How to Fix Your To Do List

If you are struggling with managing everything you need to do, it may be your task list that is the problem.  Is your list suffering from any of these problems?

Your list isn't handy. 

If you can't access your task list, it's useless. I think this is really important to remember, and it's why I personally use a digital task management app so that it's synced with my phone at all times. If you're more of a paper person, that’s fine, just make sure to have your list with you when you go to meetings and other events throughout your day.  As you think of things or agree to take on tasks, you can easily add them and not have to copy them to your list later.

Your list is too broad. 

Often we will put off tasks because they seem too large or overwhelming.  This is usually because it's not just one task but a project with a series of tasks. When you find that overwhelming task on your list, try to break it into smaller items.  Ask yourself, what's the very first thing that I need to do? Maybe the first item is to set a meeting or to decide who to invite to the meeting. If you can identify one or two initial tasks, that can get the ball rolling.

Your list is missing things. 

Make sure not to leave off the little things that can add up to a significant amount of work. I like to batch my tasks by items that might require a phone call or an email.  When I’m in a chatty mood, I'll make all of those calls in a row.  In addition to saving time, this has the advantage of giving you lots of simple things to check off your list, which gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Your list isn’t prioritized.  

Prioritizing your list can help you focus on what’s most important.  There are a number of ways to add priorities. Task list list apps usually have the ability to choose a high, medium, or low priority.  If you're using a paper list, you can take the time to write a number one, two, or three in front of each.  Or just an exclamation point in front of those that you don't want to miss.  This will help you avoid focusing on the minutiae and missing the bigger projects.

You don’t know how long it takes to complete a task.  

Including a time estimate can be very helpful.  At first, it can be difficult to know how long it takes you to do something, but I encourage you to make a guess. Soon you'll get better at knowing how long it takes you to respond to an e-mail or type up a procedure. The reason for having time estimates is that it allows you to better utilize spare time. If you have 10 minutes before lunch or at the end of the day, you can easily sort your list by length of time, and then pick off one or two short things to accomplish before you leave.

Try making these tweaks to see if you can create a more functional task list.  If you’re interested in trying a task management software, see my blog post on Task Management Apps.

What’s your favorite task list tip?  Do you have a favorite app you use?  Tell me about it in the comments.