Have you ever gone to CVS and bought two things and walked out of the store with a foot-long receipt? It always makes me chuckle. You know what doesn’t make me chuckle? My never-ending to-do list. I regularly do not get through my task lists. Here’s what works for me:
- Minimize distractions (this is quite challenging with two puppies at home!)
- Do the worst first
- Don’t be too hard on yourself when you screw up or procrastinate
- Do the highest priority tasks first
- Plan your day around your own natural cycles, do the hardest work when you have the most energy – for me that’s in the morning
- Plan rewards and breaks for yourself throughout the day
- Exercise, meditate or do yoga – whatever works for you. It’s important to take care of you.
- Create and maintain a master list of your current goals, projects and tasks. Doing this will put your mind at ease and keep you organized but don’t get too carried away with lists – I know someone who has to make a list of her lists – that defeats the purpose!
- I also recommend creating a must-do list and a like-to-do list. This can help with the feeling of being distracted, demotivated and constantly feeling like there’s more to do.
- And the most important thing? Set boundaries. It’s important to just sometimes say enough is enough on a given day. Balance is key.
What works for you?