To-do-list is a great reminder tool that jogs your memory about what tasks has to be accomplished in a particular day but at the same time it can be a niggling tool too that would hamper your productivity, if you fail to carry out the tasks jotted down.
This motivating element can turn out to be demotivating, if it is not planned strategically. Preparing to-do list doesn’t mean to spill all the tasks on a piece of paper and expect it to get completed within a specific time frame. The main objective of to-do list is to complete tasks with efficiency rather than preparing a long list and making it less powerful. Instead of mentioning each and every task on the to-do list, focus on only those tasks that are valuable. If you fail to complete all the tasks, you invite unwanted anxiety and hinder the output. You need to prepare the to-do list in such a way that it motivates you and encourages you to work much better.
Here are few key tips that will help you to make your to-do list more effective and tension-free:
Choose your tasks wisely:
It is quite obvious if you overfill the to-do- list, you will be unable to complete all the tasks.
- So instead of jotting down all the tasks that you need to perform throughout the day, write down only the significant tasks that will bring you much closer to your goal
- Do not mention small tasks, lay focus on the major tasks
- Cleaning your mail inbox, sorting out files and other such minor tasks will not help you to attain the goal, thus it’s better to ignore these mediocre duties in your to-do list
Accompany your to-do list with done list:
It may sound silly or waste of time to create a done list but it will certainly benefit you.
- It will give you a feeling of accomplishment and also motivate you to do well
- As the do list will assist you to know what has to be done, the done list will let you know what tasks has already been done. This will give confidence that you can accomplish your tasks effectively and motivate to continue with the accomplishments
- Done list act as a progress report which let you know how much you have achieved and will also give you an idea about the pending tasks
- If you notice that you have managed to complete the priority tasks then it will boost your spirit you can work further more productively
Wrap up by analyzing:
After creating the list, accomplishing the tasks, at the end of the work day, you can remove sometime and analyze how the tasks were completed or failed.
- This will aid you to stay more focus and also help you to improve your mistakes, so that next time you can successfully complete the task
- You can ask yourself questions like what assisted you to progress in few tasks, what went wrong, in case of failure, what were the disturbances, what negative impact it will have on your final goal etc. This way you can improve and boost productivity
Lengthy to-do lists are just nerve-racking and may suck up all your energy, thus it is better to create a short but effective task list and complement it with above factors so that you can stay focused and attain your goal productively.
