smoother and less energy.
As you write out your tasks, ask yourself what’s the level of seriousness of each task and when you need to complete it. Most of the time we write a list without prioritizing making us see our duties as random tasks we need to finish which results in us picking as we go. Not the most efficient way of tackling our responsibilities since some may require more time than others. Therefore as we make our list let’s ask what’s urgent and how long will it take if I don’t start today. Sometimes a task can seem like it can be done in a day or two when it can last longer. Writing our list based on what is top priority can help eliminate procrastination.
Reward Your Accomplishments
In the rush of the day, we sometimes forget to take a step back and look at what we have accomplished in the day even if they are items that weren’t accounted for. We need to focus on what’s been done not just what we need to do next. Celebrating the small accomplishes we did in the day gives us the sense of fulfillment and productivity we acknowledge what we’ve done by crossing them off your list. With celebration, reward yourself with something like ice cream, extra time watching tv, or dinner at your favorite restaurant.
Creating to-do lists promoting our productivity will keep us motivated to finish the task and to feel less overwhelmed. You don’t have to make your lists by hand anymore, get an app with features you can use to alter your to-do list to work for you. Tell us how you create your to-do list in the comments below.