The almighty To-Do list. Everybody’s got one. Some people seem to be able to zip through their list with no problem, while some don’t get any further than writing it.
The following ideas will help you write the best to-do list, one that actually helps you get stuff done, and positions your business for growth.
Divide and conquer
Do you have one long-running list of projects to get done? Many of us have a master list, and it’s a good list to have. However, if you want to be able to cross items off that list, you need to break it down into smaller subsets.
You could break it down by urgency. Does it need immediate attention, or can it wait? Duration, will it take a couple of hours, a couple of weeks, or a couple of months? Type of task, such as marketing, administrative tasks, or actual client work.
Do it daily
Make a to-do list every day. And, keep it short … no more than 6 tasks. Realistically, you can’t do more than that in one day. The goal is to get through all the tasks on the list, so keep it simple.
And, do it every day, at the end of your day. As you prepare to wind down, spend a few minutes thinking about tomorrow. Make your list for the next day based on how far you got on each of the tasks you set out to accomplish today.
Schedule it
Designate time to complete each task. Figure out how much time you need to complete each item, and then put it in your calendar at a specific time.
If you follow this procedure, you may be surprised to see that you think you can get more done than that what you truly have time for. If so, adjust your list to fit what you get into your schedule.
Break it down
With each project on your master list, break it down into smaller tasks. Ideally, you want tasks that can be completed in about 20-30 minutes. By breaking down large projects into smaller pieces, you will be able to cross more tasks off, giving you a sense of real accomplishment.
Something wonderful happens when you achieve success, feel-good chemicals flood your brain, boosting your mood. This can provide even more motivation to keep going and get even more done.
Automate it
These days there is an app for just about everything. And the best part, many of them are free. Taking full advantage of technology will absolutely move your business forward. Any time you can automate you do two things. You save yourself valuable time to focus on the things that specifically need your attention, and you project professionalism to everyone you work with.
Delegate it
When you anticipate or desire growth in your business, it’s a valuable practice to analyze each project on your list and determine if you can hand it over to someone else. When you find that a project can be handled by someone other than you, your time is freed up to tackle the aspects of running your business that can only be handled by you.
Thinking this way about every single task you do in a day is the “CEO Mindset.” CEOs lead their companies and employees, they don’t actually perform all of the day-to-day jobs.
Now you know how to write the smartest to-do list. Get started today and see how much you get done tomorrow.
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