TO-DOLISTFORMULA

ASTRESS-FREEGUIDETOCREATINGTO-DOLISTSTHATWORK!

DAMONZAHARIADES

ARTOFPRODUCTIVITY.COM

CONTENTS

OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesYourFreeGiftForewordWhatAreYourTo-DoListsSupposedToAccomplish?TheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccessWhyYou'reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItemsReason#1:YouMisunderstandTheGoalOfTo-DoListsReason#2:YouNeglectToAssignDeadlinesReason#3:YourListsAreTooLongReason#4:YourListsHaveTooMuchVariabilityReason#5:YouGiveYourselfTooManyOptionsReason#6:YouNeglectToAddContextForEachTaskReason#7:YourTasksAreDefinedTooBroadlyReason#8:YourTasksAreNotAttachedToSpecificGoalsAssessingYourTo-DoListMastery:ASelf-AppraisalHowNegativeEmotionsImpairYourProductivity10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems#1-TheMassive,All-InclusiveList#2-The“Task+StartingDate+DueDate”List#3-TheTo-DoListTwosome:MasterTaskList+DailyTaskList#4-The"3+2"Strategy#5-The1-3-5Rule#6-TheProject-BasedSystem#7-The3-MITApproach#8-TheKanbanMethod#9-TheMatrixSystem#10-GettingThingsDone(GTD)GettingThingsDone:IsItEffective?HowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoListStep1:IsolateCurrentTasksFromFutureTasksStep2:DefineTasksByDesiredOutcomesStep3:BreakProjectsDownToIndividualTasksStep4:AssignADeadlineToEachTaskStep5:LimitTheNumberOfCurrentTasksToSevenStep6:OrganizeTasksByProject,Type,OrLocationStep7:PruneYourListOfUnnecessaryTasks

Step8:EstimateTheAmountOfTimeEachTaskWillTakeToCompleteStep9:LeadEachTaskWithAnActiveVerbStep10:NoteWhichTasksRequireInputFromOthersHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystemTip#1:KeepA“TinyTask”BatchListTip#2:RemainVigilantAgainstFeelingOverwhelmedTip#3:DefineYourTo-DoListsByContextTip#4:ConductWeeklyReviewsTip#5:UpdateYourListOfGoalsTip#6:AvoidGettingBoggedDownInMethodologyTip#7:BuildAndFollowASystemThatWorksForYOUTip#8:BeConsistentWhatToDoIfYouFallOffTheWagonOfflinevs.Online:WhereShouldYouCreateYourTo-DoLists?TheCaseForPenAndPaperTheCaseForKeepingYourTo-DoListsOnlineHowToIncorporateYourCalendarIntoYourTo-DoListsWhatIsA“DoneList”(AndShouldYouKeepOne)?HowToCreateA"DoneList"FinalThoughtsOnCreatingEffectiveTo-DoListsMayIAskYouASmallFavor?OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesAbouttheAuthorCopyright

OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesThe30-DayProductivityPlan:BreakThe30BadHabitsThatAreSabotagingYourTimeManagement-OneDayAtATime!

Thisactionguidewillhelpyoutoidentifyandbreakthebadhabitsthatarepreventingyoufromachievingyourgoals.Organizedinto30easy-to-readdailychapters,it'sfilledwithhundredsofactionabletips.

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DigitalDetox:UnplugToReclaimYourLife

Stresslevelsarerising.Relationshipsaresuffering.Ourphonesandotherdevicesarelargelytoblame.DigitalDetoxprovidesastep-by-stepblueprintforpeoplewhowanttotakeabreakfromtechnologyandenjoylifeunplugged.

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TheTimeChunkingMethod:A10-StepActionPlanForIncreasingYourProductivity

TheTimeChunkingMethodisoneofthemostpopulartimemanagementstrategiesinusetoday.Ifyoustrugglewithgettingthingsdone,youneedthisactionguide.Productivityexpertsaroundtheworldattesttothemethod'seffectiveness!

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To-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!

Mostpeopleuseto-doliststhathampertheirproductivityandleavethemwithunfinishedtasks.Thisactionguidehighlightsthereasonsandshowsyouhowtocreateeffectiveto-doliststhatguaranteeyougetyourimportantworkdone!

Foracompletelist,pleasevisit

http://artofproductivity.com/my-books/

YourFreeGift

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Ihavesomethingforyou.Itwon’tcostyouadime.It’sa40-pagePDFguidetitledCatapultYourProductivity!TheTop10HabitsYouMustDevelopToGetMoreThingsDone.I’dlikeyoutohaveafreecopywithmycompliments.

Youcangrabyourcopybyclickingonthefollowinglinkandjoiningmymailinglist:

http://artofproductivity.com/free-gift/

BeforewejumpintoTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,I’dliketoexpressmythanks.Irealizetherearemanybooksonthissubjectthatyoucouldotherwisespendyourtimereading.You’retakingachanceonme.Iappreciateit.GivingyouafreePDFcopyofmyguideCatapultYourProductivityismywayofshowingthatappreciation.

Onthatnote,let’sdigin.You’regoingtolovewhat’scomingyourwayinthefollowingpages.

Foreword

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Theto-dolistisoneofthesimplesttaskmanagementsystemsinusetoday.Yetitcontinuestofrustratemillionsofpeople.Youmaybeoneofthem.

First,it’snotyourfault.Fewpeoplereceiveformaltrainingonhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.It’srarelytaughtinschool.Andbythetimemostofusentertheworkplace,we’veadoptedapoor,ineffectiveapproachtogettingthingsdone.

Second,withoutsolidtraining,you’relikelyusingataskmanagementmethodthat’ssabotagingyourabilitytocompletetasks.Icallthisthe“productivityparadox,”whichwe’lldiscussindetailinafewmoments.

Theresultsarecatastrophic.Withoutaproperstrategytomanagetasks,ourdaysspiraloutofcontrol.Our

stresslevelsskyrocketashigh-priorityitemslingerpasttheirdeadlines.Meanwhile,aconstantstreamofnewtaskscomesinanddemandsourattention.Webegintofeeloverwhelmedasourto-dolistsgrowpastthepointwherewecanreasonablyexpecttogeteverythingdone.

That’slifeformillionsofpeople.It’sthereasonIwrotethisactionguide,To-DoListFormula:AStress-Guide

ToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!I’mgoingtoshowyouhowtomanagetasksandcreateto-doliststhathelpyoutogetyourimportantworkdone.Thissingleskillwillcausemuchofthestressyou’refeelingtoevaporate.

To-DoListFormulaisashortbookdesignedtohelpyoutakeactionasquicklyaspossible.That’simportant.You’rereadingitbecauseyoufeelswamped,buriedunderamountainoftasks,projects,andresponsibilities.ThesystemI’mgoingtooutlineforyouwillshowyouhowtoregaincontrolofyourworkdayandstayaheadofthecurve.

Thisactionguideisn’tmeanttobeskimmedandshelved.It’smeanttobe

readandapplied.Thegoodnewsisthatthematerialhasbeenwrittenandorganizedinawaythatmakesiteasytoreadthroughitquickly.Youcanalsochoosetoreadonlythesectionsyoufeelareimportanttoyou.

Applicationofthematerialisuptoyou.Thetitleofthisbook,To-DoListFormula,shouldn’tbetakentoimplythata

single,perfecttaskmanagementapproachwillworkforeveryone.Onthecontrary,thegoalistoidentifytheapproachthatbestcomplementsyourpersonalworkprocess.

Tothatend,I’lldescribeseveralto-dolistsystemsinusetoday.Eachonehasusefulfeaturesaswellasnoteworthyflaws.Afterwediscussthesesystems,I’llshowyouhowtocreateeffectivelists.I’lltakeyouthroughtheprocess,stepbystep.

Towardtheendofthisactionguidewe’lltalkabouthowtokeepthemachinewell-oiledsoitcontinuestoworkflawlesslyforyoudayafterday.Iencourageyoutoadoptthetacticsthatworkforyouandabandontherest.

AsI’vehighlightedinmyotherbooks,you’rethecaptainofyourship.I’llprovidethemapandmakeactionablerecommendations.Youplotthecourse.

Onelastnote…don’tbeintimidatedbythisbook’stableofcontents.I’veorganizedthismaterialsoyoucaneasilyfindthesectionsthatwilldeliverthegreatestimpactinyourlife.Youdon’thavetoreadthemallifyoudon’twantto.Readtheonesthatinterestyounowandsavetheothersforlater.

Havingsaidthat,ifyou’refeelingcompletelyoverwhelmed,Irecommendyoureadthisactionguidefrombeginningtoend.You’lllearnwhyyourcurrentapproachtotaskmanagementisfailing.You’llalsodiscoverthechangesyouneedtomaketomeetyourdeadlines,loweryourstress,andfindmorejoyinyourdailyexperience.

BythetimeyoufinishreadingTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,you’llknowhowtocreatetaskliststhatdomorethanjustdisplayactionitems.They’llactuallyhelpyoutogetthingsdone.Moretothepoint,they’llhelpyoutogettheimportantthingsdone.Thatcouldmeanthedifferencebetweenstrugglingwithchronicstressandself-guiltandenjoyingarelaxed,pressure-freeworkweek.

You’reabouttolearnasystemthatwillrevolutionizehowyouapproachyourwork,bothattheofficeandathome.

Readytogetstarted?Ifso,let’sjumpin.

WhatAreYourTo-DoListsSupposedToAccomplish?

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Here’swhatasolidto-doliststrategywilldoforyou:First,itwillgiveyoucontroloveryourworkday.You’llknowwhatyouneed

toworkonandwhatcanbeputonthebackburner.Agoodtaskmanagementsystemwillmakeyourworkdaylesschaotic.

Second,you’llbeabletomeetyourdeadlines.Asolidto-dolistwillrevealtheday’stopprioritiesbasedontheirimportanceandurgency.Itwillshowyouinstantlywhereyoushoulddevoteyourtimeandattention.

Third,yourto-dolistwillensureyou’reworkingontherighttasksattherighttime.Accordingly,you’llgeturgentitemsdoneandbeabletofocusonless-urgentitemsastimepermits.Ratherthanfeelingoverwhelmed,you’llfeellikeyou’reaheadofthecurve.

Fourth,you’llavoidwastingvaluabletimeputtingoutfires.Remember,yourtasklistwillshowyouwhatyouneedtoworkonbasedoneachitem’surgency.You’lllearntorelyonittomanageyourtime.Aproperlistwillpreventyoufromreactingtoeventsthatseemlikecrises.Instead,you’llassesseachsituationbasedonyourcurrentworkload,andmakerationaldecisionsregardingwhereyoushouldspendyourlimitedtime.

It’sworthnotingthatfew“crises”aretrueemergencies.Theyonlyseemsowhenwereacttothememotionally.Youprobablyknowthisfromexperience.Yourtasklistremovestheemotionsoyoucanmakegooddecisionsthatmaximizeyourproductivity.

Speakingofproductivity,aproperto-dolistwillhelpyoutogetmoredoneinlesstime.Importantly,you’llgettherightthingsdone.Remember,being

productiveisn’taboutcompletingalonglistoftasks.It’snotaboutstayingbusy.It’saboutfocusingonhigh-valueactivitiesthathelpyoutoaccomplishyourgoals.

Sixth,yourtasklistwillgreatlyreduceyourstress.You’llbeabletomeetyourdeadlines,andthuswon’texperiencetheconstant,unpleasant,creativity-killingpressurethataccompaniescompletingtaskslate.You’llavoidbeingdistractedbysupposedcrises,whichwillmakeyoufeelmoreincontrolofyourworkday.You’llconcentrateonhigh-valuetasks,whichensuresyou’llspendyourtimeinthemostefficientmannerpossible.

Seventh,aproperlydesignedto-dolistwillimproveyourfocus.Whenitcomestogettingthingsdone,focusiswherethebattleiswon.Asnotedabove,yourlistwillshowyouwheretospendyourtime.You’llknowwhichtaskscarryahigherprioritythanothers,andthusdeserveyourimmediatetimeandattention.Focusiswhatallowsyoutogetimportantworkdoneratherthanwastetimeonminorortrivialactivities.

Lastly,agoodtasklistwilleliminatethefrustrationandguiltyoufeelwhenyoufallbehindonprojects.Itwillhelpyoutoworkmoresmartlyandwithgreaterpurpose.You’llfocusonitemsthatmoveyouclosertoyourgoals,givingyouarealsenseofaccomplishmentattheendofeachday.

Inthenextsection,we’lltalkabouthowyourcurrentto-dolistsarepreventingyoufromgettingthingsdone.IcallthistheProductivityParadox.

TheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccess

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Takealookatthefollowingnumbers,courtesyofproductivityappdeveloperiDoneThis.

41%ofto-doitemsarenevercompleted.50%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinaday.18%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinanhour.10%ofcompletedto-doitemsaredonewithinaminute.

Whatdothesenumberstellus?First,theyrevealthatmanyto-dolistsareineffective.Specifically,thetaskmanagementsystemsbehindthelistsareineffective.Afterall,morethan40%oftasksareneverfinished.Theimplicationisthattheitemsarecarriedovertothefollowingday,postponedindefinitely,ordroppedaltogether.Thesearenotthesignsofaneffectivetaskmanagementsystem.

Second,manyto-dolistitemsarecompletedquickly,somewithinminutes.Thissuggestsmanypeople’slistsfailtospecifytheamountoftimeindividualtaskswilltaketocomplete.Italsodemonstratesthatpeopletendtopicktasksthatappeareasytodo.Theproblemwiththisapproachisthatitfailstoaddresstaskpriority.Alargenumberofto-doitemsmaygetcrossedoffthelist,butthere’snoindicationthey’retherightitems-theimportantstuff.Thisgivesthe

individualafalsesenseofaccomplishment.Third,itindicatesthatmanyto-dolistsaretoolong.They’reoverloadedwith

tasks.Thiscausesusstresssinceweknowwe’llneverbeabletoaddresseveryitemonourlists.We’llbeforcedtocarrythemforwardorabandonthem.

Datasuggestsmostofuswon’tevengetclosetocompletingeveryitemonourto-dolists.AccordingtoiDoneThis,41%ofourto-doitemswillroutinelyremainunfinished.Thisproblemismoreprevalentthanmostpeopleimagine.AccordingtoasurveybyLinkedIn,nearly90%ofprofessionalsadmittonotgettingthroughtheirtasklistsonaregularbasis.

Fourth,thedataabovesuggestthatmanypeopleapproachtaskmanagementwithouthavingacleargraspoftheirschedulesandavailability.Again,considerthat41%oftasksgounfinished.Thisisadisturbinglyhighnumberifwe’remeasuringourproductivitybytaskcompletion.

TheabovedescribestheProductivityParadox.Wecreateto-doliststohelpusorganizetasks,manageourtime,andgetthingsdone.Butbecausewerelyonill-conceivedtaskmanagementsystems,weinadvertentlycreateliststhatsabotageourefforts.

Indoingso,weforfeitourproductivity.Weendupgettinglessdoneinsteadofmore.

Inthenextsection,we’regoingtotakeacloselookatyourcurrentto-dolistsystem.Unlessyou’vereceivedformaltaskmanagementtraining,there’safairchanceyourlistsarehamperingyoursuccess.

PartI

WhyYou'reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItems

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Ideally,youshouldbeabletocrossoffeveryitemthatappearsonyourto-dolistsattheendofeachday.Ifyou’rehavingdifficultydoingthat,carefullyreadthissection.

I’mgoingtocovertheeightmostcommonreasonspeoplefailtogetthroughtheirlists.Anyoneofthemcanwreckyourproductivityandpreventyoufromgettingthingsdoneontime.

Reason#1:YouMisunderstandTheGoalOfTo-DoLists

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Whydoyoucreateto-dolists?Whatdoyouhopetoaccomplishwiththem?Mostpeopleanswer“togetthingsdone.”Butthat’snotthepurposeofa

properlydesignedto-dolist.Themainpurposeofyourto-dolististohelpyouorganizeyourtasksand

projects,andhighlighttheimportantstuff.Itallowsyoutogeteverythingoutofyourhead,wherethingsarelikelytofallthroughthecracks.Bywritingthemdown,you’llcollecttheminoneplaceandgainabird’s-eyeviewofyourbiggestpriorities.

Alistofitemsdisplayedinfrontofyouismucheasiertomanagethanthesamelistswimmingaroundinyourhead.Youcanmoreeasilyorganizetasksaccordingtowhentheyneedtobecompletedandplanyourdayaccordingly.Thisalonewillhelpyoutofocusonyourmostimportantwork.

Mostpeoplemisunderstandthefunctionofato-dolist.Theybelieveit’satoolthatshouldhelpthemtocompleteeverytasktheythinkdeservestheirattention.Onthecontrary,asolidto-dolistwillfocusyourattentionontherightworkandpreventyoufromgettingsidelinedbyless-criticalitems.

Yourtasklistisn’tatoolforgettingeverythingdone.Rather,it’satoolthatwillensureyougettherightthingsdone.

It’simportanttounderstandthedifference.Ifyoumisinterpretthepurposeofyourto-dolists,you’llendupcreatingandusingthemineffectively.That,inturn,willguaranteethatyourlistshamperyourproductivityratherthanincreaseit.

Laterinthisactionguide,I’llshowyoupreciselyhowtocreateliststhat

workstoyourbenefit.You’llwanttomodifymysystemtoaccommodateyourworkflowandpersonalpreferences,ofcourse.Butyou’llfindthebasicprinciplesthatunderpinasolidto-dolistsystemareuniversallyapplicable.

Reason#2:YouNeglectToAssignDeadlines

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Ato-dolistwithoutdeadlinesisawishlist.Nothingmore.Withoutdeadlines,weleantowardinaction.

Deadlinesdomorethanjustimposeasenseofurgency.Theyhelpustoprioritizetasksandprojectsbasedontheamountoftimewehavetocompletethem.Additionally,whentheyloom,theyspurustotakeaction.

Considerthis:howquicklywouldyoupayyourcreditcardbilliftherewasnoduedateforthepayment?Howquicklywouldyoupayyourcarregistration?Ifyou’relikemostpeople,you’dpostponebothtasksindefinitely.

