When I posted about aiming low and going slow, I was struck that several people commented that one way they do that is by managing their to-do lists.
Rachael said:
“Ways I “aim low”: write short to-do lists, not wish lists (though, frankly, I’m working on this one — it’s really tough); break big projects down into teeny-tiny little bits that I can take care of one at at time.”
SleeplessinSummerville said,
“The first thing I realized I needed to change was my relationship with my to-do list. Now my expectations of what I’ll do in a day are far more reasonable and yet at the same time, I feel like I get more done. Perhaps I’m just happier because I learned that I have to schedule the fun stuff ahead of the work so that the work does not prevent enjoying life.”
I have also found that short daily to-do lists–no more than three or four items on a typical day–helps me keep my brain from completely shorting out. When I add too many things to my plate, I tend to get overwhelmed just looking at the list, can’t decide where to start, and start procrastinating, avoiding, and spinning my wheels.
On the other hand, when I make my to-do list short, I usually accomplish more than I would if my to-do list was longer. Giving myself a little bit of guidance without laying on too much pressure seems to help me stay both productive and creative. And of course, when I just don’t have the energy or time to dominate the world–or at least the list–it feels a lot less like failure when it’s only one or two things I didn’t get to than when it’s, say, nine.
I do create a longer to-do list at the beginning of the week, but then I prioritize and break the larger list down into much smaller daily lists. I’ll share my system in a future post, but thought it would be fun to talk about the ways we keep our to-do lists reasonable.
When my fourth baby was born last September I was completely overwhelmed, so I made a Master List of chores that can be done in 5 minutes or less. Because, you know, that’s about the most amount of time I ever get uninterrupted. Usually it’s more like 2 minutes, and I have a 2-minute-chores list as well!
Oh, I love this idea!
I love this too!
I guess for me the biggest help is just not getting down on myself if I don’t finish my list. I once read a book about a knight in training who eventually realized that the fact that there was more to do than could ever be done was just a part of the training to accept rather than resent, and that she just needed to do her best at as much as she could each day (I don’t remember the exact name of the book but I think the series was “Lioness Rampant” maybe). I feel like that about housework. I’m never ever going to be “done” and I just have to accept it, do the best I can each day, and go to bed satisfied with my efforts at night!
I should add that by “short to-do lists” I meant “short daily to-do lists.” And some days, like Tuesdays, when I teach my online class, I don’t bother with a to-do list at all, because I know that I’m not going to be able to take care of anything beyond my usual Tuesday obligations.
I also have a master to-do-list that is three or four pages long. It will take me years — literally — to take care of everything on that list. But that’s okay (usually). As long as it’s all written down, and not cluttering up my mind, and as long as I’m regularly taking care of just the top one or two or three things on the list, I can (usually) trust that it will all get done. Someday. (Though yes, there are times of panic, too.) I’ve written about my to-do lists here.
I like this idea too. I have started a master to do list that I rarely look at because it intimidates me so much, but I like having a place to put things that I eventually need to take care of but can’t deal with right now. I feel like I can stop thinking about them constantly in a “Don’t forget about this” way, and put them there and know I’ll figure them out eventually.
So I’m kind of the opposite. A short to-do list usually has bigger, more general tasks on it when I make it (eg. write, kitchen, SF – my deadline job, and laundry) and if I don’t cover all of it then I feel like I can’ tick anything off the list. I like to break my day down to the small tasks and put these on my to-do list (eg. write 400 words, blog post, dishes, kitchen floor, SF – edit articles, darks, towels), then as I tick them off I see all the many and varied things I really do accomplish in a day. It’s a mind trick, as I’d do the same amount either way, but it makes me feel good!
I have one master list that I’m always adding to and crossing off of (sounds somewhat like Rachael’s), and it’s organized into broad categories (Work, Teaching, Life) and kept online (I use rememberthemilk.com). I also have a small notebook (one for each semester – I’m on an academic calendar) and, at the end of each day, I make a list for tomorrow – again, divided into work, teaching, and life. Using the master list, the last day’s list, and my calendar, I put together what I hope is a relatively rational list for my day (i.e. if I had a really productive day, I could get through all of it). Most days, I don’t quite finish it. Some days, I don’t get to any of it, it seems. But it’s a good system for me – helps me keep both the big picture and the details in my head.
(I abandoned this system when I went on maternity leave last year. I felt like my life was totally out of control until recently I started the system back up again – I don’t actually think I get more done this way, but wow do I feel less chaotic about it.)
I like the master list idea, with transferring a daily to-do and then being able to cross off the task on the master list. When it’s a daily to-do, sometimes I assign a priority next to the ones that are must dos, so then I don’t feel too bad if I can’t get to the ones that aren’t super high priority. Then, those that are left over become a rollover task on the following day, which I’m sure to knock those off.
I recently gave up daily to-do lists b/c I found they set me up for a feeling of failure. I implemented David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” and instead work from a master next action list and calendar for day specific actions and events. It’s really revolutionized the way I manage my busy life and maybe more importantly the way I feel about about myself at the end of the day.
Good point. I am usually guilty of long, overwhelming lists.
My goal for the next month is to do less. On top of that, I’m sick right now. So yesterday as the swirl of “what on my overwhelming list of things to do is it most important to do first” started, I said “no, I’m not going to accomplish anything today.” That lifted a huge weight off me. Then I did a load of laundry and sat down to do some reading and editing–work I’d been wanting to do but kept putting aside in favour of more urgent tasks. I realized that I had relieved myself of my list of “shoulds,” and with that gone, I knew exactly what to do and there was no stress.
Hopefully I can internalize this lesson and start enjoying my work more!
I have a daily mental list of 2-15 minuteses that I do every morning: make the bed, either load or empty the dishwasher, clean the kitty litter, toss in a load of laundry, etc. I give myself till lunch to do them all (toddler and newborn!), even though it rarely takes me past 9:30; on the mornings it does, it’s important that I don’t feel guilty about it. So by 11:30 I always feel like I’ve already accomplished something and my house isn’t going to get worse today even if it doesn’t get better. And then I’ll pick one or two things that are in my face, or on FlyLady’s missions (do I do them every day? not at all), or that are on my radar, and do those in the afternoon as well as something fun. Having a real-life to-do list always makes me think of my mom’s nagging, so I mental-trick my way around it.
A friend of mine gave me a great piece of advice when I told her I never seemed to get through my to-do list. She said I should write down all the things I accomplished at the end of the day rather than listing what had to be done first. It really put into perspective how much I actually do morning till night. There will always be those chores that should be jotted down somewhere which are too important to forget, but when it comes to daily tasks like laundry or paying bills, who wants to bother writing that down anyhow.