So much to do, so little time.
Lynn Truong’s recent post at Wisebread talks about our obsession with productivity & questions whether it really helps us in the end… It’s an interesting idea to ponder. Being that I am always seeking balance in my life, I have decided to take action to fight the stress that mercilessly creeps up on me both at work and at home.
Run my day with a 5-item to-do list. Guidelines:
- Work gets 3-4 items, Home gets 1-2 items. 5 MAX.
- Create the list the day before: Work items are added before I hop on my bike to head home, Home items are added before I brush my teeth & settle into bed.
- I will keep a “This Week”, “Soon”, & “Someday” file on my desktop. New tasks that pop into my mind or are thrown at me get slotted onto these lists. I use these lists as a resource for building the next day’s list. I only organize the list once a week.
- I do all five things every day. If I finish early, I’ll reward myself with fun, not with a 6th task.
Will the 5-item to-do list simplify my life? We’ll see.
Resources
To-Do List Blog What Our Lists Reveal About Us
Lifehack.org Back to Basics: Your Task List
Finance Daily 12 New Rules of Working You Should Embrace Today
Kick My ADD GMail To-Do list idea
That’s sounds like a good way of keeping your to-dos very focused and manageable. So what happens if you don’t do all five things every day? Do you have to add it to the next day’s list or? If you are ever looking for other means of managing your to-dos, here’s a list of 20: http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/01/07/20-different-ways-to-manage-your-to-dos/
Thanks for the link! I’ve had fun looking through your posts!
The problem I run into when I create ToDo lists is that I invariably combine things with widely varying levels of effort (i.e. Empty trash / Save Mother Earth). To effectively accomplish all 5 of your daily todo’s with any regularity (thus satisfaction) takes a willingness to embrace the small wins – breaking down more involved tasks into more granular task lists that you can tackle one step at a time. (i.e. Empty Recycling, Empty Compost, Install New Lightbulbs, etc…)
I really like this. 5 items seems manageable, though even now I’m wondering if it’s enough. I’m having issues with time management now that I’m freelancing. I think I’m terrified people will think I’m slacking.
However, I think I’ll try your technique. If anything the house might be neater and I might have a better sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Thanks!