Thissameoutcomeoccurswhenpeoplecreateto-dolistsandneglecttoassignadeadlinetoeachtask.Withoutdeadlines,there’slittleimpetustoact.Withoutanimpetus,nothinggetsdone.Thisisthereasonsomanyto-dolistsspiraloutofcontrol,growinglongerandlongerbythedayastasksgounfinished.

Thisisamajorproblembecausemostpeoplestrugglewithprocrastination.Eventhoseofuswhohavemanagedtocurbthehabitmustbeever-vigilantlestitrearsitsheadandregainsafootholdinourlives.

Deadlinesaretheenemyofprocrastination.Theymotivateustotakeactionandfinishtasks.Theyalsohelpustogaugetheeffectivenessofourtimemanagementefforts.Ifwe’reconsistentlygettingimportantthingsdoneontime,wemustbedoingsomethingright.

Deadlinesalsohelpustodecidewheretospendourlimitedtimeandattention.Thisisimportant.Therewillalwaysbemoretaskstofinishthanthetimeneededtofinishthem.Deadlineshelpustochoosebetweencompeting

tasksbasedonthegoalswehopetoaccomplish.RecallParkinson’sLaw:“Workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforits

completion.”Ifyouchoosenottoassigndeadlinestoyourto-doitems,don’tbesurprisedwhenthoseitemslingeronyourlist.

Reason#3:YourListsAreTooLong

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YouknowwhatI’mreferringto.I’mtalkingaboutdailytaskliststhatseemtoneverend.Theygoonandon,containingdozensofitems.

Suchlistsarecounterproductiveinanumberofways.First,they’redistracting.Theypresenttoomanyoptions,eachofwhichpullsyourattentionawayfromyourmostimportantwork.

Second,they’reunrealistic.Liststhataretoolongeventuallyreachapointatwhichtheybecomeunmanageable.You’reunabletogettoeveryitembecausetherearesimplytoomanyofthem.

Third,they’rediscouraging.Youfinisheachdayrealizingthatyoufailedtocompletetheday’slistoftasks.Thisoutcome,experiencedoverandover,canbedevastatingtoyourmotivation.

Fourth,theyencourageprocrastination.Byfailingtocompleteyourto-doitemsdayafterday,youtrainyourmindtoacceptthatoutcome.Withtime,you’lllosethedrive,orimpetus,tocompletetasksinatimelymanner.

Youhavealimitedamountoftimetogetthingsdoneduringthecourseofagivenday.Itfollowsthatyoushouldlimitthescopeofyourto-dolisttoaccommodatethisconstraint.Ifyouonlyhavefourhoursatyourdisposal,makesuretheitemsonyourto-dolistcanbecompletedwithinthattimeframe.Otherwise,you’llsetyourselfupforfailure.

Manypeopledoabraindumpofeverytasktheyneedorwanttogetdone.Theyrecordeverythingonasinglelist.Theproblemis,theyneglecttocategorizethesetasksandputthemonseparatelistsaccordingtocontext,priority,andurgency.Theitemsremainonasinglemassiveregister,whichisthenreferredtoeachdayasarollingreminderofwhatneedtogetdone.

Thisisaterribleapproachtotaskmanagement.Itresultsinalonglistthatgrowslongerasnewtasksareaddedeachday.

Reason#4:YourListsHaveTooMuchVariability

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To-doliststhatserveasbraindumprepositoriesinvariablycollecttasksthatvarytoobroadlyinscope.Itemsthatwilltakethreeminutestocompletearelistednexttoitemsthatwilltakethreeweeks.High-prioritytasksarelistednexttolow-prioritytasksthatcanbeputonthebackburnerindefinitely.You’llalsofinditemsassociatedwithawideswathofunrelatedprojects.

Inotherwords,there’snoconnectionbetweenthevarioustasks.Thereareseriousconsequencestothisapproach.First,facedwithalonglist

ofoptions,you’relikelytoeitherbecomeparalyzedwithinactionorspurredtoengageinalow-valueactivity,suchascheckingFacebook.ThisiswhatpsychologistBarrySchwartzcalledthe“ParadoxofChoice.”Themoreoptionswehave,thelesscapablewearetodecidebetweenthemandthemoreanxietyweexperienceasaresult.

Asecondconsequenceofhavingtoomuchvariabilityinyourtasklistsisthatyoutakelongertogetthingsdone.Whetheryou’reparalyzedwithindecisionoroffcheckingFacebookasawaytoavoidchoosingbetweenyourmanyoptions,youultimatelywastevaluabletime.Thathurtsyourproductivity.

Third,toomuchvariabilityinyourto-dolistsincreasesyourstresslevels.You’remoredistracted,whichmeansyou’llworklessefficiently.You’reunabletochoosewhichtaskyoushouldworkon,whichdestroysyourabilitytomanageyourtime.Consequently,you’releftwithlesstimetocompleteimportantprojects,whichforcesyoutoworkhardertogetthingsdoneondeadline.Withlesstimeavailable,you’remorelikelytomissdeadlines,whichcantriggerfeelingsofguilt,shame,andfrustration.

Thesecircumstancescancauseyourstresslevelstoskyrocket.That,inturn,willmakeitmoredifficulttoproducehigh-qualityworkyoucanbeproudof,anddosoontime.

Thegoodnewsisthatyoucaneasilyavoidtheaboveproblemsonceyouknowhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.I’mgoingtoshowyouthestepslaterinthisactionguide.

Reason#5:YouGiveYourselfTooManyOptions

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Thisissueiscloselyrelatedtohavingtoomuchvariabilityinyourtasklists.Butitdeservesitsownmentionduetoitseffectonhowthebrainmakesdecisions.

Wewakeupinthemorningwithalimitedstoreofcognitiveresources.Thisstoreisquicklyusedupthroughoutthedayaswemakedecisions.Alldecisions,simpleandcomplex,takeatoll.

Thisisthereasonit’seasytochoosebetweenmultipleoptionsinthemorning-forexample,shouldyouhavewaffles,eggs,orcerealforbreakfast?Youhaveafullstoreofcognitiveresourcesatyourdisposal.Attheendoftheday,however,eventhesimplestofchoicescanseemdifficult.Shouldyougotothegym,watchtelevision,orhaveameaningfulconversationwithyourspouse?You’retiredandhavefewercognitiveresourcesatyourdisposal.Asaresult,yourabilitytomakerationaldecisionsisimpaired.

Thisiscalleddecisionfatigue.It’sastateinwhichyou’relessabletomakegooddecisionsbecauseyou’rementallyexhaustedfrommakingdecisionsthroughouttheday.Inotherwords,yourcognitiveresourceshavebeenexhausted.You’rerunningonfumes.

Thisphenomenonisimportanttounderstandbecauseithasadisastrouseffectonourabilitytodecidehowtoallocateourtimebetweencompetingoptions.Webecomelessrational,lessfocused,andlessabletocontrolourimpulses.Consequently,we’remoreinclinedtochooseactivitiesthatofferimmediategratificationoverthosethatarearguablybetterforus,butrequiremoreeffort.

Forexample,attheendoftheday,sufferingfromdecisionfatigue,we’remorelikelytowatchtelevisionthangotothegym.We’remorelikelytogrababagofpotatochipsthanprepareasaladorcookasteak.We’reinclinedtochoosetheeasypath.

To-doliststhatpresenttoomanyoptionsexacerbatethisproblem.Theyforceyoutomakeunnecessarydecisionsconcerningwhichtaskstoworkon.Asmentionedabove,eachdecisionerodesyourstoreofcognitiveresourcesandincreasesyourdecisionfatigue.

Thiseventuallyleadstoapredicamentknownas“decisionavoidance.”Confrontedwithtoomanyoptions,youavoidpickingfromamongthembecausedoingsorequirestoomuchmentaleffort.Instead,youspendvaluabletimecheckingemail,visitingFacebook,andreadingnewsheadlines,allinanattempttosidesteptheactofdecidingwhattoworkon.

Theresultispredictable.Yourproductivityplummetsandyourto-doitems,includingtheimportantones,gounfinished.

Reason#6:YouNeglectToAddContextForEachTask

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Oneofthegreatestfailingsinmostto-dolistsisalackofcontextforindividualtasks.Itemsarewrittendownwithoutanyindicationaboutthetimeneededtocompletethem,theirpriority,andtherolestheyplayinachievingspecificgoals.

Withoutsuchcontext,it’sdifficulttoknowwhichtasksdeserveyourimmediateattention.Infact,it’sdifficulttoevenknowifyou’reabletoworkonaparticulartaskgivenyourcircumstances.

Ifyoudon’tknowhowlongsomethingwilltaketofinish,howimportantitis,andhowitcontributestoyourgoals,howcanyouknowwhetheryoushouldworkonit?Ifyoudon’tknowwhetheryouneedaccesstocertainresourcestoworkonthetask,howcanyouknowwhetherworkingonitisevenpossibleataparticularpointintime?

Theansweris,youcan’tknow.Thisisthereasonto-doliststhatoffernotask-levelcontextareineffective.

Infact,theydomoreharmthangood.Ratherthanpromptingyoutoworkonyourmostimportanttasks,theycauseyoutowastetimeonitemspoorly-suitedforyourcurrentcircumstances.

Forexample,supposeyourto-dolistincludesthetask“callmyaccountant.”Itprovidesnoinformationabouttheitem’spriority.Doyouneedtocallyouraccountanttodayorcanitwaituntilnextweek?Noristhereanyinformationconcerninghowlongthecallislikelytolast.Willittakeafewminutesorwillyoubeonthephoneforanhour?Alsolackingaredetailsregardingthepurposeofthecall.Doyouneedtoaskyouraccountantaquestionaboutapotential

write-off?Ordoyouwanttoexploretheprosandconsofstartingashellcorporation?

Thepointis,it’sdifficulttoknowwhetheryoushouldtackleato-doitemwithoutknowingitscontextualdetails.

Whenyoucreatealistoftaskswithoutcontext,youendupwithoptionsthataredifficulttochoosefrom.Theresult?Yourlist,whichissupposedtobearecordofthingsyouneedtogetdone,becomesagrowingrecordofthingsleftunaddressedandunfinished.

Reason#7:YourTasksAreDefinedTooBroadly

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Theproblemwithbroadly-definedtasksisthatthey’retoolargeinscope.Manylackaclearstartingpointandendingpoint.Asaresult,there’snowaytoproperlymeasuresuccess.

Forexample,supposeoneoftheitemsonyourto-dolististo“buildawebsite.”Thistaskistoobroadlydefined.Buildingawebsiteinvolvesseveralsteps,manyofwhichcannotbeexecuteduntilothersarecompleted.Youwouldneedtoreserveadomainname,findawebhost,createahostingaccount,pointyournameserverstothehost’sservers,installWordpress,installatheme,installWordpressplugins,andmuchmore.

Inotherwords,thisbroadlydefinedto-doitemisactuallyafull-blownprojectmadeupofnumeroustasks.

Ifthisitemwereonmyto-dolist,Iwouldn’tknowhowtogetstartedsinceIneglectedtolisttheindividualtasks.Iwouldbeinclinedtoprocrastinate.Thatbeingthecase,itwouldremainonmyto-dolistunaddressed,causingmeanxietythatincreaseseachdayasIfailtomakeprogressonit.

Incontrast,anarrowly-definedtaskimpliesclearstartingandendingpoints.Forexample,you’dknowwhenthetask“reserveadomainname”hasbeencompleted.You’dknowwhenthetask“findawebhost”hasbeencompleted.Theseto-doitemscarryasingularobjective,andit’seasytoknowwhetherthatobjectivehasbeenmet.

Projectsmasqueradeastaskswhentheyhaven’tbeenbrokendowntotheirconstituentparts.Becausetheindividualto-doitemsareleftunspecified,it’sdifficulttoknowwhentheprojectshavebeencompleted.

Thisisacommonfailinginto-dolists.Forexample,consideranauthorwhointendstowriteanewnovel.Theto-do

item“startwritingnovel”istoovague.Therearetoomanytasksinvolvedthatareleftunspecified.“WritethefirstdraftofChapter1”wouldbemoreeffective.Itsspecificityencouragesactionandmakesiteasytoknowwhentheitemhasbeencompleted.

Consideracollegestudentwhoneedstoprepareforanexam.Theto-doitem“studyforexam”isimprecise.“Completepracticeproblemsonpages171-175”wouldbemoreeffectiveasitgivesthestudentaspecifictasktoaddress.

Consideracorporatemanagerwhowantstoimprovehisdepartment’sworkflow.Theto-doitem“increasedepartmentproductivity”isambiguous.“Schedulemeetingwithteamleaderstodiscussnewworkflowplan”wouldbemoreeffectivesinceitpresentsasingleobjective.It’seasytoknowwhenthatobjectivehasbeenmet.

Thepointis,definingtaskstoobroadlyisdetrimentaltotheircompletion.Theirvaguenessensurestheylinger.Ifyou’rehavingtroublecompletingto-doitems,checkwhethertheycanbebrokendowntosmallertasks.

Reason#8:YourTasksAreNotAttachedToSpecificGoals

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Everythingyoudohasapurpose.Forexample,youchangetheoilinyourcartokeeptheengineingoodshape.Youfileyourincometaxesontimetoavoidpenaltiesandfines.Youmakeareservationatyourfavoriterestauranttoavoidhavingtowait45minutesforatable.

Ourgoalsspurustotakeaction.We’relessinclinedtoprocrastinatewhenwe’reabletopredictthepositiveresultofcompletingaspecifictask.Allothervariablesbeingequal,themorecertainweareoftheoutcome,thegreaterthelikelihoodwe’llact.

Strangely,manypeopleforgetthisprinciplewhencreatingtheirto-dolists.Theywritedown(orrecordonline)everytaskthatcomestomind.Buttheyfailtoassociatethesetaskswithspecificgoals.Consequently,theyendupspendingtheirlimitedtimeworkingonto-doitemsthatmatterlittletotheminthelongrun.

Forexample,supposeyoumaintainablogandrecord“writeanewblogpost”ontomorrow’sto-dolist.It’sataskyouassumeyouneedtodo.Butdoyouknowthespecificreasonyouneedtodoit?Areyoutryingtoachieveaparticulargoalwiththenewblogpost?

PerhapsyouhopethenewpostwillreceiveexposureonFacebookandTwitter,resultinginaninfluxoftraffictoyourwebsite.MaybeyouwanttogiveGoogleanotherreasontodisplayyourblogonitsfirstpageoflistingsforpopularsearchqueries.Orperhapsyouhopeyourblogpostwillgaintheattentionofinfluencersinyourindustry.Thatcansetthestageformakingvaluableconnectionsandpropelyoutothepositionofathoughtleader.

Thepointisthatyoumustattachaspecificgoaltoeachtaskonyourto-dolist.Knowthereasoneachitemneedstobecompleted.Ifyouneglectthisstep,you’llbelessmotivatedtogettheitemdone.

Youmayrelatetothisfromexperience.Ifso,don’tdespair.Ipromisedtoshowyouhowtocreateto-doliststhatspuryoutotakeaction,helpyoutoworkmoreefficiently,andincreaseyourproductivity.I’llmakegoodonthatpromiseinupcomingsections.

Beforewegetthere,though,let’sdoaquickself-appraisalofyourto-dolistproficiency.

AssessingYourTo-DoListMastery:ASelf-Appraisal

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BeforeIshowyouhowtocreatetaskliststhatwork,it’sworthevaluatingtheeffectivenessofyourcurrentlists.It’snotenoughtoknowthatyounevercompletethem.Youshouldhaveagoodideaconcerningthereasons.

Tothatend,thefollowingquestionnairewillhelpyoutoassessyourto-dolistproficiency.Itwillrevealyourstrengthsalongwiththefacetsoftaskmanagementthatmayneedattention.

It’squickandeasy.Simplyanswereachofthefollowingeightquestions,givingyourselfascorebetweenoneandfive.Ascoreofonesignifiesthatyouneedhelpandascoreoffivesignifiesthatyou’reproficient.(You’llnotethateachoftheeightquestionsbelowcorrespondstotheeightreasonswejustcoveredconcerningwhyyou’renotgettingthroughyourdailylistofto-doitems.)

Tallyyourpointsafteryouanswerthequestionsandfindouthowskilledyoutrulyareatcreatingeffectiveto-dolists!

1.Doyouunderstandtheprimaryroleto-dolistsserveinataskmanagementsystem?

2.Doyouassigndeadlines-aspecificdateratherthan“bytheendofthemonth”-toeachto-doitem?

3.Doyoulimitthenumberofitemsonyourto-doliststo10?(Ifso,giveyourselfthreepoints.)Doyoulimitthenumbertoseven?(Ifso,giveyourselffivepoints.)

4.Doyoucreateyourto-dolistswithminimalvariability?Focusonthetimeneededtocompleteeachtaskaswellaseachtask’spriority.Forexample,doyouhave3-minutetaskslistedwithtasksthatwilltake3hours?DoyouhaveA-prioritytaskslistedwithC-prioritytasks?

5.Doyourto-dolistslimityouroptionsconcerningwhatyoushouldspendyourtimeon?

6.Doyouincludecontextforeachto-doitemsoyou’llknowwhetherit’sahigh-valueorlow-valuetask,andthetimecommitmentinvolved?

7.Doyoudefineyourtasksnarrowlyandwithspecificitysoyoucanquicklyidentifywhenthey’vebeencompleted?

8.Doyouassociateeachtaskwithaspecificgoal?

It’stimetotallyyourpoints.Remember,giveyourselfascoreofonetofiveforeachquestionbasedonhowwellyouhandletheissueposedbyit.Onceyou’vetalliedyourpoints,you’llknowyourlevelofproficiency.

Ifyouscoredbetween32and40points,consideryourselfato-dolistninja.You’readept,abonafidemasterattaskmanagement.Youregularlygetthroughyourdailylistsandadvanceyourmostimportantworkalongtheway.It’sstillagoodideatoreadthisactionguideasaformofrecurrenttraining.

