To Do list or not To Do list? That is the question!

Ok I know, they don’t work for everyone. We’re all different and I’m not insisting that anyone HAS to use a ‘To Do’ list – you need to find what suits you. But there’s no harm in trying, right?

I have to admit to being a fan of To Do Lists!  I organise my life through lists, notes and reminders – paper and electronic. Thoughts come out of my head and go immediately onto paper or into my phone, so my head remains free of mental clutter.

So a quick suggestion for using To Do Lists effectively;

Long Term To Do List
Get all of your niggling tasks written down so that they’re staring you in the face.  It may be to decorate the hallway, put up a curtain pole, replace the broken fence panel.  But they don’t all need to be done NOW!  Add to the list as time goes on, and include a ‘due date’ for those things that really are time-bound, such as visitors coming to stay.  Pin it on your wall/calendar/noticeboard.

Current To Do List
This should contain things that need doing that day/week.  So it could include booking a haircut, replacing a light bulb, buying a birthday present for a party at the weekend. Check it daily and add to it as more tasks come to light. K eep it somewhere you will see it every day.

Crossing off
The most satisfying bit about having any To Do list is surely the crossing off completed tasks!  Take pleasure each day in looking at all of those strike-throughs.  Don’t focus on what’s left to be done, but at what you HAVE achieved.  And remember to give yourself a pat on the back for the progress you’ve made.
So come on, don’t flap because there’s so much to do – get it out of your head and onto paper.  Get it structured, time bound and assign a time in your diary to get things done!