Are you wrestling with a never-ending to-do list? When you’re out with friends or at home with your family, are you able to enjoy the moment or is your unfinished to-do list making you feel guilty about not working? Are you in the habit of creating a “master list” of to-dos that leaves you feeling behind before you’ve even begun? You don’t need to toss it – it’s good to see the big picture – but creating a “right-sized” to-do list that can be completed in a single day can make a huge difference in your level of stress. How can you craft a to-do list that you can finish, and be more productive at the same time? Well, it’s the same method you would use to eat the proverbial elephant – take one bite at a time! Create a realistic to-do list made up of manageable bites.
If your days are peppered with meetings and interruptions, take this into account when you create your daily to-do list. If you have a 10-hour work day and are generally dealing with interruptions and meetings for 6 hours of that day, then you know you have 4 hours remaining to focus on work that requires your undivided attention. If you have to write a proposal that will take days to complete, don’t put “Write proposal” on your daily to-do list. Instead, put “Write first draft” or “Write part 1”, and then on your next day’s to-do list put down, “Write second draft” or “Write part 2.” It’s easier to sustain motivation when you have achievable goals, and you may be surprised at how quickly you finish each task. When you’re faced with an elephant-sized project, remember to take one bite at a time!
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