Ifyouscoredbetween19and31,you’redoingreasonablywell,butcouldstandtoimproveselectareasofyourtaskmanagementstrategy.Youmightbe

feelingoverwhelmedbyyourresponsibilitiesatworkandathome.Youmayalsobeexperiencingpersistentstressasyourlistoftasksgrowsbytheday.Learninghowtocreateeffectiveto-dolistscandeliverdramaticresultsinyourproductivityandtimemanagementefforts.

Ifyouscored18orfewerpoints,youneedtorethinkyourapproachtohowyoucreateyourto-dolists.You’restressedandfeelthateachdayspiralsoutofyourcontrol.Yourarely,ifever,getthroughyourto-dolists,whichcausesyoutofeelfrustrated,guilty,andevenincompetent.Don’tbeatyourselfup.Thegoodnewsisthatyou’reintherightplace.Bythetimeyoufinishreadingthisactionguide,you’llknowhowtocreatetaskliststhathelpyoutogettheimportantstuffdone.

Inthenextsection,we’regoingtoexplorehowyouremotionscanhamperyourproductivity,evenifyou’reworkingwithaneffectiveto-dolist.

HowNegativeEmotionsImpairYourProductivity

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It’simportanttorecognizetheimpactouremotionshaveonourproductivity.Whenwe’reunhappy,stressed,orfearful,ourproductivitysuffers.Wefeeldisengagedfromourwork,regardlessofitsroleinachievingourgoals.We’realsolesscreativeandhavemoredifficultymakingdecisions.Moreover,welosefocusandbecomemoreeasilydistracted.

Consequently,wegetlessdone.Allofusgothroughperiodsduringwhichweexperiencenegativeemotions.

It’shumannature.It’simportanttorealizethatsuchperiodsaretemporary.Weeventuallyregainapositiveoutlookthatallowsustosnapoutofourfunkandgetthingsdone.

Unfortunately,manypeopleexperienceprolongedboutsofnegativity.Theyallowtheiranxieties,frustrations,andinsecuritiestakeholdoftheirthoughts,whichhasapredictablydreadfulimpactontheirproductivity.

Studiesshowthatchronicstressandfearcanliterallychangehowthebrainfunctions.Ourabilitytoprocessthoughtsandmakerationaldecisionssuffersasstresshormones,suchascortisol,accumulate.Neuroscientistshavediscoveredthat,overtime,thisstatecandamagethebrain,hamperingourdecision-makingability.

Considerthatinthecontextofworkingfromproperlycreatedto-dolists.Evenifyourlistsareshort,includedeadlines,providecontext,presentminimalvariability,andtasksareassociatedwithspecificgoals,yourresultsmaybelessthanstellar.Negativeemotionslikefear,anger,andguiltcanmakeitnearlyimpossibletoconcentrateandgetthingsdone.

Soifyou’rehavingtroublestayingproductiveduringtheworkday,takestockofyouremotionalstate.Areyoustrugglingwithfeelingsthataresiphoningyourmotivation?Areyoudealingwithemotionsthatarehavingatoxiceffectonyourwillpower?Ispersistentnegativityerodingyourfocusandcausingyoutobemoreeasilydistracted?

Ifso,pinpointthereasonsyou’reexperiencingthesefeelings.Forexample,doyoufeelguiltyanddepressedbecauseyou’vemissedimportantdeadlinesatyourjob?Doyoufeelstressedandangrybecauseyou’rebeingoverwhelmedbytoomanyconflictingresponsibilitiesathome?

Onceyou’veidentifiedwhateveristriggeringyournegativity,youcantakestepstochangeyourcircumstancesandrelievethepressure.

Thismayseemunrelatedtoyourto-dolists.Onthecontrary,youremotionalstateplaysasignificantroleinhowsuccessfullyyouworkfromyourlists.Remember,yourto-dolististheretohelpyouorganizetasksaccordingtotheirimportanceandpriority,andidentifywheretobestspendyourlimitedtime.Youwon’tbeabletodothateffectivelyifyou’restrugglingwithpersistentnegativity.

Withthistopicoutoftheway,let’sturnourattentiontothemostpopularto-doliststrategiesusedtoday.

PartII

10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems

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There’smorethanonewaytocreateaneffectiveto-dolist.Thissectionwilldescribethetop10strategiesusedtoday.Youmayalreadybefamiliarwithsomeofthem.Othersmaybenewtoyou.

Thepurposeofthissectionisn’ttohighlightthebestsystem.Rather,it’stogiveyouabird’s-eyeviewofseveralsystemssoyoucanidentifyspecificfeaturesthatresonatewithyou.

Thissectionwillcomeinhandywhenwedesignato-dolistsystemthatsupportsyourworkflowprocess.You’llbeabletointegrateyourfavoritefeaturesfromothersystemstobuildonethat’sperfectly-suitedtoyou.

#1-TheMassive,All-InclusiveList

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There’snothingelegantaboutthisstrategy.Itisessentiallyabraindump.Youwritedowneverytaskyoucanthinkofontoasinglelist.

Youcanalreadyseetheproblemsinherentinthisapproach.First,yourlistwillgrowtoolong.Ifyou’redumpingnewtasksontoiteachday,there’slittlechanceyou’llevergetthroughit.

Second,you’llhavetoomanyoptions.Thiswillimpairyourdecision-makingability.Presentedwithalonglistofchoices,you’remorelikelytobecomeparalyzedwithindecisionthanyouaretotakeaction.

Third,yourlistwillhavetoomuchvariability.Three-minutetaskswillbelistednexttothree-hourtasks.Low-prioritytaskswillbelistednexttohigh-prioritytasks.You’llendupspendingtimeonitemsthatdon’twarrantyourimmediateattention.

Thereareotherproblemswiththe“massive,all-inclusive”listapproachtotaskmanagement.Butatthispoint,yougettheidea.Thisstrategyleavesalottobedesired.

It’sworthpointingoutthatdoingabraindumpisanimportantsteptowardcreatinganeffectiveto-dolist.Butit’safirststep.Afteryou’vewrittendownallofthetasksyoucanthinkof,youneedtoorganizethemaccordingtotheirimportance,priority,context,andotherelements.

We’lldiscussthisfacetofto-dolistmanagementinmoredetaillater.Fornow,it’senoughtoknowthatdoingabraindumpandworkingfromasingle,comprehensivelistisaterribleidea.Youmightfeelproductiveasyoucompletetasksandcrossthemoffyourlist.Butinreality,you’llbeinclinedtochooseeasy,low-prioritytasksthatrequireminimaltimetocompleteandleavethehigh-valueitemsunaddressed.

Thisapproachispopular.Butitspopularityisn’tduetoitseffectiveness.Far

fromit.It’sduetothelackoftrainingmostpeoplereceiveregardinghowtoproperlydesignasolidtaskmanagementsystem.

Iwantedtoaddressthisstrategyfirstinordertounderscoreitsflaws.Theothernineto-dolistsystemsalsohaveflaws.Butthey’relessdetrimentaltoyourlong-termsuccess.

#2-The“Task+StartingDate+DueDate”List

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Theappealofthisformatisitssimplicity.Italsointroducesoneofthemostimportantelementsofapropertaskmanagementsystem:deadlines.

Aswediscussedearlier,mostto-dolistslackconcretedeadlines.Anindividualmayhaveavaguesenseregardingthelatestdatebywhichaparticulartaskmustbecompleted,butheorsheneglectstoassignaformalduedatetoit.

Thisisagravemistake.Deadlinesareimportantbecausetheypromptustotakeaction.Theyalsohelpustoallocateourlimitedtimeamongcompetingprojectsandtasks.Assumingourdeadlinesarerealisticandtakeintoaccountthecomparativeprioritiesofourto-doitems,theyincreaseourproductivity.Wenotonlygetmorethingsdone,butwegetmoreoftherightthingsdone.

Thisapproachtocreatingto-dolistsalsointroducesasecondcrucialfeature:startingdates.Ratherthanleavingyouwithalonglistoftasksandtheirrespectiveduedates,italsoprovidesthedatesonwhichyoushouldbeginworkingonthetasks.

Thisfeatureismoreusefulthanitmightseem.Itdeliverstwoimportantbenefits.First,itallowsyoutofocusonasmallernumberofto-doitems.Youcandevoteyourattentiontotasksthatareinprogressorneedtobestartedthatday.Youcanignorethosethathavestartingdatesinthefuture.

Second,you’llbelesslikelytoworkontasksatthelastpossibleminute.Thetasks’startingdateswillpromptyoutoworkonthemearlyenoughtomeettheirrespectivedeadlines.

Incontrast,considerhowmostpeopleworkthroughtheirto-dolists.Theyselectitemswithoutknowingwhichonescanwaitandwhichneedimmediate

attention.Withoutstartingdatesanddeadlinestoinformtheirdecisions,theyaddressto-doitemsinahaphazardlyfashion.

Thiscanobliterateyourproductivity.You’realmostguaranteedtoendupworkingonthewrongtasksatthewrongtime.

Thisto-dolistsystemisimperfectinmanyways.Infact,ithasmajorflaws.Butit’sbetterthanthemassive,all-inclusivelistdescribedintheprevioussection.

#3-TheTo-DoListTwosome:MasterTaskList+DailyTaskList

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Thisapproachistheone-twopunchofto-dolistcreation.Itinvolveskeepingtwodistinctlists:yourmasterlistandyourdailylist.Aswiththetwoprevioussystemsweprofiled,itleavesalottobedesired.However,thefactthatitmakesadistinctionbetweenyour“braindump”listandyourdailylistmakesitworthyofmention.

Here’sasummaryofhowthissystemworks:Yourmasterlistisarollingrepositoryofeverytaskyouthinkof.It’swhere

yourecordeveryitem,regardlessofitspriority,deadline,thetimerequiredtocompleteit,andtheprojectwithwhichit’sassociated.

Doyouintendtocallaroofingcontractortogetanestimateonanewroofforyourhome?Writeitdownonyourmasterlist.Needtohaveyourtruck’stransmissionreplaced?Thisiswhereyourecordthetask.Doyouplantoresearchthehotbiotechstockyourinvestmentadvisormentionedtoyou?Writeitdown.

You’llnevergetthroughyourmasterlist.Infact,itwillprobablygrowwithtime.That’sfine,accordingtofolkswhousethissystem.Thepurposeofthislististocapturethemyriadtasksswimmingaroundinyourhead,savingyoutheeffortofhavingtorememberthem.

Whataboutthedailylist?Asitsnameimplies,thisisthelistyouworkfromthroughouttheday.It’stheoneyoukeepnearyoursideandreviewperiodicallytogaugeyourprogress.Itsscopeislimitedtothetasksyouintendtocompletebytheendoftheday.

Here’showthetwolistsworktogether:

Eachevening,youwouldreviewyourmasterlist.You’dlookfortasksdueinthenearfutureorthosethatneedtobeaddressedinordertomoveothertasksforward.Onceyouidentifytheseto-doitems,you’dchooseseveralandtransferthemtothefollowingday’sdailylist,assumingyourscheduleallowsadequatetimetoaddressthem.

Alternatively,youmightreviewyourmasterlisteveryfewdaysratherthannightly.Thiswouldentailplanningyourdailyto-dolistsafewdaysinadvance.

Thisapproachtotaskmanagementcanbeeffective.Thekeyisthateachtaskisassignedadeadline,alongwithnotesdetailingitspriority,context,andthetimerequiredtocompleteit.

Unfortunately,fewpeopleusingthisto-dolistsystemgotothoselengths.Theycutcornersandendupdealingwiththesameproblemsseenwithothersystems:liststhatgrowtothepointofbecomingoverwhelming;to-doitemsthatmustbecarriedforwarddayafterday;andvaluabletimewastedonlow-prioritytasks.

#4-The"3+2"Strategy

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Thisto-dolistsystemfollowsasimpleformula:threebigtasksandtwosmalltasks.

Eachday,youselectthefiveitemsyou’llworkon.(Orbetteryet,selectthemthenightbefore.)Thebigitemsshouldtakebetweenoneandtwohourstocomplete.Thesmallitemsshouldtake30minutesorless.

You’veprobablyalreadynoticedoneofthemainstrengthsofthe“3+2”strategy.Itlimitsthenumberoftasksonyourdailyto-dolist.Therearefive.Nomore.Noless.

Anotherstrengthisthatitdefinesthescopeofeachtaskwithrespecttothetimeallottedtocompleteit.Thebigonescanbefinishedinundertwohourswhilethesmallonesshouldtakelessthan30minutes.(Tasksthattakelongerthantwohourstocompletecanusuallybebrokendownintosmallertasks.)

Thisfeatureofthe“3+2”strategymakesitcompatiblewithpopulartimemanagementstrategieslikethePomodoroTechniqueandtimeboxing.

Forexample,schedulefourpomodoros-eachcomposedofa25-minuteworksegmentand5-minutebreak-tocompleteoneofyourbigtasks.Allocatetimeboxesthatgiveyouthetimeyouneedtocompleteyoursmallertasks.

The“3+2”strategyimprovesyourfocusbylimitingthescopeofyourtasklist.Withonlyfiveitemstoworkon,you’relesssusceptibletodistractions.You’llalsolesslikelytosufferparalysisbyanalysis,astateinwhichyou’reunabletomakedecisionsbecauseyou’reoveranalyzingasituation.

Thisapproachalsominimizestaskswitching.Becauseyourto-dolistwillcarryfewertaskstofocuson,you’llbelessinclinedtoswitchbackandforthbetweenthem.Instead,you’llfocusononetaskuntilyou’vecompleteditoryou’reunabletotakeitfurther.Thisreducesswitchingcosts,thelossinproductivitythatresultsfromjumpingbetweenunrelatedtasks.

The“3+2”strategyisn’twithoutinherentflaws.Forexample,nomentionismadeofassigningcontexttoeachto-doitem.Itmayseemasifcontextisn’timportantgiventhatyourto-dolistcarriessofewoptions.Butcontextisstillusefultoensureyourmostimportantworkgetsdoneasearlyaspossible.

Also,nomentionismaderegardingtheoriginofeachday’sfivetasks.Fromwheredotheyspring?Howaretheyidentified?Aretheyselectedfromamastertasklistordoyoubrainstormthematthebeginningofeachday?

Thesequestionshavenoconcreteanswers.Anotherdownsideofthissystemisitslackofflexibility.It’srigid.Itdoesn’t

adapt.Forexample,supposethattomorrowisaperfectdaytocompletealonglist

ofsmalltasks.Eachitemwillonlytakeafewminutestoaddress.Youneedtopaybills,mailyourNetflixDVDs,scheduleadentistappointment,emailafriend,cleanthetoiletinyourmasterbathroom,etc.The“3+2”strategydoesn’tallowforthistypeofday.Youcanonlypicktwosmalltaskstoworkon.

Personally,ifIweretousethe“3+2”strategy,here’showIwoulddoit:I’dmaintainamasterlistofeveryto-doitemthatcomestomind.I’dmakecertaineachitemwasspecificinscopeandattachedtoagoal.I’dassigndeadlinesandaddcontextualdetails.Eachevening,I’dpickmythreelargetasksandtwosmalltasksforthefollowingday.

It’snowherenearperfect.Butthat’showI’dapproachit.

#5-The1-3-5Rule

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The“1-3-5rule”isanextrapolationofthe“3+2strategy”describedintheprevioussection.Here,youchooseonebigtask,threemedium-sizedtasks,andfivesmalltaskstocompleteduringtheday.

Whilethe“3+2strategy”limitsyourfocustofivetasks,the“1-3-5rule”expandsthenumbertonine.

Thefirstadvantagetothisapproachisthatitgivesyoumoreflexibilitythanthe“3+2strategy.”Notonlydoesitallowyoutochoosemoreitemstogetdoneeachday(ninevs.five),butitalsopresentsthreecategoriesratherthanjusttwo.Theinclusionof“medium-sized”tasksisusefulbecauseithelpsyoutobettermanageyourcalendar.

Forexample,supposeyouhaveataskyouknowwillrequire45minutestocomplete.Withthe“3+2strategy,”itfallsoutsidethedefinitionofabigtask(onethattakesbetweenoneandtwohours).Italsofallsoutsidethedefinitionofasmalltask(onethattakes30minutesorless).The“1-3-5rule”offersaplaceforsuchitems.

Anotheradvantageofthissystemisthatitencouragesyoutofocusonhigh-valuetasks.Inthat,ithasalotincommonwiththe“3+2strategy.”Becauseyou’relimitedinthenumberofitemsyoucanincludeonyourlist,you’llbemoreinclinedtoincludethosethathaveahighpriority.

Athirdadvantageisthatyouwon’tfallpreytooveroptimism.It’scommontothinkwecanaccomplishmorethanisactuallypossibleduringanygivenday.Sowepackourto-dolistswithalargenumberoftasks,manyofwhichinvariablynevergetdone.Bylimitingthenumberoftaskstonine,the“1-3-5rule”solvesthatproblem.

Asyou’veprobablyguessed,the“1-3-5rule”suffersfromthesameimperfectionsasthe“3+2strategy.”First,nomentionismadeofgivingcontext

totheto-doitems.Second,nomentionismadeofamasterlistfromwhichtheninedailytasksarechosen.Andthird,thisapproachdoesn’tallowfortheuseofabatchtasklist.

We’lltalkmorebatchtasklistsinanupcomingsection.Fornow,it’senoughtoknowthatthey’reanimportantpartofasoundtaskmanagementstrategy.

The“1-3-5rule”canbeaneffectiveto-dolistsystemwithafewmodifications.Butthereisanevenbetterapproach,whichI’llshowyoulaterinthisactionguide.

Fornow,rememberthebasicsofthisstrategy.Youmaywanttoincorporateafewofitsfeaturesintoyoursystem.

#6-TheProject-BasedSystem

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Thissystementailscategorizingyourto-doitemsbasedontheprojectswithwhichthey’reassociated.Intheend,you’releftwithmultiplelists,oneperproject.

