If you’re anything like me, all the things that you need to get done could fill both sides of a college-ruled notebook paper. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed at the amount of tasks that have to get done, the logistics of all of it, and the limits of 24 hours in a day. Let’s take a deep breath and be logical about your to-do list.
Accept the fact that if you are even approaching successful, you will never, ever be done with your to-do list. (Forget being ahead.) What you need to do is learn to manage your to-do list so that what needs to get done most gets done – and so that you don’t become so overwhelmed that you get nothing done at all.
The best way to approach the tasks you have at hand is by categorizing all your to-do items into four groups, that conveniently all start with “D”: “discard,” “delegate,” “delay,” and “do.”
Into the “discard” pile goes anything that can be discarded. Please, do yourself a favor and be liberal with this pile. Whether you realize it or not, having 100 items on your to-do list is stressing you out. You can discard at least 20% of your list. Face it: you don’t really need to go to Home Depot for a new houseplant. Get that off your list.
Into the delegate pile goes anything you can have another person do. Time is money. If you’re not seriously considering outsourcing burdensome tasks, you may be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. Pay someone to come and take your car for an oil change or to clean your house.
The rest of the items on your to-do list should be items of some degree of import and necessity. These are things you must do yourself, and that must be done in a timely fashion. Pick the five most important tasks, and rank them in order of importance. “Delay” the rest of your tasks, and focus on your number one most important “Do” task. Work on it until it is finished, or split it up into smaller parts, and alternate working on #1 and #2. Focus on five tasks for the day. Tomorrow, add a new task to the bottom of your list, or re-prioritize based on new developments.
The bottom line? Never have more than five things on your current to-do list. Focus on your top five, and you’ll find yourself getting more done, and with less stress.
