How to effectively make and use a To-Do list

Writing things down unburdens the brain – this is news to noone. To-Do lists are also a very old concept, I would assume one of the earliest of its kind were the ten commandments (I might have to retract that, those commandments were probably more of a what-not-to-do-list?!). Anyway, in recent years a whole industry has built around stationary and papieterie – systems of planners, templates, sticker, tags, clips, neon pens and fancy fonts – all at our finger tips to help us be organized and stay on task. If you are more of the digital type you also get your choice of apps and programs to help your brain’s memory out.

I love to-do lists (I will call them TDL for short – remember it’s all about efficiency 😉 ) My first order of business each morning is to sketch out what I want to accomplish that day and writing that down on a bulletin point list. Easy as pie, one might think. But behold, there are plenty of things that can go wrong! Below I have gathered some mistakes I have made when creating my TDL. I am sharing these with you in hopes you can avoid them and rather follow my tips:

• spend the night before thinking about all the things you need to put on your TDL tomorrow:
  -> rather, make the list the night before, so your mind is free to doze off into wonderland (I know, mindblow! 😉 )
• too many things, for too little time: i.e. painting a whole room, baking a cake, cleaning the fridge all in one hour
  -> determine how much time in total you want to spend on checking things off of the list
  -> estimate how long each item on your list will take to complete
  -> put only as many items as will fit your available time on your list (basic arithmetic applies here 1+1=2, 1+1+1+2+4+6 does not equal 2 – not on planet Earth!)
• item size is unspecific: i.e. a bulletin point that says “work on website” could mean anything from opening the CMS and changing a headline to redesigning the whole thing
  -> have specific tasks that are rather small in chunk size, back to the website example that could mean a bulletin point “adjust font color and sizes”
  -> at first glance this might bloat your TDL but essentially you won’t have to DO more (ok, a little more writing when making the TDL) and you get to check more things off the list!
  -> have an extra notebook for broad ideas or unspecific projects you want to tackle in the future
• roll-over items: Similar to cell phone roll-over-minutes (those minutes you don’t use and get to take into the next month) – not sure if that is still a thing in the US?! – here it means taking items you didn’t check of today and putting them on tomorrow’s TDL. That’s a no go! “But, Daniela, it has to get done!”, you say?! “Sirs and Ma’ams,” I say, “Really?!”
  -> evaluate the item that was left over and figure out why it was left behind? Was it too big and not broken down enough in single tasks? Was the time allocated to it realistic? Is it too early in the process to have this item on the list? Is it really important? Chances are it’s not! Only put a revised items back on your next list, that have a fair chance in life to get ticked off – you don’t want to make them your eternal hostage!

That’s all fine and dandy. There are about a million more check lists on how to make check lists on the internet. Here comes the real kicker though and essentially what this post is really about. This has been my personal experience and I might not be alone with that. After having worked long and hard, the whole TDL is checked off. I feel a short phase of elation when I cross off the last item (I don’t do check marks, I am really making a point – get it, point!? – to have owned and defeated the item with several long and hard pen strokes all across it!). Then I fall into a big hole of emptiness. Now what? What’s next? Should I add more? Get a head start on tomorrow’s list?

Then it dawned on me that all the lists in the world would be useless unless I FELT accomplished. So the accomplishment in itself (having done all the things I wanted to do) is from a memory and emotional perspective nonexistent unless I acknowledge it as such. No adding more items! No more chasing after the carrot! Stop the madness!

• not feeling accomplished: done and forgotten, on to the next! Not so fast!
  -> read over your whole checked off (or crossed out) list and feel the difference, evaluate how much time you have spent on each item, see how much further you are in the whole process! Did you enjoy what you did? Which item was the most fun? What could you do better next time?
  -> reward yourself for creating an accomplish-able list and working on all the items on it. How about some iced tea? Or a Latte?

Hope this was helpful and you will find yourself feeling accomplished after you’ve tackled your TDL!

Until next time!

Daniela