Forexample,supposeyouwanttoremodelyourkitchen.You’dcreatealistforthisparticularprojectwiththefollowingtasks:

PlanthelayoutofyournewkitchenPickthetypesofcabinetsyouwantSelectyourpreferredcountertopmaterialChooselightfixturesExploreyourbacksplashoptionsListtheappliancesyouwanttoreplaceLookforanewrefrigeratortomatchthedesignofyournewkitchenCallthreecontractorstosolicitbids

You’dcreateaseparatelistforadifferentprojectyou’dliketocomplete,suchasbuyinganewcar.Thislistmighthavethefollowingtasks:

DeterminehowmuchmoneyyoucanspendCompilealistofmakesandmodelsyoulikeNarrowdownthelisttothreeoptionsVisitthecardealershipTestdrivethecarsNegotiatethepriceFindthebestformoffinancingGetapprovedforaloanSignthepaperworktotakeownership

Task-levelcontextisinherentinthissystemasyourlistsareorganizedaccordingtoproject.Anyitemonaparticularlististherebecauseit’sdirectlyrelatedtotheprojectforwhichthelistwascreated.

Anotheradvantageofthissystemisthatitgivesyouabird’s-eyeviewofyourmultipleprojectsinprogress.Youcanselecttaskstoworkondependingonwhichprojectyouwanttomoveforward.

Oneofthedrawbackstoaproject-basedsystemisthatitoffersverylittlestructurewithregardtohowyouspendyourday.Ratherthanworkingfromasingleto-dolistthathasbeencreatedtomaximizeyourproductivity,youpickandchoosetasksfrommultiplelists.Thisfeaturecreatestoomuchvariability.Therearetoomanyoptions,whichopensthedoortotaskswitchinganditsattendantcosts.

Anotherflawisthelimitedcontextgiventoeachtask.Imentionedabovethattask-levelcontextwasinherentinthissystem.Butitisdefinedsolelybyproject.Tasksarenotgivencontextrelatedtothetimerequiredtocompletethem,theirrespectivepriorities,ortheenergyneededtoworkonthem.

Youprobablyalsonoticedtheabsenceofabatchtasklist.(Again,we’lltalkaboutbatchlistsinanupcomingsection.)

Aswiththeotherto-doliststrategieswe’vecoveredthusfar,thissystemcanbeeffective.Butitsuffersfrommajorweaknesses.

Wecandobetter.

#7-The3-MITApproach

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Thisstrategymaybefamiliartoyou.ItwaspopularizedbyLeoBabautaofZenHabits.net,althoughheopenlyadmitsitoriginatedelsewhere.

MITisanacronym.Itstandsfor“mostimportanttask.”It’sthehighest-priorityitemonyourto-dolist.It’stheonethingyoumustcompleteduringthecourseofagivenday.

TheoriginalstrategycalledforidentifyingasingleMIT,andfocusingonitscompletiontotheexclusionofeverythingelse.Onlyaftercompletingthisitemwouldyouturnyourattentiontootheritems.

The“3-MIT”approachisacommonvariant.Infact,it’sprobablymorecommonthanthesingle-MITapproachbecauseit’smorepracticalforagreaternumberofpeople.

Asitsnameimplies,youselectthreehigh-prioritytaskstofocusonduringyourday.Whateverelsehappens,youmustgetthesethreeitemsdone.

DependingonhowmuchtimeyouneedtocompleteyourthreeMITs,therewillbedayswhenyougetthroughyourto-dolistearly.You’llhaveplentyoftimeremainingtoworkonotherto-dotasks.TheremayalsobedaysduringwhichyouhavetoworklateinordertocompleteyourthreeMITs.

Aswithanytaskmanagementsystem,theeffectivenessofthe“3-MIT”approachisinitsexecution.Thedetailsarelefttotheusertodefine.

Forexample,howdoyouchooseyourthreeMITs?Doyoulinkthemtospecificgoalsandgivethemcontextaccordingly?Doyouestimateinadvancehowmuchtimeeachonewilltaketocompletesoyoucanavoidoverextendingyourselfgivenyourscheduleandavailability?HowdoyouintegrateyourMITswithyourcalendartoensuretheyreceivethetimeandattentiontheyneed?Howdoyoumakecertainsmall,butimportanttasksgetdoneinatimelyfashion?

Youcanseethatthissystemisopen-ended.Itdefinesafewguidelines,but

offersconsiderableflexibilityintermsoftheirapplication.Unfortunately,thislatitudecanbealiabilityifyou’recurrentlystrugglingwithyourto-dolists.Itposestoomuchfreedom.

Ifyoustrugglewithprocrastination,areregularlywaylaidbydistractions,andsufferalackofmotivation,anopen-endedtaskmanagementstrategyisn’tagoodsolution.Astructuredsystemwithwell-definedrulesandlesslatitudeislikelytobemoreuseful.

Havingsaidthat,theideaoffocusingonjustafewMITseachdayisapracticalone.It’safeatureyoumaydecidetoincorporateaspartofthestrategyyoudesignforyourself.Soit’sworthkeepinginmindasweexplorehowtocreatetheperfectto-dolist.

Let’squicklycoverthefinalthreetaskmanagementsystemscommonlyusedtoday.Upnext:theKanbanmethod.

#8-TheKanbanMethod

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TheKanbanmethodisamorevisualapproachtotaskmanagementthanthesystemswe’vecoveredthusfar.It’sagreatto-doliststrategyifyouenjoyseeingyourprojectsandtasksinvariousstagesofcompletion.

Here’showitworks:GrabacorkboardandastackofPost-Itnotes.Makethreecolumnsonyour

board.Titletheleftcolumn“ToDo.”Titlethemiddlecolumn“Doing.”Titletherightcolumn“Done.”

Youcanprobablyseewherethisisgoing.TheKanbanmethodinvolveswritingdowneachnewtaskonaPost-Itnote,

onetaskpernote,andstickingitinthe“ToDo”column.Thereitremainsuntilyou’rereadytoaddressit.Whenyoustartworkingonatask,youmoveitsassociatedPost-Itnotetothe“Doing”column.Whenyou’vecompletedthetask,youmoveitsPost-Itnotetothe“Done”column.

Thisstrategyofmanagingto-doitemshasafewnotableadvantagesoverotherstrategies.First,itprovidesavisualrepresentationofyourprojectsandtasks.Thismakesiteasytoidentifyhigh-valueitemsthatneedyourimmediateattention.Italsomakesiteasytoprioritizeitemsaccordingtotheirrespectiveduedates.

Second,theKanbanmethodallowsyoutotracktheprogressofindividualtasks.Youcantellataglancewhetherataskisyettobestarted,iscurrentlyunderway,orhasbeencompleted.

AthirdadvantageoftheKanbansystemisthattaskscanbeeasilyassociatedwithlargerprojects.Thisprovidesvaluabletask-levelcontext.YoucanarrangethePost-Itnotessothatit’seasytoseehowindividualtasksflowwithinalargerconstruct.

Fourth,youcanusedifferentcoloredPost-Itnotestorepresentvaryinglevels

ofpriority.Forexample,useredforhigh-priorityitems,yellowformedium-priorityitems,andblueforlow-priorityitems.TheKanbanmethod’sbiggeststrengthisitsvisualpresentation.

Youdon’thavetouseacorkboard.Youcanuseadryeraseboardtothesameeffect.Keepinmind,thiswilllimityourabilitytorearrangetasksbasedontheirchangingprioritiesandyouravailability.

Inthelastfewyears,anumberofoptionshavesurfacedthatmakeitpossibletousetheKanbanmethodonline.Younolongerneedtohangacorkboardonyourwallorsetupadryeraseboard.YoucanuseappslikeTrello,KanbanFlow,LeanKit,andKanbanote.

Eachappposesitsownsetofstrengthsandweaknesses.Ifyou’reinterestedinplayingwiththeKanbanmethodonline,IrecommendTrello.It’sfreeanduser-friendly.

OneofthedownsidestousingtheKanbanmethodisthatit’seasytolosetrackofsmalltasks.Forinstance,supposeyourmasterto-dolistcontainsmorethan100itemsthathaveyettobeworkedon.ThoseitemswouldencompassalotofPost-Itnotesorganizedinasingle,linearformat(presumably,inthe“ToDo”column).There’safairchanceyoureyeswillglossoversomeofthem,andyou’llmissafewconsideredtobehigh-value.

Color-codingcanbeaneffectivesolution;differentcolorscanbeusedtoindicatetask-levelpriority.Buteventhen,yourabilitytomonitoralargevolumeofto-doitemswillbelimited.

There’salottolikeabouttheKanbanmethod.Butit’simperfect.Noteitsbasicfeaturesandthinkabouthowyoumightincorporatesomeofthemintoyourpersonalto-dolistsystem.

#9-TheMatrixSystem

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TheMatrixsystemwaspopularizedbythelateStephenCovey,authoroftheacclaimedbookTheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople.Itisalsoknownasthe“EisenhowerBox.”Thesameprinciplesapplytoboth.It’satoolusedtodecidehowtoallocateone’stimeamongcompetingtasks.

Amatrixismadeupoffourquadrantstitledasfollows:

1. Important-Urgent2. Important-NotUrgent3. NotImportant-Urgent4. NotImportant-NotUrgent

Tasksareassignedtothequadrantsaccordingtotheirrespectivepriorities.Thoseplacedinthefirstquadrantshouldbeaddressedimmediately.Thoseinthesecondquadrantarelessdire,butshouldbescheduledtoensurethey’readdressedatsomepointinthenearfuture.Tasksinthethirdquadrantcanbedelegatedtootherswhiletasksinthefourthquadrantcanbeabandoned.

Thissystemprovidesaneasywaytoseewhichto-doitemswarrantyourattentionandwhichcanbeignored.You’llbeabletoeasilyidentifyitemsassociatedwithyourmostimportantwork.They’llbefoundinQuadrantsIandII.You’llalsobeabletodisregardthosethatwillhaveminimalimpact.ThesewillbefoundinQuadrantIV.

Forexample,aprojectwithanimpendingdeadline(e.g.4:00p.m.today)shouldbeplacedinQuadrantI.Itneedsyourimmediateattention.

YourweeklyreviewcanbeplacedinQuadrantII.It’simportant,butcanwaituntillater.Scheduleitsothatitdoesn’tfallthroughthecracks.

Selectmeetingsmightbewell-suitedforQuadrantIII.They’reurgentinthe

sensethattheyoccuratscheduledtimes.Butsomearelikelytohaveminorvaluetoyou.Trytohavesomeoneattendthemeetingsinyourplace.

ReturningunsolicitedcallsfromsalespeopleshouldberelegatedtoQuadrantIV.Theactivityisunimportantandnon-urgent.Youwon’tsufferamajorconsequenceifitisneveraddressed.

TheupsideoftheMatrixsystemisthatitencouragesyoutofocusontasksthatareconsistentwithyourgoals.You’llfindyourselfconstantlyasking“Isthistasknecessary?”asyoureviewyourmatrix.Unnecessarytaskscanbediscardedwithoutguilt.You’llendupspendingmoretimeonhigh-valueitemsandwastinglesstimeonlow-valueones.

Oneofthedrawbacksofthisapproachisthatitdoesn’trequireyoutoprovidecontextforthetasksinthematrix’sfourquadrants.Nomentionismadeconcerninghowlongeachtaskwilltaketocomplete,noritsconnectionwithothertasksandprojects.

Anotherproblemisthatthematrixmaygrowtothepointthatitpresentstoomanyoptions.Thatis,youmayfindalargenumberoftasksinQuadrantII,andhavedifficultychoosingwhichonestoworkongivenyourlimitedavailability.

AswiththeKanbanmethod,there’salottolikeabouttheMatrixsystem(orEisenhowerBox)despiteitsflaws.Youmayfindthatsomeofitsfeaturesarewellsuitedtothewayyouwork.

Inafewmoments,we’regoingtocreateapersonalto-dolistsystemthatwillhelpyoutogettheimportantstuffdone.First,let’stakealookatthefinal-andarguablythemostpopular-taskmanagementsystemusedtoday:GettingThingsDone(GTD).

#10-GettingThingsDone(GTD)

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DavidAllen’sGettingThingsDoneisoneofthemostcelebratedtaskmanagementsystemsinusetoday.Interestingly,ithasasmanydetractorsasithasadvocates(forreasonswe’llgettoinamoment).

Herearethebasics:Youhavealotofstuffswimmingaroundinyourhead.Mostofitremains

uncategorizedintermsofcontext,priority,andintendedoutcomes.Forexample,youmaybethinkingofyourbrother’sbirthday,theshortageof

papertowelsinyourkitchen,andyourdaughter’supcomingpianorecital.Youmightbespendingmentalenergyonthefactthatyouneedtoputgasinyourcar,mowthelawn,andbuybugspraytodealwiththeantsinyourbathroom.

Meanwhile,yourtoothhurts,suggestingit’stimetoseethedentist.Yourbackhurts,indicatedadoctor’svisitmightbeinorder.Andalittlevoiceinyourheadwhispersthatyoushouldmakeexerciseabiggerpriority.

Theseitemsfloataroundinyourmind.There’snoplantotakeactiononthem,whichleavesopenloops.Wewanttogetthesethingsdone,butwehaven’tcommittedourselvestotheircompletion.Openloopscauseusstress.

GTDseekstogetthisstuffoutofyourheadandontoalist.Itmakeseachitemactionable,therebyclosingtheopenloops.Onceitemsareonamasterlist,youspendtimeorganizingthemaccordingtocontext.Partofthisprocessentailscreatingmultiplelistsandplacingitemswheretheybelong.Aweeklyreviewisperformedtostayontopofthings.

That’sasimplifiedexplanationofGTD(entirebookshavebeenwrittenaboutit).Itwillsufficeforourpurposes.

Thisstrategyoffersseveralimportantfeatures.First,itforcesyoutoaddcontexttoeachtask.Thisisinherentintheprocessof“dumping”everythingontoamasterlistandthenmovingtaskstoother,morerefinedlists.

Second,itseparatestasksbasedonimportance.PartofGTDinvolvescreatinga“nextactions”listanda“someday/maybe”list.Bothareuseful.Theformerencouragesyoutokeepyourimportantworkmovingforward.Thelatterallowsyoutocaptureideasthatmayhavevalue,butneedfurtherconsiderationbeforethatvaluecanbedetermined.

Third,GTDadvisesperformingaweeklyreview.Thisreviewisnotanafterthought.AllenreferstoitasoneofthekeystobeingsuccessfulusingGTD.

Fourth,it’sasflexibleasyouneedittobe.WhileGTDprovidesstructure,itdoesn’tforceyoutoadheretospecifictactics.Itoffersaframeworkthatgivesyouenoughflexibilitytocreateyourownpersonalizedapproach.

Havingsaidtheabove,thereareafewchallengeswithusingGTD.First,itfocusesmoreonprocessingtheideasinyourheadthanactuallygettingthemdone.

Second,notenoughattentionisgiventohoweachitemcapturedonthe“braindump”listrelatestoyourgoals.Whileyou’reforcedtogivetheitemscontextandplacethemonmorerefinedlists,you’renotrequiredtolinkthemtospecificobjectives.

Third,theflexibilityinherentinGTDcanprovetobedetrimentaltosomeusers.Oftentimes,peoplewhostrugglewithtaskmanagementneedmoreconstraintsontheirfreedom,notless.Suchconstraintscanhelpthemtoreininbadhabitsandimprovetheirfocus.

Fourth,it’seasytogetoverwhelmedwhileusingGTD.Thissystemiseffectiveforgettingstuffoutofyourheadandontopaper(orintoanonlinenote-takingapp).Butnoteverythinginyourheaddeservesaplaceonyourto-dolists.Muchofitwillbeirrelevanttoyourgoals.Muchofitwillwasteyourtime.Recordingeveryitemcanmakeyoufeelasifyou’regettingburiedunderamountainofminutiae.

GettingThingsDoneispopularasastrategyfororganizingtasksandcreatingto-dolists.There’snodoubtaboutthat.Butthemoreyouresearchit,themoreyou’llfindthatmanypeoplehavetriedandabandonedit.

It’sworthasking“IsGTDactuallyeffective?”We’lltakeacloserlookatthisquestioninthenextsection.

GettingThingsDone:IsItEffective?

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GettingThingsDoneisasystemthatseemshighlyeffectivewhenyoufirstadoptit.Youspendalotoftimegettingstuffoutofyourheadandorganizingitaccordingtocontext.Thesearecrucialstepstowardidentifyingyourmostimportantwork.Thefactthattheyreduceyourstress-tryingtoremembereverythingisstressful!-isanothersignalofthesystem’seffectiveness.

Astimepasses,however,youmaybecomedisenchantedwithGTD.It’sacommonexperience.Thesystem’srigorousfocuson“nextactions”detractsfromproject-levelfocus.Youbegintofeellikeashort-ordercook,pumpingout“nextactions”withoutstoppingtoconsiderthebiggerpicture.

AnotherproblemisthatusingGTDdoesn’tprovideamethodforchoosingamongcompetingtasks.There’snoworkflowmanagementsysteminplacetoensuretheimportantworkgetsdoneandthelessimportantworkremainsonthebackburner.

GTDisalsoweakwithregardtoattachingtaskstospecificgoals.Thelinktogoalsisseveredattheoutsetduetothesystem’shardfocuson“nextactions”ratherthanprojects.Withoutanemphasisonprojects,GTDlacksameaningfulframeworkforgoalsettingandgoalachievement.

Somepeopleclaimthatsettinggoalsisnotonlyunnecessaryanduseless,butharmfulinthelongrunwhenitcomestotaskmanagement.Idisagree.Goalsprovidevision,focus,andmotivation.Theyalsogiveusagaugebywhichtomeasureourprogress.

Inmyopinion,oneofthebiggestdownfallsofGTDisthatitdoesn’tdistinguishbetweenhigh-valueandlow-valuetasks.Thepriorityistogetthingsdonewhilelittleattentionisgiventowhethertherightthingsaregettingdone.

