Three simple steps for effective To-Do Lists

You want to get organized, to really get things done… and you resolve that, this year, you’ll really do it. So how do you do it?

It’s actually very simple. All it takes is a 3-step process:
1. Make a list
2. Focus on what’s really important
3. Periodically review the list

I’ll make it even simpler.
- If you’re wondering about how to make the list (e.g. should it be handwritten or computerized? etc…), don’t wonder. Just do it, any old way that comes easily to you.
- If you’re wondering how to focus on what’s most important (e.g. what criteria?), don’t wonder. Just do what feels right.

The key to this is the third step: periodically review the list. You see, getting organized is not some magical transformation, passing in one instant from being a fairly disorganized person to being a well-organized person. Getting organized is a process: an evolutionary process, a learning process. You learn by trial and error.

So the third step has two purposes. One of them is obvious: you periodically review the list simply to make sure you remember to do what you’ve been meaning to do. How often do you review the list? This depends on the nature of your tasks. If your list consists of a vast amount of little tasks that you have to accomplish within the course of a day, you obviously need to review the list several times a day. Just as obviously, you don’t need to review the list as often if your list is comprised of projects that have a broader scope.

This brings us to the second purpose of reviewing the list. This is the opportunity for you to learn lessons from what you have done (or not done). For instance: how often it is helpful to you to review the list…

So, what kinds of things can you learn from this process? I will give you a few examples.

Let’s say that you find that your lists to be unmanageable: you have scraps of paper everywhere, or some formal lists and other informal ones, or a computerized list supplemented by handwritten amendments and additions… Organizing the to-do list, or even retrieving its various components, becomes a job in itself. If this is the case, a good remedy is to use just one list, be it paper or computerized. No separate scraps, no additions. 

Let’s say that, like many people, you make a wonderful list but discover to your great dismay that the things on the list don’t seem to get done (or: some of them get done, but not necessarily the most important). Well, this is a great failing of lists (whether they be handwritten or computerized): they just don’t get things done on their own. To get things done, you actually have to do them yourself.

This last comment may sound incredibly trite and patronizing. I don’t mean it in a mocking or demeaning way. It is very much part of human nature that we tend to assume two different personalities when we deal with lists. The part of us that writes lists tends to focus on all that should ideally get done, regardless of what time it takes. The part of us that is left executing the tasks tends to get mired in the process of getting individual tasks accomplished. The key to it is to be aware that this is going to happen, and to find a way to get these two different parts of yourself to understand each other and to cooperate. You may want to read my “self coach tool” about “Self-Leadership” (see “self coach tools”).

Now, let’s say you’re working hard at doing what’s on your list, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do what’s there, and the list keeps growing. You get discouraged: what’s the point of even trying, when there’s no end to it?

What you may need to do, at this point, is to focus on eliminating items from the list. Everything on this list may feel like it’s essential, but if you don’t have the resources to do it, you may need to scale down your ambitions (or renegotiate with your boss what you can reasonably accomplish).

My intention in mentioning these few examples is not to provide an exhaustive list of all the situations that may arise when you start seriously reviewing your to-do list. Rather, I wanted to give you a sense of this process as a way of tracking the discrepancy between your intentions and the reality of your situation. You identify problems, and you can find ways to solve them. You’re not just working on getting things done, you’re also investing in improving your understanding of how you work… so that you learn to work more efficiently and to get more satisfaction out of the work you do.
 
Can you do all of this through self-coaching, or do you need professional coaching? My suggestion is that you not dwell on that too much, that you just start the process by yourself, and go as far with it as you can.

See: Proactive coaching

Time Management