To-do lists are essential tools in our never-ending quest to be more productive. There are countless applications, strategies, theories and methods to keep the best and most productive to-do list.
But could we be wrong? Could the to-do list be holding us back? Many highly productive people say yes. And they have some cool ideas on how to be more productive without using a to-do list.
To-do lists certainly have benefits:if they didn't, we wouldn't use them in the first place. But they also have some serious drawbacks.
For example, to-do lists can become an important procrastination tool. Have you ever decided to sit down and organize your list instead of starting a task on it? I certainly have - and more than a few times. We feel like we're being productive when we work on our list instead of actually working.
On the other hand, to-do lists make us feel like we never get enough done. When was the last time you checked off all the items on your list? I think I've done it once in the last three or four years. Even if you do discover how to be more productive, you'll never feel like you've succeeded.
One of the reasons we've never checked off every item on the list is that to-do lists don't take time into account. Unless you're keeping an extremely detailed list, a 10-hour project will look exactly the same as a 10-minute one. And you feel highly productive if you check off lots of small, less important tasks that only take a few minutes.
All those options may seem nice because you always have something You can work on it, but to-do lists overwhelm us with options. If you have 47 things on your list, your brain starts to fight back. He becomes overwhelmed, and negative emotions begin to surface. And then you get paralyzed and you don't end up doing anything..
Of course, many people find that to-do lists help them be more productive. How to Find the Perfect Productivity System How to Build the Perfect Time Management System You'll Ever Use How to Build the Perfect Time Management System You'll Ever Use Productivity is a constant quest for more organizations with less work. A way to achieve everything you dream of achieving, without losing sleep. Can This Automated Time Management System Do It All? Read More Whether you use a to-do list or not is up to you.
But I encourage you to consider how you could be more productive by making the following changes to your daily productivity regimen.
Daniel Markowitz, in a piece for the Harvard Business Review, presents an alternative to to-do lists that he calls "living in your calendar." The idea is simple:remove your tasks from your list, calculate how long they will take, and move them to your calendar.
Schedule Tasks - no Just using your calendar as your to-do list has many benefits. Many people find that seeing actually spending time on specific activities makes them more likely to get those tasks done and stay focused. Others report that it prevents them from trying to schedule too much in one day.
Having a visual reminder of how many things you're working on will help you prioritize your current projects and determine if you can say "yes" to new ones.
Kevin Kruse interviewed “Over 200 billionaires, Olympians, straight students, and entrepreneurs.” On time management and how to be more productive. How many do you think said they use a to-do list? Not one. But many of them lived in their calendars..
We've discussed time blocking. How to Block Time on Google Calendar for a Productive Workday How to Block Time on Google Calendar for a Productive Workday Having trouble with time management? Here's how to block out time in your Google Calendar to increase focus, reduce stress, and improve productivity. Read More Set specific times when you will work on specific tasks and stick to your schedule.
One of the reasons to-do lists fill up so quickly is that we often put tons of little tasks on there. That's when things start to get overwhelmed and we get stressed. One of the best methods to deal with this problem is to follow the two-minute rule. If a task takes less than two minutes, don't put it on a list, just do it.
This will keep a staggering number of items off your list. Activate your credit card, return that email, get up and stretch, you'll be amazed how many things you can do in two minutes. And that directly translates to pulling items off your list. Eventually, you may find that you don't need a list at all!
You know about the great things you need to do. It's the little ones who fill your to-do list and get used to putting off the most important things. Items like “cleaning the house,” “shopping for groceries,” and “managing email” often sit on your list for days, taunting you repeatedly.
This is where habits come in handy.
Make a habit of managing your inbox for 30 minutes every evening before you leave work. Or right away in the morning. Start shopping for groceries on specific days of the week after work. Return phone calls on a certain day of the week.
You Can Make A Habit Of Anything 12 Productivity Habits To Finally Hack Your Life In The New Year 12 Productivity Habits To Finally Hack Your Life In The New Year A common resolution for most workers is to be more productive. In this article, we'll explore twelve bad habits you can change, one per month, to dramatically improve the productivity of your workload. Read more . And when you've built more habits, you can cross more things off your to-do list. Eventually it will only come down to the big ones, and that's when the time lock and calendar really start to have a positive effect.
Again, it's the little things that clutter up your list and stress you out. Automation can go a long way in solving this problem. You can automate your finances. How financial minimalism helps you save money and eliminate stress. How financial minimalism helps you save money and eliminate stress. It's easy to let your finances get out of hand, but using the principles of minimalism can help you keep them under control. reduces stress. Read More You can also automate follow-up emails, which (depending on how many emails you send) could save you hours each week.
With IFTTT or Zapier, you can automate almost any digital task. Smart home technology allows you to automate things in your home. You can also use an Arduino to automate your home. Arduino Project Ideas for an Automated Home Arduino Project Ideas for an Automated Home Wouldn't it be great to water your greenhouse without leaving your chair? An Arduino can be hired as the key component of some home automation projects. Here are five! Read more.
When you can't automate something, consider delegating it to someone else. It's hard to ask for help, but it can make a big difference in your life. You can delegate at home:Ask your spouse or children for help around the house. Or at work:Ask someone in a better position to complete a task for you. You can even delegate to your friends - have someone else plan the next meeting to save you some time.
If you don't have people around you who can handle tasks, consider hiring an assistant. Virtual Assistants 20 Ways a Human Virtual Assistant Can Save You Time 20 Ways a Human Virtual Assistant Can Save You Time Learn what kinds of tasks you can reliably outsource to a virtual assistant and save hours every day. We show you how to get started. Read More If you're looking for ways to be more productive, a VA is hard to beat.
It takes time to get automation and delegation up and running, but once you do, you'll be surprised how many things you no longer need to list.
If you schedule everything, enforce the two-minute rule, improve your habits, and find ways to automate and delegate, there's a good chance you won't need your to-do list anymore. However, if you're not quite ready to take the plunge yet, consider changing the way you do your to-do list.
My favorite method for this is to adopt the three-item to-do list. It's exactly what it sounds like:you only put three things in it.
When you know you're limited to three items, you'll only put the most important tasks for your day on paper. This encourages you to focus on the big issues and let the smaller ones fall into place later.
It will not be easy. But I highly recommend you give it a try. Reducing the number of items on your list can be a very liberating experience.
If you want tips on how to live a more productive life, you might be surprised by my suggestion that you find an alternative to your to-do list. It goes against a lot of the advice you've read before. And it will feel very strange..
There is some convincing evidence that it is a good way to go. The search for how to be more productive never ends. But getting rid of your to-do list is a good next step.
Still using a to-do list? Or do you use your calendar? How do you stay productive? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