HavepeopleusedGTDtoeffectivelycreateto-dolistsandsuccessfullymanagetheirtaskworkflow?Yes.ButjustasmanyhavefoundthatGTDis

insufficientinmanyways,includingsomeofthewaysIdescribedabove.GTDisn’twithoutpractical,beneficialfeatures.Iencourageyoutolookfor

thosethatmightproveusefulinyourownstrategy.Inthenextsection,I’llshowyouhowtocreateto-doliststhatwork.Rollup

yoursleevesbecausewe’regoingtobuildthemfromscratch.

PartIII

HowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList

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Thisiswheretherubbermeetstheroad.We’regoingtotakeeverythingwe’vecoveredthusfaranduseittobuildaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.

Thesystemwe’reabouttocreatewillmakeiteasierforyoutogetyourmostimportantworkdoneontime.Itwillreduceyourstress,eliminateyourfrustration,andhelpyoutofocusandavoiddistractionsalongtheway.

Mostpeopleunderestimatetheimportanceoftheirto-dolists.Theymisjudgetheimpacttheirlistshaveontheirproductivity.Asyoureadthefollowingsections,Iencourageyoutotaketheoppositeview.Recognizethatyourto-dolistplaysavitalroleinhowyourdayprogresses.Aneffectivesystemwillnotonlyhelpyoutostayontopofyourworkflow,butwillalsohelpyoumanageyourdailylife.

Let’sbuildtheperfectto-dolist.

Step1:IsolateCurrentTasksFromFutureTasks

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Inthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems,InotedthatoneofthestrengthsofDavidAllen’sGTDsystemisitsuseofmultiplelists.Itadvocatestheuseofa“nextactions”listanda“someday/maybe”list.

Wecanrefinethispracticetosqueezemorevaluefromit.First,usea“currenttask”listtodecidehowtoallocateyourtimeand

attentioneachday.Thislistwillcarrytheto-doitemsthatmustbecompletedbeforethedayends.

Second,usea“futuretask”listtokeeptrackofalltheitemsthatwillneedyourattentionatsomepoint.Youwon’tusethislistduringthecourseofyourworkday.Instead,you’llrefertoitattheendofthedaytocreatethefollowingday’sto-dolist.

Thissimplestep,separatingcurrenttasksfromfuturetasks,iscritical.Itcanmeanthedifferencebetweengettinghigh-valueworkdoneontimeandbecomingoverwhelmedunderamountainoftaskswithvaryingprioritiesanddeadlines.

Manypeopleworkfromasingle,massiveto-dolistthatgrowsbythedayasnewitemsareaddedtoit.Thispracticecanbediscouragingbecausethere’snoendinsight.Thosewhoworkinthismannernevermanagetogetthroughtheirlists,sotheyalwaysfeelasifthey’remerelytreadingwater.

Separatingcurrentandfuturetasksshort-circuitsthisfeeling.Themassivelist,theonethatcontainsallfuturetasks,issetaside.Noattentionispaidtoitduringtheworkday.Initsstead,thecurrenttasklisttakesthespotlight.Itslimitedscope-remember,itonlycarriesitemsthataretobecompletedthatday-

reducesstressandremovesthesenseofoverwhelm.Thisisaslightdeviationfromthe“nextactions”listusedinGTD.Thatlist

doesn’tlimityourfocustothecurrentday.AsGTD’screatorDavidAllennoted,itisintendedtolistthe“nextphysical,visibleactivitythatneedstobeengagedin,inordertomovethecurrentrealitytowardcompletion.”Assuch,the“nextactions”listcouldpotentiallygoonforseveralpages.

Thisisacrucialdistinction.You’llfindthatcompletingeachday’sto-dolistwillmotivateandinspireyou.There’ssomethinginvigoratingaboutcrossingoffeveryitemfromyourlist.You’llfeelasifthedayisaproductivesuccess.

Imagineexperiencingthatpositivefeelingdayafterday.

Step2:DefineTasksByDesiredOutcomes

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Theonlyreasontodoasomethingisifdoingitmovesyouclosertowardachievingaspecificgoal.Forexample,fewpeoplestudycalculusintheirfreetime.Mostdosoinordertocompleteschoolwork,prepareforatest,orbroadentheirskillset.

Likewise,fewpeoplecleanouttheirrainguttersforenjoyment.Theydosotopreventwaterdamagetotheirroofs.

Wetakeactiontoeffectspecificoutcomes.Otherwise,whywouldwespendtimeandeffortdoingthingsthatpreventusfrompursuingactivitieswefindmoreenjoyable(forexample,binge-watchingourfavoriteTVseriesonNetflix)?

Considerthatnotioninthecontextofyourto-dolists.Howoftenhaveyoufailedtocompletetasks-orevenstartworkingonthem-becausetheyappearedtohavelittleimportancetoyou?Chancesare,thetasksweren’tattachedtospecificgoalsyouwantedtoachieve.

Thesimplestwaytogetthroughyourdailyto-dolististoassigna“why”toeachitemfoundonit.Knowthereasontheitemisonyourlist.Determinewhyyouneedtogetitdone.Writethereasondownnexttothetask.

Forexample,supposeyourto-dolistcarriestheitem“callmyparents.”Youprobablyhaveareasontocallthem,ifonlytocheckinandseehowthey’redoing.Alternatively,youmightwanttoinvitethemtobreakfastoraskthemaboutafamily-relatedmatter.

Thepointis,callingyourparentsisintendedtoaccomplishaspecificgoal.Writedownthatgoal,ordesiredoutcome,nexttothetask.You’llbemorelikelytofollowthroughonitifyouseethereasonfordoingit.

It’snotenoughtokeepthereasonsfordoingtasksinyourhead.Youmustwritethemdown.Doingsomakesitmaterial.Areasonwrittendownismorerealthanareasonbouncingaroundinyourhead.

You’llfindthatwhenyouassociatetaskswithspecificoutcomes,you’llfeelmorecompelledtogetthemdone.Takingactionwillsignifyprogresstowardgoalsyouhopetoachieve-goalsthatareimportanttoyou.

Thisisoneofthedefiningtraitsofaneffectiveto-dolist.

Step3:BreakProjectsDownToIndividualTasks

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You’veprobablyheardthisjoke:Howdoyoueatanelephant?Onebiteatatime.

Itillustratesanimportantconceptrelatedtotaskmanagement.Theonlywaytocompleteanyprojectistofirstbreakitdowntoitsconstituentparts.Aprojectismovedforwardbyworkingontheindividualtasksthatareincumbenttoitscompletion.

Youknowthisintuitively.Butdoyouapplytheprincipletoyourdailyto-dolists?

Whenwe’refacedwithalargeproject,it’sdifficulttoknowwheretobegin.Consequently,webecomemorepronetodistractions.Anydistractionispreferabletograpplingwithanendeavorforwhichwelackdirectionandmomentum.

Thisisthereasonmanyto-do“items”remainunfinishedattheendoftheday.They’retechnicallyprojects.They’retoolargeinscopeandcanseemoverwhelming,whichcausesustoprocrastinate.Weultimatelycarrythemforwardtothefollowingday,wheretheycontinuetonagus.

Ifwedon’tinvestthetimetobreakdownprojectstotheirsmaller,moremanageablepieces,thismotivation-crushingprocessislikelytorepeatitselfdayafterday.

Let’slookatanexample.Supposeoneoftheitemsonyourmasterlistis“cleanthehouse.”Thisisa

project,onethatcanpotentiallytakehourstocomplete.Listedasasingleitem,it’soverwhelming.It’sdifficulttoknowwheretostart.

Solet’sbreakdowntheprojecttosmallertasks,eachofwhichoffersfocusandcanbecompletedinlesstime.Here’sastarterlist:

WashthedishesCleanthekitchencountertopsMopthekitchenfloorCleanthedownstairsbathroomCleantheupstairsbathroomsVacuumthefloorsDustthefurniture

Noticethateachoftheabovetasksisactionable.Andimportantly,eachoneisindependentoftheothers.Youdon’thavetoaddresstheminanyparticularorder.

Thisgivesyouflexibilityinhowyouscheduletimetocompletethetasks.Ratherthansettingasidefourhoursto“cleanthehouse,”youcansetaside10minutestowashthedishes,15minutestomopthekitchenfloor,and30minutestocleanthedownstairsbathroom.

Breakingprojectsdownintosmallertasksmakesthemseemmoredoable.Italsoallowsyoutofocusyourlimitedtimeandattentionontasksaccordingtotheirpriorityandvalue.Forexample,washingthedishesmaybeahigh-priorityitemthatwarrantsyourimmediateattention.Meanwhile,vacuumingthefloorscanbepostponeduntiltomorrowwithoutconsequence.

It’simportanttomakethedistinction.Makesureyourto-dolistsarelimitedtoactionabletasks,notprojects.Ifan

itemrequiresmorethanoneaction,itisaprojectthatcan-andshould-bebrokendown.Bybreakingthemdown,you’llenjoybetterfocusandgetimportantworkdonemorequickly.

Step4:AssignADeadlineToEachTask

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Youalreadyknowtheimportanceofdeadlines.Theyhelpustofocusourtimeandattentiononimportanttasks.Theyhelpustoorganizeourcalendars.Theyencourageustotakeaction.Studiesalsoshowtheyimproveourperformance.

Ultimately,deadlinesincreaseourefficiencyandproductivity,spurringustogetimportantstuffdone.

Forthisreason,everytaskonyourmasterto-dolistshouldhaveadeadlineassociatedwithit.Thedatedoesn’thavetobewritteninstone.Itcanchangeasthepriorityandurgencyofthetasktowhichit’sattachedchanges.

Normustthedatebeprecise.Yourtasklistmayincludeto-doitemsthatneedtobeaddressedatsomepoint,butcanbeputonthebackburnerfornow.Aduedateof“mid-August,”ratherthan“August14,”maysufficeifthetaskisn’tdueforseveralmonths.

Attachingadeadlinetoeveryitemonyourmasterto-dolistmakesiteasiertoknowwhichtaskstoselectforyourdailyto-dolist.Youcantellataglancewhichitemsneedyourattentiontomorrowandwhichonescanbeshelveduntilafuturedate.

Havingsaidthat,it’snotenoughtoassignadeadlinetoeachitem.Themannerinwhichyoudosoisequallyimportant.Itwillinfluenceyourmorale,motivation,andabilitytofocus.Yourstrategyinsettingdeadlineswilldictatewhethertheyareeffective.

Hereareafewtips…First,makesureeachdeadlineisrealistic.Itdoesnogoodtoassignan

impossibleduedatetoatask.Doingsowillonlycauseyoustress,frustration,

anddiscouragement.Second,comeupwithareasonforeachduedate.Forexample,supposeit’s

summertimeandyourchildisdueforadentalcheckup.You’dprobablywanttoscheduleadentistappointmentbyAugust31toensureitgetsdonebeforeyourchildreturnstoschool.Youhaveareasontoact.Thereasonmakesthedeadlinegenuine.

Whenadeadlineissetwithoutareason-thatis,thedateisarbitrarilychosen-there’slessimpetustotakeaction.Thesenseofurgencyisartificial.

Third,giveyourselflesstimethanyouthinkyouneed.ImentionedParkinson’sLawinthesectionWhyYou’reNotFinishingYourListOfTo-DoItems.Thatlawstates“workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforitscompletion.”Wetendtoallowourselvestoomuchtimetogetthingsdone.You’llfindthatnarrowingthewindowwillimproveyourfocusandresultingreaterefficiencyandproductivity.

There’snoreasontodreaddeadlines.Onthecontrary,youshouldlookforwardtoapplyingthemtoeveryitemonyourmastertasklist.They’llhelpyoutoavoiddistractionsandgiveyouthemotivation,inspiration,andenergyyouneedtomoveyourmostimportantworkforward.

Step5:LimitTheNumberOfCurrentTasksToSeven

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Oneofthemostcommonproblemswithto-dolistsisthatthey’retoolong.Thosethatstartwithjustafewtasksinvariablygrowtoincludedozens.It’snowondersomanypeopleareunabletogetthroughtheirto-dolists.Doingsoispracticallyimpossible!

Ontheonehand,thiscircumstanceisunderstandable.Duringthecourseofanygivenday,newprojectsareconceivedandnewtasksarebornfromthem.

Butthatdoesn’tmeanyoushouldaddthemtoyourdailytasklist.Infact,doingsowouldbesettingyourselfupforfailure.

Istronglyrecommendlimitingthenumberofitemsonyourdailyto-dolisttoseven.Thisisamanageablenumber.Assumingnosingletaskrequireshourstocomplete,it’spossibletogetthroughyourentirelistbytheendoftheday.

Wetalkedaboutthe“3+2”strategyandthe“1-3-5rule”inthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems.Bothmethodslimitthenumberoftasksthatappearonyourdailylists.Bothgetthisaspectoftaskmanagementright.Theykeepyourlistshortsoyoucangetthroughiteachday.Asaresult,you’llavoidthesenseofoverwhelmandself-guiltthataccompaniesfailureinthatdepartment.

Allowmetoclarifysomething.Imentionedlimitingyourdailyto-dolisttosevenitems.Youmightbewonderinghow,atthatrate,you’llgetthroughthehundredsoftasksonyourmasterto-dolist,whichgrowslongereachday.

My“limit-to-seven”suggestionreferssolelytotasksthatrequireatleast15minutestocomplete.You’llfindthatmanyofthetasksonyourmasterlistcanbehandledwithinoneortwominutes.Followingareafewexamples:

MakeyourbedCheckyourvoicemailSortyourmailStartaloadoflaundryMakeadinnerreservationSubscribetoanewsletter(likemine!)ReturnaphonecallAddaplug-intoyourWordpressblogDeclutteryourdesktopDecidewhattohavefordinner

Theseare“tinytasks”thatdon’tbelongonyourdailyto-dolist.Why?Becausetheycouldpotentiallycausethelisttogrowtodozensofitems.

Instead,Irecommendkeepinga“batchlist.”We’lltalkaboutthispracticeinmoredetailintheupcomingsectionHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem.Fornow,recognizethattinytaskslike“sortyourmail”shouldnotbeamongthesevenitemsonyourdailyto-dolist.

Step6:OrganizeTasksByProject,Type,OrLocation

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It’scommontotreatthemastertasklistasarolling“braindump.”Newtasksareaddedtothebottomofthelistasyouthinkofthem.Theproblemis,ifyouleaveitinthatcondition,itwilleventuallybecomeoverwhelming.

Evenifyougiveeachitemadeadlineandprovidevarioustypesofcontext,yourlistwillbecomeburdensomeovertime.You’llfinditincreasinglydifficulttomanagetasks.Alotofitemswillendupfallingthroughthecracks.

Imaginereviewing20pagesofto-doitems.MyownmasterlistusedtobemuchlongerbeforeIlearnedhowtocreateeffectivelists.Findingspecifictasksandmanagingtheassociatedprojectstooktoomuchtime.

Nolonger.Inoworganizetasksbasedonvariouscontexts:byproject,type,andlocation.Imaintainmultiplelistsaccordingly.(Notethattheselistsareseparateanddistinctfrommydailyto-dolist.)

Task-levelcontextisanimportantpartofanyto-dolistsystem.Itdefineshowlongitemsshouldtaketocomplete.Itremindsyouofthereasonstogetthemdone.Itencouragesyoutofocusontasksthathavethehighestprioritiesgivenyourgoals.

Forthesereasons,categorizeeachtaskonyourmasterto-dolistusingthefollowingthreecontexts:

1. Project2. Type3. Location

Irecommendcreatingaseparatelistforeachproject,eachtypeoftask,and

eachlocation.Forexample,thefollowingprojectswouldwarranttheirownlists:

WriteabookRemodelmykitchenBuyacar

Thefollowingtypesoftaskswouldalsowarranttheirownlists:

AnalyticalworkCreativeworkMindlesswork

Likewise,thefollowinglocationswouldwarranttheirownlists:

AttheofficeAthomeOntheroad

Categorizingto-doitemsbyproject,type,andlocationwillkeepyouorganized.Itwillalsohelpyoutochoosetasksforyourdailylistthatcomplementyourcircumstances.

Forexample,“vacuumthelivingroom”isclearlyalocation-basedtask.Youmustbeathometodoit.Ifyouplantobeattheofficeallday,youwouldn’taddthisitemtoyourdailylist.

Sometaskscan-andshould-beassignedtomorethanonecontext.Forexample,considertheproject“WriteaBook.”Oneofyourearlytasksis

to“writethefirstdraftofchapter1.”Thistaskisalreadycategorizedbyproject.Butiftheonlytimeyou’reabletowriteiswhileyou’reathome,itshouldalsobecategorizedbylocation.Moreover,keepinmindthatwritingiscreativeworkthatrequiresmentalenergy.Assuch,itmaybeusefultocategorizeitbytypeofactivity.Thatway,youcanscheduleitonyourcalendarfortimeswhenyourenergylevelsarehigh.

Ifyou’recreatingto-dolistsonpaper,assigningmultiplecontextstotaskscanbeproblematic.Onesolutionistocolorcodethem.

Forexample,thetask“writethefirstdraftofchapter1”isalreadyfoundundertheproject“writeabook.”Color-codingforthatcontextisunnecessary.Butyoucanusecoloredpenstoassignlocationandactivitytypecontexts.Redcansignify“athome”andbluecansignify“creativework.”

Thisisanimperfectsolution,ofcourse.Abetterapproachistouseanonlinetool,suchasTodoist.Itofferstaggingandlabelingfeatureswithapaletteofcolorsthatmakeiteasytoorganizeto-doitemsbymultiplecontexts.

Onelastnotebeforewemoveon.Youmayfinditusefultokeepaseparatelistforhigh-priority,high-valueto-doitems.SomepeoplecallthisaHITlist,orhigh-impacttasklist.

Personally,IfindtheuseofaHITlisttobeoverkill.Ialreadyassignaprioritytoeveryitemonmyvariouslists.Creatinganadditionallistforhigh-impactitemsisunnecessary.Ithampersmyefficiencyratherthanimprovesit.

ButIwantedtomentionthepracticeintheeventyoufindithelpsyourworkflow.Remember,thisisaboutcreatingasystemthatworksforyou.

