To Do Lists – you either love them or loathe them. There is no doubt they are useful and they help us to get our days and our thoughts organized. The drawback though comes when they just get longer and longer until they start to look more overwhelming and intimidating than manageable. So instead of being a tool for productivity and organizing your time, it can start feeling more hindrance rather than helpful.
So how do you change the way you look at your to do list?
How about starting small? Every Monday morning take a few minutes to list three things that you want to accomplish in that week. They can be big or small – finalizing that outstanding report, updating your website, and even something more personal such as walking the dog or fitting in that extra gym workout. Breaking your to do list down into such small chunks may seem a little simplistic, but as you accomplish any of those weekly goals, you just add more tasks.
And then on Friday afternoon, make a standing appointment with yourself to review your week, run through those three things you listed on Monday and see where you are. You will be pleasantly surprised to find your to do list gradually becoming more manageable and definitely less intimidating. And make sure you keep this appointment every week – if you wouldn’t unnecessarily cancel on a client, don’t do it to yourself.
And remember to celebrate your success!
They say every journey starts with the first step and taking that first step is what counts. Every small step that you take will add up to big gains over time, but don’t wait for the end of any journey to celebrate your success and accomplishments. Celebrating and acknowledging your accomplishments becomes a habit over time and to quote a cliché, “Success breeds success”.
