As much as I have resisted creating routines and structures, I am learning that when I approach them in a way that works for my brain, I can easily adopt the habits. For example, I love checklists. I like checking off completed tasks. I like seeing a finite list. When the tasks are in my head they feel infinite and overwhelming. I tend to shut down because I don’t know where to start and I am not sure even if there is any point to starting when I have no idea if I will EVER finish!
I also like checklists because then I can track my streaks. This is one of the ways I motivate myself. I can track a streak of every day for a week. Then it can grow to a month — or more!.
I am currently at a streak of 120 days straight of posting on Instagram and Facebook! Let me tell you how motivating it is to me to keep that streak going! And it really helps keep me in an “I can do this!” mindset.
The value creating lists has to me, from a time management standpoint, is that I am not locked into a particular time and place. I can create a task list, call it “First Thing In the Morning” and fill it with the things I want/need to do first thing in the morning. Then I can do that when “first thing in the morning” happens.
Some days it’s 7:30 am. Some days it’s 2:00 pm. Hmmm – maybe I should just call it my “First Things” list! 🤣
One of the items on my “First Things” list is to sit down with my daily planner.
Oh, and let me tell you what’s it taken to find a planner that works with my brain! 🤣
One part of the page for a day has a list of tasks I want/need to complete that day. It’s right below the block called “Priorities” and it takes up less space on the page — it’s a smaller area — than the priorities and schedule areas. The smaller size makes it seem more doable, less scary, more manageable.
I don’t know if they did it on purpose, but it’s been a happy discovery for me.
When I first saw the area for tasks, I saw that it had place for 8 tasks. My first thought was, “Who has only eight tasks they need to complete in a day??” There is only space for 5 priorities, so that was not helpful. I figured I could combine them, write small and I MIGHT have space for all my tasks.
You would not believe how overwhelming it was to look at the page with 1/3 of the space filled with things that needed doing.
On my bad days, this caused me to shut down and nothing got accomplished. On my good days, this caused me to work until late in the night because no matter how many things I crossed off, there were still more to be done.
Then I got some amazing advice. If there are spaces for eight tasks, write only eight tasks. When you get all eight done, your day is over. Clock out, close the door and go have some fun! If you don’t get all 8 done, it does not feel as bad as leaving most of the list undone.
Not long after that, a friend shared the tip that if you write really large, there’s not enough space for too many to-dos on your list. I felt that!
If you are like me and feel like you are always working and never getting to the bottom of the task list, it’s time to cut down the task list. Your task list should be a list of things you can reasonably accomplish in a day.
The write bigger tip was a result of my friend not feeling like she was able to do much that day. So reflect on your energy, your obligations, and whatever else the day might hold for you, then make a list of the top [Pick Your Own Number – and it can vary daily!] items you choose to accomplish that day.
Notice I said, “choose” — not want, need, have, ought, should, or would. Choose the things you feel like will move you forward, make you feel like you accomplished something worthwhile that day, or are important to be done — like paying the electric bill.
Join us to learn to use Trello for managing tasks and projects in this month’s Tech Create-Shop.