Step7:PruneYourListOfUnnecessaryTasks

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Oneofthemostimportantthingsyoucandoistokeepyourmasterto-dolistclean.Youneedtoprunethelistonaregularbasis,purgingtasksthatarenolongernecessaryorconsistentwithyourgoals.Otherwise,itcanquicklybecomeunmanageableasyouaddnewitemstoiteachday.

Pruningyourlisthelpsyoutokeepitundercontrol.You’llbeabletomoreeasilyidentifyimportantprojectsandtheirassociatedtasks.Taskmanagementismadesimplerwhenirrelevantitemsareremoved,orcrossedoff,yourlist.

Pruningalsoincreasesyourefficiency.Itlimitsyourmasterlisttotasksthatadvanceyourmostimportantwork.Consequently,youwon’twastevaluabletimeandattentiononnonessentialactivities.

Whattypesoftasksarecandidatesforremoval?Lookforthesefouritems:

1. Wishes2. Uncleartasks3. Trivialtasks4. Resolutions

Wishesaretypicallyphrasedasprojectsratherthanactionabletasks.Forexample,youmightwishto“remodelyourkitchen.”Youmaywishto“takeyourfamilytoKauainextsummer.”Wishesareoverlybroadinscopeandrarelyessentialtoachievingwell-definedgoals.Assuch,theyshouldberemovedfromyourmasterto-dolist.

Keeptheseitemsonawishlist.Uncleartasksarethosethatlackcontext.You’llsometimesfindthey’rein

thatstatebecausetheydon’twarrantyourattention.Theyhanginlimbountilyounoticethem.

Anexamplewouldbeto“callJohn.”WhydoyouneedtocallJohn?Howwilldoingsomoveyourimportantworkforward?Arethereconsequencesifyoufailtomakethecall?Ifso,whatarethey?

Ifataskonyourmasterlistisunclear,reevaluateitsvalueinlightofyourgoals.Itmaybeagoodcandidateforremoval.

Trivialtaskscanbeeliminatedwithoutrepercussions.Thesearerandomitemsthatarerecordedwhentheysurface,andpromptlyforgotten.Yourmasterlistwillaccumulatethem.That’sitspurpose-toclearyourheadofthingsthataredifficulttorememberandorganize.Butyou’llfindthat,undercloserexamination,manyoftheseitemscan-andshouldbe-removedfromthelist.

Resolutionsarepromises.Theydifferfromnormalto-doitemsbecausetheytypicallyrequireachangeinhabit.Forexample,youmightresolveto“exercise,”“loseweight,”or“learnSpanish.”It’sfinetohavesuchgoals,ofcourse.Butdon’tconfusethemwithactionabletasks.

Removeallresolutionsfromyourmasterto-dolist.Theydon’tbelongthere.Instead,putthemonaseparate“lifestylegoals”listandtreatthemasprojects.Then,whenyou’rereadytoactononeofthem,createaseparatelistforit.Breakitdowntosmall,actionabletasksandassigndeadlines.

Alarge,cumbersomemasterto-dolistisdiscouraging.Ifyouallowittogrowunchecked,itcanslowlyerodeyourmotivationandcrushyourcreativity.Keepitcleanbyregularlypruningunnecessarytasks.Doingsowillmakeyourlistfeelmorealivebecauseeverytaskonitwillhaveaspecificpurpose.

Withperiodicpruning,you’llbeabletomoreeasilyidentifyimportanttasksforyourdailyto-dolists.You’llalsospendlesstimeoninsignificantitems,greatlyincreasingyourproductivityalongtheway.

Step8:EstimateTheAmountOfTimeEachTaskWillTakeToComplete

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Youshouldknowhowlongeachto-doitemonyourmasterlistwilltakeyoutofinish.Thisinformationallowsyoutochoosetasksforyourdailylistbasedonhowmuchtimeyou’llhaveavailabletoworkonthem.Ifyouknoweachtask’sestimatedcompletiontime,youcancreaterealisticto-dolists.Youcanavoidsaddlingyourselfwithtasksthatneedtobecarriedovertothenextday.

Mostpeopleneglecttotakethisstep.Sadly,it’soneofthemostdamagingomissionstheycanmake.Itcanmeanthedifferencebetweengettingthroughtheirto-dolistsandfeelingfrustratedandoverwhelmedbythemattheendoftheday.

Inordertocalculateatask’sestimatedcompletiontime,youmustknowwhatisrequiredtodothetask.Thisincludestools,information,andinputfromothers.

Forexample,supposeoneofthetasksonyourto-dolististo“finishtheaccountsreceivablereportforboss.”Inordertocompletethereport,youmayneedinputfromyourcompany’ssalesdepartment.Youmightalsoneedtorefertolastweek’saccountsreceivableandcashflowreports.Howlongwillittakeyoutoobtainthenecessaryinformationandresources?Theserequirementsshouldbetakenintoaccountwhenestimatingthetask’scompletiontime.

Reviewyourmasterlistandassignatimeestimatetoeachitem.Whethertheitemwilltake15minutesor3hours,writedowntheestimatenexttoit.

Resistthetemptationtoguess.Wetendtobeoverlyoptimisticregardingour

abilitytogetthingsdone.Weunderestimatethetimeweneed.Beawareofthistendency.

Comeupwitharealisticestimatebasedontheresourcesyou’llneed(includinginputfromothers)andthechallengesyou’relikelytoencounteralongtheway.

Ifyou’refamiliarwiththetask,you’llknowwhatresourcesyouneedandhowmuchtimeitwilltaketocompleteit.You’llbeabletoassignareasonablyaccurateestimate.Ifyou’reunfamiliarwiththetask,talktosomeonewhohasworkedonitinthepast.Askthatpersonhowmuchtimeitusuallytakeshimorher.

Asyouassignestimatedcompletiontimestotheto-doitemsonyourmasterlist,you’llfaceaninterestingconundrum.Inotedabovethatwetendtounderestimatetheamountoftimewe’llneedtocompletetasks.We’reinclinedtobeoverlyoptimistic.However,wealsotendtogiveourselvestoomuchtimetogetthingsdone.

Forexample,takemowingthelawn.Supposearealisticcompletiontimeis45minutes.Inouroptimism,weconvinceourselvesthatwecanfinishthejobinunder30minutes.Yet,becausethere’snourgencybehindthetask,wegiveourselvesanhourandahalf.

Thisleniencyisdangerousbecauseitimpairsourproductivity.RecallParkinson’sLaw:“Workexpandssoastofillthetimeavailableforitscompletion.”Althoughyoucanrealisticallymowyourlawnin45minutes,you’lltakeanhourandahalftodoitifyouallowyourselfthatmuchtime.

KeepParkinson’sLawinmindasyouassignestimatedcompletiontimestoyourto-doitems.Itwillhelpyoutodrasticallyreducetheamountoftimeyouneedtocompletetasks.Asaresult,you’llgetmoredoneandenjoymorefreetimetopursueotherinterests.

Step9:LeadEachTaskWithAnActiveVerb

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Sometimes,allyouneedistherightwordtospuryoutoaction.Verbshavethatpower.Puttheminfrontofyourto-doitemsandyou’llbemoreinclinedtogettheitemsdone.

Whenyouphraseataskwithaverb,thetaskcomesalive.Itgoesfrombeingamerelineitemonyourto-dolisttobeinganactionableassignment.Theverbtriggerssomethinginthebrain,promptingittofocusoncompletingtheitem.

Let’stakealookatafewexamples.Followingare“tasks”(technically,they’relittlemorethannotes)thatlackverbs:

LaundrySandra’sbirthdaycakeAccountsreceivablereportCartiresBreakfastwithparents

Noticehowthetaskslackemotionalandmotivationalpower.Wecanfixthatbyaddingverbstothem:

StartaloadoflaundryBuyacakeforSandra’sbirthdayFinishtheaccountsreceivablereportCheckthepressureinmycar’stiresCallparentstoplanbreakfastdate

Noticehowtheverbs(start,buy,finish,check,andcall)tellusexactlywhat

todo.There’snoambiguity.Youdon’thavetoguessatthetypeofactivitythetaskinvolves.Theverbdefinesit.

Also,noticehowtheverbsmakeiteasiertoestimatetaskcompletiontimes.It’sdifficulttoknowhowlongthetask“laundry”willtake.Butyoucan“startaloadoflaundry”infiveminutes.

Notjustanyverbwilldo.There’sanarttochoosingtherightones.Thekeyistobespecific.

Forexample,considertheto-doitem“contactBobabouttheTPSreport.”Theverb“contact”ishelpful,butimprecise.Itcanmeananyofthefollowing:

CallBobonthephoneEmailBobSendBobatextmessageStopbyBob’sofficeLeaveBobamessageinhisinbox

There’svalueinchoosingthepreciseverbthatdefinesthetask.Again,bespecific.WillyoucallBoboremailhim?Willyoutexthimorstopbyhisoffice?

Therightverbsencourageexecution.Theyencourageyoutotakeaction.Thewrongonesdotheopposite.Theyencourageprocrastination.Verbslikeexplore,plan,andtouchbaselackspecificity.Asaresult,they’relesseffectivethanverbslikeresearch,draft,andcall.Theselatterchoiceshavemoreimpactbecausetheyimplyspecificactions.Theyleavenothingopentointerpretation.

Phrasingtaskswiththerightactionverbswillmotivateyoutotakeactiononthem.You’llbelesssusceptibletodistractionsandlesslikelytoprocrastinatebecauseyou’llknowexactlywhatyouneedtodo.

Theresult?You’llgetthroughyourdailyto-dolistsmorequickly,gettingmoredoneinlesstime.

Step10:NoteWhichTasksRequireInputFromOthers

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Someofthetasksonyourdailyto-dolistwillrequireinputfromotherpeople.Forexample,youmightbeworkingonateam-basedprojectandneedcertainteammemberstocompletespecifictasksbeforeyoucanaddresstheonesforwhichyou’reresponsible.

Evenifyou’reworkingalone,others’inputmaybevitaltoyourworkflow.Forinstance,theaccountsreceivablereportyou’vebeentaskedtocompletemightrequireinputfromsomeoneinyoursalesdepartment.Theconferencecallyouintendtoholdmayrequireinformationyou’veaskedacoworkertoobtainforyou.

It’simportanttoknow,ataglance,whichitemsonyourtasklistrequireactionfromotherpeople.DavidAllen’sGTDadvocatesthecreationofaseparate“waitingfor”list.Thislistwouldincludeeverytaskforwhichyou’rewaitingforsomeonetoact.

Personally,Ithinktheuseofa“waitingfor”listisoverkill.Ifyou’vefollowedthepreviousninestepsincreatingyourmasterlist,context-basedlists,anddailylists,you’lldofinewithoutit.Infact,a“waitingfor”listwouldjustovercomplicateyourtaskmanagementsystem.

Here’smyrecommendation:writeashortnotenexttoeachto-doitemforwhichyou’rewaitingforsomeone’sinput.Detailthetypeofinputyouneed,itsformat(email,phonecall,report,spreadsheet,etc.),andthedateyouexpectittobedelivered.

Theexpecteddeliverydatewillpromptyoutofollowupwiththepersonifyoudon’treceivehisorherinputinatimelyfashion.Tothatend,itwillhelp

youtosetexpectationsforothersandholdthemaccountableforneededdeliverables.Thisiscriticalifyourworkflowdependsonthemtakingaction.

Mostpeopleneglecttotakethisstep.Theyfailtomakenotesregardingtheirneedforinputfromotherparties.Unfortunately,iftheirworkflowdependsonothers,thisomissionwillruintheirestimatesconcerningthetimeneededtocompletetasks.They’llendupspendingvaluabletimeinlimbo,waitingforotherpeopletoact.This,ofcourse,willhobbletheirabilitytogetthingsdone,severelyimpactingtheirproductivity.

PartIV

HowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem

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Yourmastertasklist,contextlists,anddailyto-dolistsarecomponentsofabroadersystem.Theireffectivenessdependsonthatsystem’sintegrity.

Ifyouhaveawell-oiledsysteminplace,yourlistswillhelpyoutogetimportantworkdonefasterandwithmoreefficiency.Ifyoursystemisfaulty,yourlistscanactuallyhurtyourworkflow,sabotageyourtimemanagement,anddemolishyourproductivity.

Inthefollowingsections,I’llshowyou,stepbystep,howtomaintainaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.Mostofthesetipsbuilduponcoreconceptswe’vealreadycoveredinprevioussections.Afewintroducenewconcepts.Allofthemareessentialtocreatingasystemthatguaranteesyourto-dolistshelpyoutogetyourimportantworkdone.

Tip#1:KeepA“TinyTask”BatchList

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ImentionedtheuseofabatchlistinStep#5ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.Thepurposeofabatchlististoorganizeallofyourtinytasksinoneplace.Tinytasksareitemsthattakelessthan10minutestocomplete.Theideaistobatchthemtogetherandaddressthemduringasingleworksession.

Tinytasksdon’tbelongonyourdailyto-dolist.Remember,yourdailylistshouldbelimitedtosevenitems.Savethespaceforhigh-valuetasksthatrequiremoretimetocomplete(aminimumof15minutes).

Norshouldtinytasksremainonyourmasterlist.They’lljustendupclutteringit.

Instead,placethemonaseparatebatchlist.Whenyouhaveextratime,chooseafewtoworkon.Crosstheitemsoffyourlistasyoucompletethem.

Followingareexamplesoftinytasksthatbelongonaseparatebatchlist:

MakethebedStartaloadoflaundryEmailclientRecordyesterday’ssalesdataEmptythedishwasherScheduleameetingwithcoworkerMakeadinnerreservationCheckvoicemailTakeoutthetrashUpdatethebossonanongoingproject

ReturnaphonecallDeclutteryourworkstationPaybillsonlineUpdatesoftware

Eachofthesetaskscanbecompletedinafewminutes.Theproblemis,whenyouaddressthemsporadicallythroughoutyourday,youriskthembecomingdistractions.They’llinterruptyourworkflow,derailingyourmomentumanddestroyingyourcreativity.They’lltemptyoutomultitask,whichwillintroducetaskswitchingcosts.Switchingcostsnegativelyimpactyourperformanceandcauseyourproductivitytoplummet.

Thesolutionissimple.Batchthesetinytaskstogether.Setaside30to45minutestoworkonthem.Thiswillallowyoutofocusontheitems,onebyone,withoutdistractingyoufromyourimportantwork.You’llhavesetasideaseparateworksessiontoaddressthem.

Wheneverpossible,batchtogethertasksthatarerelatedbycontext.Forexample,ifyouneedtoreturnseveralemails,treateachoneasaseparateto-doitemandhandleallofthemduringasinglebatchsession.Likewise,ifyouneedtodoseveralchoresathome,batchthemtogetherandaddressthematthesametime.

Workingonrelatedto-doitemsminimizesswitchingcosts.Asaresult,you’llgetmoredoneinlesstimeandmakefewererrorsalongtheway.

Tip#2:RemainVigilantAgainstFeelingOverwhelmed

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Oneofthebiggestthreatstoanytaskmanagementsystemisthefeelingofoverwhelm.

You’venodoubtexperienceditatsomepoint.Forexample,you’vecheckedyouremailandbecomediscouragedafterseeinghundredsofmessagessittinginyourinbox.You’velookedatyourmasterto-dolistandbecomedisheartenedbyitslengthandlackoftask-levelcontext.You’velookedatyourdailyto-dolistandbecomedemoralizedafterdiscoveringtheitemsyou’veincludedarevagueprojectsratherthanactionabletasks.

Thegoodnewsisthatyoucaneliminate-oratleastminimize-theseproblemsbyimplementingthestepswecoveredinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.Asolidto-dolistsystemwillhelpyoutoefficientlymanageyourworkload.

Butthethreatoffeelingoverwhelmedwillalwaysbepresent.Ifitgainsafootholdinyourmind,itwillsiphonyourenthusiasm,extinguishyourmotivation,andblockyourcreativity.

Forthesereasons,it’simperativethatyouremainvigilantagainstit.Youmustalwaysbeonyourguard.Circumstanceswillconspiretomakeyoufeeloverloadedwithwork.Forexample,yourbossmayfoistmoreandmoreresponsibilitiesontoyourshoulders.Yourcoworkersmightattempttodelegatetheirto-doitemstoyou.Yourspousemayaddtoyourgrowinglistofobligationswithoutrealizingthatyoulackthebandwidthtohandletheminatimelymanner.

Yourto-dolistswillhelpyouinthisregard.Assumingyou’recreatinglistsasdescribedinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,you’llbeable

togaugeyouravailabilityandtakeonnewtasks-ordeflectthem-accordingly.Don’tunderestimatethedemotivatingpoweroffeelingoverwhelmed.Itwill

raiseyourstresslevels,makeyoumoresusceptibletodistractions,andpreventyoufromgettingimportantstuffdone.

Tip#3:DefineYourTo-DoListsByContext

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We’vecoveredthisconceptindetailalready.Butitbearsrepeatingasweexplorehowtocreateandmaintainaneffectiveto-dolistsystem.

InStep#6ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,Imentionedthateverytaskonyourmasterlistshouldbeaccompaniedbycontextualdetails.Forexample,youshouldspecifytheprojectwithwhichthetaskisassociated;thetypeofactivity(analytical,creative,etc.);andwhetherthereareanylocation-basedconstraintsattachedtoit.

Notingthesedetailsmay,atfirst,seemlikeawasteoftime.Butthey’recrucialtosustainingasmoothly-operatingto-dolistsystem.Whenyouaddcontexttothetasksonyourmasterlist,youcanquicklyidentifytheonesyoushouldworkon.

Forexample,supposeyou’reresponsibleforahigh-priorityprojectthathasaloomingdeadline.Youwouldfocusonthetasksthatmovethatprojectforward(project-basedcontext).

Orsupposeit’smid-afternoonandyourenergylevelsarelow.You’ddowelltofocusonmindlesswork(e.g.dataentry,declutteringyourdesk,etc.)ratherthananalyticalorcreativework(activity-basedcontext).

Orsupposeyou’reattheoffice.Youwouldfocusonto-doitemsthatcanonlybedonethere(location-basedcontext).

Task-levelcontextinformsyourdecisionsregardingwhatyoushoulddonext.Whileprovidingcontextualdetailsupfronttakestime,doingsostreamlinesthedecision-makingprocesslater.It’sagoodinvestment.

Irecommendedearlierthatyoumaintainmultiplelistsbycontext.Thisisan

approachthatworksforme.Isuspectitwillworkforyouaslongasyouapplyitwithconsistency.

Tip#4:ConductWeeklyReviews

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Weeklyreviewsarecritical.Theymakethedifferencebetweenasystemthatmotivatesyoutogetimportantstuffdoneandonethatencouragesyoutoprocrastinate.Theydeterminewhetheryousuccessfullykeeptrackofeverythingyouneedtodoorletitemsfallthroughthecracks.

Mostpeopleneglecttoconductregularly-scheduledreviews.Theythinkthemunnecessary.Theyassumetheyhaveasolidgraspoftheirworkload,andthusformalreviewswouldbeawasteoftime.

Thismayindeedbethecaseforyou.Supposeyourmasterlisthasfewerthanadozenitemsonit.Youcanprobablykeeptrackofeverythingwithoutconductingweeklyreviews.

Butchancesare,youhavefarmorethanadozentaskstomonitor.Ifyouhaveanyresponsibilitiesorgoalsatall,yourmasterlistissuretogrowpastthepointofbeingmanageablewithoutperiodicreviewsessions.Countonit.

Imaginethatyourto-dolisthasmorethan100itemsonit.Withoutperiodicreviews,youwon’tbeabletoaccuratelygaugeyourprogressonthem.Norwillyoubeabletomentallyorganizethemaccordingtocontext.It’stoomuchtokeeptrackof.

Thisisthepurposeofholdingaweeklyreviewsession.Itgivesyouanopportunitytoevaluatetheextentofyourprogresstowardyourvariousgoals.Italsogivesyouachancetoreprioritizetasksasneeded.

IconductmyweeklyreviewsonSundayevenings.Youshouldchooseadayandtimethataccommodatesyourcircumstances.Notethatyou’llneedtofocus.So,setaside45minutesduringwhichyoucanworkundisturbed.

Howdoyouconductaweeklyreview?Herearethebasicsteps:

1. Gatherallofyourto-dolists.Thisincludesyourmasterlistandcontext-

basedlists.2. Doabraindumpofallthetasksandprojectsfloatingaroundyourhead.

Addthemtoyourmasterlist.3. Breakdownnewprojectsintoindividualtasks.4. Separatenewtasksaccordingtocontext(project,type,andlocation).

Createnewcontext-basedlists,ifnecessary.5. Clearoutyouremailinbox.Sendresponsesifthey’renecessary.Ifan

emailrequiresyoutotakeaction,butisn’turgent,makeanoteofitonyourmasterto-dolistandarchivethemessage.Also,archiveemailsthatdon’twarrantaresponseoraction,butmaybeneededlater.Deletetherest.

6. Reviewyourmasterlistandcontext-basedlists.Purgetasksthatarenolongernecessaryorimportant.

7. Notethetasksthatarebothimportantandurgent.Markthemascandidatesforyourdailyto-dolist.

8. Notethetasksforwhichyou’rewaitingoninputfromothers.Writedowntheperson’snameandthedateyouexpecttoreceivehisorherinput.Thedatewilltellyouwhentofollowupifyoudon’treceiveit.

9. Reviewyourcurrentdeadlinesforhigh-valuetasks.Makeadjustmentsifnecessary.

10. Assigndeadlinestonewtasksyou’veaddedtoyourmasterlistandcontext-basedlists.

11. Reviewyourcalendarforthecomingweek.Createyourdailyto-dolistbasedonyouravailability.

Theabovemayseemlikealotofwork.Intruth,itis.Butit’sagoodinvestment.Aweeklyreviewisintegraltomaintainingawell-oiledto-dolistsystem.Itwillensureyoufocusyourlimitedtimeonthehigh-valueitemsthatwillmoveforwardtheworkthatismostimportanttoyou.

Tip#5:UpdateYourListOfGoals

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Yourgoalsdictatehowyouspendyourtime.Theygiveyouclarityaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve,intheshortrunaswellasyearsdowntheroad.

Theymakeyouaccountable.Whenyouknowwhatyou’retryingtoachieve,youbecomeawarethateverydecisionyoumakeeithermovesyouclosertowardyourgoalsorfurtherawayfromthem.

Goalsalsohelpyoutofocusonwhat’simportant.InStep#2ofthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,Irecommendedassigningaspecificgoaltoeachtaskonyourlist.Thepurposeofdoingsoistogiveyourselfanincentivetoact.Whenyouknowthereasonaparticulartaskneedstobedone,andthereasonisconsistentwithsomethingyouwanttoaccomplish,you’lldeveloplaser-sharpfocusonthetask.You’lltreatitasapriority.

First,creategoalsthatarespecific.Mostpeople’sgoalsarevague.That’saproblembecause,withoutspecifics,it’sdifficulttogaugeone’sprogresstowardachievingthem.

Takealookatthefollowingexample.Vaguegoal:retireearly.Specificgoal:retirebyyour60thbirthdaywith$2millioninliquid

investmentsanda$5,000monthlyincome.Notehowthevagueversionmakesitnearlyimpossibletotrackyour

progress.There’snowaytotellhowcloseyouaretoachievingitbecauseyouhaven’tclearlydefinedthemetricsbywhichyougaugesuccess.

Incontrast,thespecificversionprovidestrackablemetrics.Second,writedownyourgoals.You’llbelesslikelytoabandonthem.In1979,graduatesofHarvard’sMBAprogramwereaskedwhetherthey

wrotedowntheirgoals.Eighty-fourpercentadmittedtheyhadnospecificgoals;thirteenpercentclaimedtheyhadgoals,buthadnotwrittenthemdown;three

percentwrotedowntheirgoalsalongwiththeirplanstoachievethem.In1989,theinterviewersfollowedupwiththegraduates.Theynotedtwo

remarkablefindings.First,the13%whohadgoalsearnedmorethanthe84%whohadnogoals.Second,the3%whowrotedowntheirgoalsearned10timesasmuchasthe97%whodidnotwritethemdown.

Youcanseethere’spowerincommittingyourgoalstopaper.Torecap,you’vecreatedgoalsthatarespecific.Andyou’vewrittenthem

down.Nowwhat?Thethirdstepistoreviewthemmonthly.Setaside30minutesattheendof

eachmonthtotrackyourprogressandreevaluatewhetheranyofyourgoalshavechanged.Iftheyhave,makenotesaccordingly.

Yourto-dolistsystemisdrivenbythethingsyouwanttoaccomplishinyourlife.Someofyourgoalswillbeshort-terminnature-forexample,youmightwanttoearnapromotionatworkthisyear.Otherswillbelong-terminnature-forexample,retiringbytheageof60with$2millioninliquidinvestments.

Reviewandupdateyourgoalseachmonth.Doingsowillhelpkeepyourto-dolistsystemrunningsmoothly.

Tip#6:AvoidGettingBoggedDownInMethodology

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It’scommonforpeopleinterestedinbeingmoreproductiveandlearninghowtobettermanagetheirtimetotrynumeroussystems.Wediscussedsomeofthosesystemsastheyrelatespecificallytoto-dolistsinthesection10MostPopularTo-DoListSystems.Whenwebroadenthespectrumtoincludesystemsrelatedtotimemanagementingeneral,weencounterthePomodoroTechnique,timeboxing,theFranklin-Coveysystem,ZenToDone,andothers.

Tryingdifferentsystemsisimportant.It’stheonlywaytodeterminewhichonescomplementthewayyouwork.It’salsoagreatwaytodiscoverindividualtacticsyoucanincludeinyourownapproach.

Thisisessentiallywhatwe’vedoneinthisactionguide;weexploredseveralofthetopto-dolistmethodologieswithaneyeforthefeaturesthatseemtoholdthemostvalue.Wethencreatedato-dolistsystemusingsomeofthosefeatures.

Butthere’sadarksidetoproductivityandtimemanagementsystems:it’seasytogetboggeddowninthem.Webecomesofocusedonthemethodologiescreatedtohelpusmanageourtimethattheybegintonegativelyimpactourproductivity.ThisisaversionoftheproblemwediscussedinthesectionTheProductivityParadox:HowYourTo-DoListsAreHamperingYourSuccess.Thesystemsdesignedtohelpusendupholdingusback.

Thepurposeofanyproductivitysystem,includingyourto-dolistsystem,istohelpyougettherightthingsdoneontime.Thegoalistoincreaseyourefficiencyandultimatelymakeyourlifeeasiertomanage.

Whenyoufocusonmethodologiestothepointthattheybecomethepriority,youriskforfeitingthesegoals.

Youprobablyknowsomeonewhofitsthisdescription.Sheadoptseverynewtimemanagementsystemshecomesacross.Orsheusesasystemthatissocomplexandrequiressomuchtimetomaintainthatitendsuphamperingherproductivity.(Toseeexamples,visitYouTubeandsearchfor“timemanagementbindersystems.”)

Yourto-dolistsystemistheretosupportyou.It’stheretohelpyougettheimportantstuffdoneandmoveyouclosertoyourgoals.It’snottheretoruleyourlife.

Don’tbecomesoboggeddowninthemethodologythatyouforgetitspurpose.Beopentomodifyingaspectsofyourto-dolistsystemasyourneedschange.Bewillingtoadoptnewfeaturesasyoudiscoverbetter,moreefficient,waysofdoingthings.

Justrememberyourto-dolistsystemistheretoaidyou,notcontrolyou.

Tip#7:BuildAndFollowASystemThatWorksForYOU

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Thereisnoperfectto-dolistsystem.Theapproachthatworksforothersmaynotworkaswellforyou.ThisisapointI’vestressedthroughoutthisactionguide.

Whilethebasicbuildingblocksofaneffectivesystem-e.g.deadlines,task-levelcontext,andseparationofcurrentandfuturetasks-haveuniversalvalue,otheraspectsarelesscrucial.Theycanbemodifiedorswappedoutforothers.

Infact,youshouldmodifyorswapthemoutifdoingsoimprovesyourabilitytogetthingsdone.

Theaimofthisactionguideisnottoforceyoutoworkwithintheconstraintsofasinglesystem.Onthecontrary,itsaimistohelpyoutocreateasystemthatworksforyou.

Noteourprogressthusfar…Wediscussedthemostpopularto-doliststrategiesusedtoday,highlighting

theirbestfeatures.Wealsocoveredthefundamentalsofeffectivelists,allofwhicharevitaltocreatingasuccessfulsystem.Andwe’renowdiscussingthecorefeaturesofasolidsupportstructurethatwillensureyoursystemworkssmoothlyoverthelongrun.

Theconceptswe’vecoveredhavehadasinglegoal:tohelpyoucreateyourpersonalto-dolistsystem,amethodologythatworksforyou.Yourapproachisgoingtolookdifferentthanmyapproach.That’sasitshouldbe.Ourcircumstancesaredifferent.Ourworkprocessesaredifferent.Ourpredilectionsandproclivitiesaredifferent.

Itfollowsthatourrespectiveto-dolistsystemswillbedifferent.

It’sworthrepeatingthatthebasicbuildingblocks,coveredinthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList,arethesame.They’reessentialtocreatinganeffectivesystem.Butyourapplicationofthemwilldifferfrommine.

Themostimportantthingisthatyourapproachcomplementsyourworkflowandcircumstances.

Tip#8:BeConsistent

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Yourto-dolistsystemwillonlybeaseffectiveastheconsistencywithwhichyouapplytheprincipleswe’vediscussedinthisactionguide.Consistencyisthekeytosuccessinanyendeavor,andmaintainingasuccessfultaskmanagementsystemisnoexception.

It’sonethingtoknowhowtocreateeffectiveto-dolists.It’sanotherthingentirelytoapplythebasicsonadailybasis.Doingthelatterwillmeanthedifferencebetweenasmoothly-operatingsystemandonethateventuallyoverwhelmsyou.

Thechallengeistwofold.First,consistencyrequireshabitchange.Lefttoourowndevices,mostofusareinclinedtogiveourselvestoomuchlatitude.Weneedtobuildthehabitoftakingactiononaregularbasis.Itdoesn’tcomenaturallytous.

Thesecondchallengeisthatskippingadayortwocanhaveasnowballeffect.Onceyouskipaday,itbecomeseasiertoskipforthcomingdays.

Youcanprobablyrelatetothisfromexperience.Evernoticehowpostponinganunpleasantactivity-forexample,visitingthedentist-makesiteasiertopostponethatactivityagainandagain?Thesamethingcanhappenifyoufailtoapplythestepsandtipsexplainedinthisactionguidewithconsistency.

Ifyoustrugglewithbeingconsistent,Irecommendyouusethe“JerrySeinfeld”strategy.Here’showitworks(I’llexplainitshistoryinamoment):

First,learnthe10stepstocreatinganeffectiveto-dolistsystem.(ThesestepswereexplainedindetailinthesectiontitledHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList.)

Second,memorizetheeighttipsforensuringyoursystemrunssmoothlyoverthelongrun.(TheseeighttipsarefoundinthecurrentsectiontitledHowtoMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem.)

Third,buyawallcalendarthatdisplaystheentireyearonasinglesheet.Also,buyaredpen.

Lastly,applythestepsandtipsyou’velearnedtoyourmasterlist,context-basedlists,anddailyto-dolistseachday.Afteryou’vesuccessfullydoneso,crossthedayoffwiththeredpen.

Seinfeldusedthisstrategywhenhewasonthecomedyclubcircuit.Hewouldwritejokeseachday,crossingthedayoffonhiscalendar.Thered“X”markseventuallyformedachain,whichhemadecertaintoneverbreak.Seinfeldcreditedthis“chain”strategy,whichencouragedhimtowriteconsistently,tobecomingaskilledcomedian.

Untilyoudevelopthehabitofconsistentexecution,trySeinfeld’sapproach.Iusedittotrainmyselftoexercise.Itworkedperfectly.I’dbewillingtobetyou’llhavesimilarsuccessusingittomaintainyourto-dolistsystem.

WhatToDoIfYouFallOffTheWagon

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Intheprevioussection,Inotedthatyoumustbeconsistentwithyourto-dolistsystemifyouwantittobeeffective.Theproblemis,beingconsistent,dayafterday,isdifficult.It’stemptingtoletthingssliphereandthere.

Unfortunately,lettingthingsslipcanquicklyleadtoaspiralofdecline.Beforeyouknowit,yoursystemhascrumbledandyou’retryingtodigyourselfoutfromunderit.

Thisismorecommonthanyoumightimagine.Manypeoplefallofftheproductivitywagon.Theylettheirsystemscollapsearoundthem,eventhoughdoingsocarriesaconsiderablecost.

Whydoesthishappen?Ithappensbecauseanyproductivitysystem,whetherit’sfocusedontaskmanagementorworkflowefficiency,isaseriesoflearnedbehaviors.Keepingitrunningsmoothlyrequiresdevelopingnewhabitsandapplyingthemwithconsistency.Ittakescommitmentandresilience.

Expecttofacechallengesasyouworktokeepyourto-dolistsystemrunningsmoothly.Therewillbetimeswhenyoufeellikethrowinginthetowel.That’sunderstandable.Replacingbadhabitswithgoodonesistoughwork.

Thekeyiswhatyouchoosetodowhenyoustumble.Somepeoplegiveup.Theyfigureit’stoodifficulttomaintaintheirto-dolist

systems,andpointtotheirfailuretosuccessfullykeepthemgoingasevidence.Withadefeatistattitude,theylettheirsystemscrumbleandsurrendertotheconsequences.

Otherstaketheoppositeapproach.Theyacknowledgethatperfectionisapipedream.Adelusion.Theyexpecttostumbleoccasionally.Insteadofgiving

up,however,theyforgivethemselvesandgetbackintheproverbialsaddle.Iencourageyoutotakethislatterapproachif,orwhen,youstumble.Don’t

beatyourselfup;self-guilthasnovalue.Instead,brushthedustoffandforgiveyourself.

Then,trytodeterminethereasonyoustumbled.Wasitalackofclarityregardingsomeaspectofyourto-dolistsystem?Wasitalackofenergythatinducedyoutoneglectyourweeklyreviews?Areyoutryingtodotoomuchgiventhelimitedamountoftimeatyourdisposal?

Onceyouknowthereason(orreasons)foryourslip-up,youcanmakechangestocorrecttheunderlyingproblem.

Aproperly-developedandconsistently-executedto-dolistsystemwillimproveyourproductivityaswellasyourqualityoflife.You’llexperiencelessstressandenjoymorefreetimetoconnectwiththosewhomyoulove.You’llalsoenjoymorefreedomtopursuepersonalinterests.

Butit’simportanttorealizeyou’llencounterchallenges.Whatyoudointhefaceofthesechallengeswilldeterminewhetheryoursystemdoesitsjoboverthelongrun.

PartV

Offlinevs.Online:WhereShouldYouCreateYourTo-DoLists?

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It’sthedebatethatneverseemstoend.Shouldyouusedigitaltoolstocreateandorganizeyourto-dolistsorplain

‘olepenandpaper?Thetruthis,there’snouniversally-correctanswer.Thereareprosandconsto

bothmethods.Thissectionwillpresentthecasesforbothsides,soyoucanchoosetheoptionthat’srightforyou.

TheCaseForPenAndPaper

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It’snotsexy.Butmillionsofpeopleswearbyitseffectiveness.Thetruthis,there’salottolikeaboutcreatingyourto-dolistsonpaper.

First,there’ssomethingaboutwritingdownataskthatcementsitinourminds.We’remorelikelytorememberit.We’realsomoreinclinedtoactonit.Typingthewordsonyourlaptoporphonehasalessereffect.ThisisoneofthereasonsIrecommendedwritingdownyourgoals(inthesectionHowToMaintainAWell-OiledTo-DoListSystem).

Second,anotepadwilladaptseamlesslytoyourpreferredmethodofjottingdownnotes.It’sperfectforlinearorganization,theformatusedforatypicalto-dolist.Itcanalsohandlemind-mappingandothernote-takingstyles.

Third,youcanavoidworryingaboutyetanotherpieceofsoftware.Chancesare,youalreadyuseanumberofapplications,fromwordprocessorstospreadsheets,throughoutyourday.Anyofthemcouldpotentiallyfail,interruptingyourworkflowanddestroyingyourmomentum.

That’sthedownsideofrelyingonsoftware.It’sworthnotingthatusingcloud-basedappsdoesn’tguaranteeround-the-

clockaccess.Whathappensiftheserversgodown,arehacked,oryoudon’thaveaccesstoyourlaptoporphone?

Theseproblemsareirrelevant-atleastintermsoftaskmanagement-whenyouusepenandpapertomaintainyourto-dolists.

Fourth,anotepadiseasytocarry.Youcankeepitwithyouatalltimes,jottingto-doitemsdownasyouthinkofthem.Usingadigitaltoolishighermaintenance.Forexample,considerthechallengeofkeepingtrackoftasksonalaptop.Wheneveryouthinkofanewitem,youhavetoretrieveandfireupyourlaptop,navigatetoyourtaskmanagementsoftware(orwebsite,ifthesoftwareisinthecloud),andtypethingsout.Usingyourphoneisn’tmucheasier.

Fifth,there’snothinglikethetactileexperienceofusingapentocrossoffacompletedto-doitem.Clickingabuttononyourcomputerscreenorphonewon’tgiveyouthesamefeeling.It’snotnearlyasgratifying.

Let’snowshiftourfocusandexplorethereasonstousedigitaltoolstocreateandmaintainyourto-dolists.

TheCaseForKeepingYourTo-DoListsOnline

*

Digitalsolutionsaboundforthosewhowanttomaintaintheirtaskmanagementsystemsonline.FromTodoistandEvernotetoTrelloandAsana,there’snoshortageofappswithwhichtocreateandorganizeyourto-dolists.Andmoreappsareintroducedeachyear.

Intheprevioussection,Ihighlightedfivereasonstousepaper-basedto-dolists.Here,I’llgiveyoufivereasonstousedigitaltools.Remember,therightapproachistheonethatworksbestforyou.

Thefirstreasontogodigitalisthattoday’sappsmakeitveryeasytoorganizeyourtasklistsbycontext.You’llrecallfromthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoListthatyoushouldmaintainmultiplelistsorganizedbyproject,typeofactivity,andlocation.Youmightalsohaveadditionalcontext-basedlists.OrganizingandmaintainingthemissimplerwithtoolslikeTodoistthandoingsoonpaper.

Second,youcaneasilymoveto-doitemsfromlisttolist.Thisisusefulifyouneedtore-categorizetasksormakechangestothecontextualdetailsattachedtothem.

Third,manyonlineappslikeTodoistallowyoutosetalarmsandremindersbasedondateandtime.Imaginehavingamastertasklistwith200items,eachofwhichyou’vegivenadeadline.Nowimaginetheonlineappalertingyouofimpendingdeadlinessoyoucanprioritizeyourdailyto-dolistsaccordingly.Youcan’tdothatwithpaper-basedlists.

Fourth,youcanorganizeprojectsandtasksinanestedstructure.Thisimprovesvisualizationofyourworkload.Youcangetabird’s-eyeviewofthe

tasksthatmakeuplargerprojectsandmonitoryourprogresstowardcompletingthoseprojects.

Fifth,toolslikeTodoistallowyoutointegrateyourto-dolistswithyourcalendar.Thisisanimportantfeaturesinceyourcalendardefinesyouravailability.OnceyoucreateyourlistsinTodoist,youcansyncthemtoyourcalendartoolofchoice(forexample,GoogleCalendar).It’sworthnotingthatintegrationwithsomecalendarsisdependentonthird-partytools,suchasZapierandIFTTT(IfThis,ThenThat).Don’tworry.Thesetoolsaredesignedtobeeasyandsimpletouse.

So,shouldyouusepaper-basedto-dolistsorcreateandmaintainyourlistsonline?Theanswerdependsonhowyouwork.Somepeoplethrivewithpaper.Personally,IprefertouseTodoist.It’seasytouse,free(apremiumaccountcostslessthan$30peryear),andplatform-independent.Youcanuseitonyourlaptop,iPhone,orAndroiddevice.

Ifyoususpectapaper-basedsystemwon’tsuityourneeds,IhighlyrecommendTodoist.It’sperfectforpersonaluse.

Ifyoumanageprojectsandteams,tryTrello.LikeTodoist,it’sfreewithalotofusefulfeatures.Youcanupgradetoapremiumaccountiftheneedarises.

HowToIncorporateYourCalendarIntoYourTo-DoLists

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Anotherbigstandoffintheproductivityspaceisbetweento-dolistsandcalendars.Isoneoptionbetterthantheother?Bothhavestaunchadvocatesandvocaldetractors.

Thetruthis,neithertoolshouldbeusedtotheexclusionoftheother.Thebestwaytomaximizeyouroutputeachdayistocombineyourto-dolistandcalendar.

Imentionedintheprevioussectionthatyourcalendardefinesyouravailability.Ittellsyouhowmuchtimeyouhaveatyourdisposaltoworkonto-doitems.Tothatend,itdoesnogoodtocreateato-dolistthatrequiresfivehoursofworkifyouonlyhavethreehoursavailabletoyou.Doingsowillsetyourselfupforfailure.That,inturn,willleadtodisappointment,stress,andfrustration.

There’saneasywaytoavoidthisoutcome:syncyourcalendarandto-dolists.Lettheformerinformyourdecisionsregardingthelatter.

Here’sasimpleapproach:First,attheendoftheday,reviewyourcalendarforthefollowingday.

Determinewhenyou’llbeinmeetings,onconferencecalls,orotherwiseunavailable.

Second,estimatehowmuchtimeyou’llbeabletoallocatetoyourto-doitems.Don’tforgettoleaveyourselftimeforlunchandbreaks.Also,padtheestimatetoaccommodateunexpecteddelays-forexample,imprompturequestsforhelpfromyourbossandcoworkers.

Second,buildthefollowingday’sto-dolist.Youshouldhaveafairlygood

idearegardinghowlongeachtaskwilltakeyoutocomplete(recallstep#8fromthesectionHowToCreateThePerfectTo-DoList).Createyourto-dolistbasedonyouravailability.

Third,thinkofyourdayasaseriesof30-minutetimechunks.Anhour-longmeetingwillrequiretwochunks.Atwo-hourconferencecallwillrequirefourchunks.Theseperiodsshouldbeblockedoffonyourcalendar.

Fourth,scheduletimetoworkonyourto-doitemsduringtheperiodsthatarenotblockedoff.

Forexample,supposethisyourschedulefortomorrow:

8:00a.m.to9:00a.m.-Meetingwithyourboss10:30a.m.tonoon-ConferencecallwithsalesteamNoonto1:00p.m.-Lunch3:00p.m.to3:30p.m.-Departmentmeeting

Theaboveschedulerevealstheperiodsduringwhichyou’llbeavailabletoworkthroughyourto-dolist:

9:00a.m.to10:30a.m.1:00p.m.to3:00p.m.3:30p.m.to5:00p.m.

That’sfiveandahalfhours.Trim45minutesforbreaksandimprompturequests,andyou’releftwithfourhoursand45minutes.Youcannowcreatearealisticto-dolistfortomorrowbasedonyouravailability.

Yourto-dolistisaninventoryofwhatyouhopetoaccomplishduringthecourseofagivenday.Yourcalendardetermineswhetherit’spossible.Workingwithonetool,butnottheother,isarecipeforfailure.Usethembothtomanageyourtimeeffectivelyandsetreasonable,realisticdailyproductivitygoals.

WhatIsA“DoneList”(AndShouldYouKeepOne)?

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Oneofthemostcommonchallengestostayingproductiveoverthelongrunisalackofmotivation.Youknowthefeeling.Yourunaroundalldaytogetthingsdoneonlytowonderattheendoftheday“wheretheheckdidIspendmytime?”

Everyonegoesthroughthis.Everyoneexperiencesthisfeelingfromtimetotime.Manyexperienceitonaregularbasis.

Theresultsarepredictable:frustration,stress,andguiltforfailingtocompleteimportant,high-valuetasks.

A“donelist”seekstofixthisproblem.Itrecordsallofthetasksyouaccomplishthroughouttheday.Theideaisthatseeingthecompletedtaskswillinspireyoutogetmoredone.Thedonelistrejuvenatesyou,fillingyouwiththemotivationyouneedtopressonward.

So,doesitwork?Canadonelistactuallymotivateyoutotakeaction?Itdepends.Ifyouneedmotivationtoworkontasks,thiscanbeasound

strategy.Yourdonelistwillhighlightyouraccomplishmentsduringthedayandensurethatyoudon’tforgetaboutthem.Incontrast,whenyouworkfromato-dolist,crossingofftasksasyoucompletethem,it’seasytooverlookhowmuchyou’veactuallygottendone.

Ontheotherhand,ifyoudon’tneedmotivationtotakeaction,adonelistmaybeunnecessary.Infact,itmayevenhurtyourproductivitysinceit’sanotherlistforyoutomanage.Itwillneedlesslyencumberyourto-dolistsystem.

Ifyou’renotsurewhetheradonelistwillhelpyoutogetthingsdone,Irecommendthatyouexperimentwithit.Maintainadonelistfortwoweeksand

notehowitinfluencesyou.Ifyoudiscoverthatithasapositiveimpactonyourproductivity,keepusingit.Otherwise,dropit.Remember,thepointofthisentireactionguideistocreateato-dolistsystemthatworksforyou.

Inthenextsection,I’llexplainhowtocreateadonelist.It’sdrop-deadsimple.

HowToCreateA"DoneList"

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First,yourdonelistshouldnotreplaceyourto-dolist.Imentionthisbecausemanyproponentsofdonelistsrecommenddoingexactlythat.Theyadviseabandoningyourto-dolistsentirely.

Idisagreewiththatposition100%.ItshouldbeclearthatIfeelaneffectiveto-dolistsystemisinvaluableto

organizingtasksandprojectsandgettingthingsdone.Adonelistcannotpossiblytakeitsplaceasataskmanagementstrategy.It’snotsufficientlyflexible.

Thatsaid,itcanbeausefulpartofyourto-dolistsystemifyou’remotivatedbyseeingyourdailyaccomplishments.Sohere’showtocreateandmakeuseofadonelist.

First,writedowneverytaskyoucompleteduringthecourseofyourday.Thesizeofthetaskdoesn’tmatter.Nordoesitspriority.Didyoudeliverthereportyourbosstaskedyouwithlastweek?Writeitdown.Didyouscheduleameetingwithyourmanagers?Makeanoteofit.Didyoufollowupwithaprospectiveclientregardingyourbidforanewproject?Ifso,putitonyourdonelist!

Second,reviewyourdonelistafteryou’veofficiallycalleditaday.Takenoticeofhowmuchyou’veaccomplished.Then,takethetimetoappreciateyourhardwork.Giveyourselfapatontheback.

Third,thefollowingmorning,beforeyoutacklethenewday’sto-dolist,lookatyesterday’sdonelist.Noteagainhowmanytasksyoucompleted.Usethisasmotivationtobejustasproductiveduringthecurrentday.

That’sit.That’syourdonelistinaction.Idon’tuseadonelist.That’snotbecausethepracticeisineffective.Onthe

contrary,manypeoplefindittobehighlyeffective.I’vetrieditandfounditdoeslittleforme.

AsImentioned,ifamotivationalboostpromptsyoutoworkmoreefficiently,experimentwithusingadonelist.Youmayfinditaddssignificantvaluetoyourworkflow.Justdon’tletitreplaceyourto-dolistsystem.

FinalThoughtsOnCreatingEffectiveTo-DoLists

*

I’vementionedthispointafewtimesthroughoutthisactionguide,butit’sworthrepeatingonelasttime:yourto-dolistsystemshouldcomplementyourworkflow.Itshouldsuityourmethodofgettingthingsdone.

I’vegivenyouthebasicingredientsinthisguide.I’vealsohighlightedimportantfeaturesthatshouldbeapartofyoursystem.

Butultimately,thetaskmanagementstrategyyoudesignforyourselfshouldbetailoredinawaythatworksforyou.

Here’sanotherpointthatbearsrepeating:thepurposeofyourtasklists-fromyourmastertasklisttoyourdailyto-dolists-isn’ttomakesureyougeteverythingdone.Rather,theirpurposeistomakesureyou’refocusingyourlimitedtimeandattentiononyourmostimportantwork.

Remember,beingproductiveisn’taboutkeepingyourselfbusy.It’saboutgettingtherightthingsdonebasedonyourshortandlong-termgoals.

Oneofthebiggestadvantagesoftheto-dolistformulaI’vedescribedinthisactionguideisthatitallowsyoutogeteverythingoutofyourhead.YoucandumpeverythingontopaperorintoanonlinesolutionlikeTodoist).Fromthere,youcancategorizeitemsbycontext,deadlines,andotherdetails.Thisensuresimportantworkfloatstothetopwhilesimultaneouslypreventinglower-priorityitemsfromfallingthroughthecracks.

Lastly,onceyou’vecreatedasoundsystem,themostimportantthingyoucandoistoconsistentlyapplythebasicprinciples.Dosodayafterdaywithoutfail.Consistencyistheoilthatkeepstheenginerunning.

Youhaveamillionthingstodotoday(nottomentiontomorrow,nextweek,

andnextmonth).It’snotpossibletorememberallofthem.Norisitpossibletoorganizethemeffectivelyinyourhead.

Thesolutionistomaketo-dolists.Younowhavetherecipeforcreatingto-doliststhatwork.Youalsoknow

howtheyfitwithintheframeworkofabroadertaskmanagementsystem.Armedwiththisinsight,youcannowcreateliststhatwillguaranteeyougettheimportantstuffinyourlifedone!

MayIAskYouASmallFavor?

*

I’dliketothankyoufortakingthetimetoreadthisactionguide.Itmeanstheworldtome.Iknowtherearenumerousbooksavailableonthesubject.I’mhonoredthatyouchosetospendthistimereadingmybook.

Asyouknow,I’manindependentauthor.Thatbeingthecase,oneofmybiggestprioritiesistospreadthewordaboutmyactionguides.

IfyouenjoyedreadingTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!,wouldyouconsiderlettingothersknowaboutit?Thereareseveralwaysyoucandoso.Forexample,youcould:

1. LeaveareviewonAmazon(clickhere)2. LeaveareviewatGoodreads.com3. Tellfolksaboutitonyourblog4. ShareitonFacebookorTwitter5. Mentionittoyourfriendsandfamilymembers

ReviewsonAmazonencourageotherreaderstogiveindependentauthorslikemyselfachance.TheyhelpmorethanIcandescribe.Andbelieveme,IcanuseallthehelpIget.

ThanksagainfortakingthetimetoreadTo-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!Isincerelyappreciateit.

Ifyou’dliketobenotifiedwhenIreleasenewactionguides(typicallyatasteepdiscount),pleasesignupformymailinglistathttp://artofproductivity.com/free-gift/.You’llreceiveafreePDFcopyofmy40-pageguideCatapultYourProductivity:TheTop10HabitsYouMustDevelopToGetMoreThingsDone.You’llalsoreceiveperiodictips,tricks,andhacksformanagingyourtimeanddesigninganenriching,fully-satisfyinglifestyle.

Allthebest,

DamonZahariadeshttp://artofproductivity.com

OtherBooksByDamonZahariadesThe30-DayProductivityPlan:BreakThe30BadHabitsThatAreSabotagingYourTimeManagement-OneDayAtATime!

Thisactionguidewillhelpyoutoidentifyandbreakthebadhabitsthatarepreventingyoufromachievingyourgoals.Organizedinto30easy-to-readdailychapters,it'sfilledwithhundredsofactionabletips.

*

DigitalDetox:UnplugToReclaimYourLife

Stresslevelsarerising.Relationshipsaresuffering.Ourphonesandotherdevicesarelargelytoblame.DigitalDetoxprovidesastep-by-stepblueprintforpeoplewhowanttotakeabreakfromtechnologyandenjoylifeunplugged.

*

TheTimeChunkingMethod:A10-StepActionPlanForIncreasingYourProductivity

TheTimeChunkingMethodisoneofthemostpopulartimemanagementstrategiesinusetoday.Ifyoustrugglewithgettingthingsdone,youneedthisactionguide.Productivityexpertsaroundtheworldattesttothemethod'seffectiveness!

*

To-DoListFormula:AStress-FreeGuideToCreatingTo-DoListsThatWork!

Mostpeopleuseto-doliststhathampertheirproductivityandleavethemwithunfinishedtasks.Thisactionguidehighlightsthereasonsandshowsyouhowtocreateeffectiveto-doliststhatguaranteeyougetyourimportantworkdone!

Foracompletelist,pleasevisit

http://artofproductivity.com/my-books/

AbouttheAuthor

DamonZahariadesisacorporaterefugeewhoenduredyearsofunnecessarymeetings,drive-bychatswithcoworkers,andadistraction-ladenworkenvironmentbeforestrikingoutonhisown.Today,inadditiontobeingtheauthorofagrowingcatalogoftimemanagementandproductivitybooks,he’stheshowrunnerfortheproductivityblogArtofProductivity.com.

Inhissparetime,heshowsoffhiscopywritingchopsbypoweringthecontentmarketingcampaignsusedbytoday’sgrowingbusinessestoattractcustomers.

DamonlivesinSouthernCaliforniawithhisbeautiful,supportivewifeandtheirfriskydog.He’scurrentlystaringdownthebarrelofhis50thbirthday.

www.artofproductivity.com

Copyright

Copyright©2016byDamonZahariades

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,distributed,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopying,recording,orotherelectronicormechanicalmethods,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedincriticalreviewsandcertainothernoncommercialusespermittedbycopyrightlaw.Forpermissionrequests,contacttheauthorthroughthewebsitebelow.

ArtOfProductivity

http://www.artofproductivity.com