To Do or Not To Do... That is the Question

Task lists are interesting animals, aren't they?  Almost organic in nature, they seem to grow overnight, evolve, mock us and elicit guilt just as easily as a living, breathing creature.

One of the most definitive indicators of whether a week will be productive and positive or frustrating and negative is how sure a grip I have on my To Do List.  Most of us struggle to track and manage the myriad of small activities we need to accomplish.  Here are a few tricks that help me - I hope they help you too!

Put tasks on your calendar.  I've become religious about doing this, and it is a great tool for time management.  You see, your to do list isn't just about remembering all the tasks... it's about making time to complete those tasks.  Simply listing things on a sheet of paper doesn't give you any idea of how much time will be required to accomplish them, or help you organize your schedule to find that time.  A calendar (unlike paper lists) is finite.  There are only so many hours in a day.  And when you think through how each pending job fits into the big picture of your day, you are forced to get realistic about what will get done and when.  When you make a conscious decision about when and where you are going to do something, the chances of you accomplishing that task increase dramatically.

Do it now!  There is no time like the present.  When I update my To Do List there are inevitably a ton of minor tasks that make the list seem more daunting than it really is.  Look through your To Do List every day and find the phone calls to return or the documents to mail.  It never fails to amaze me how many things have been languishing on my list for weeks that, once I decide to do them, take only a few minutes.  I've learned that those things should be done immediately.  The sense of accomplishment and relief you feel in seeing your To Do List drop dramatically in 30 minutes is priceless.

Schedule tasks according to when they are due.  I don't view every task with the same urgency.  Some items on your To Do List probably need to be done today.  But many of them don't.  Don't make the mistake of listing activities with no order, dates or rank.  A random list of tasks ranging from personal chores to phone calls to pressing project deadlines isn't very helpful for prioritization.  Whether you use an A/B/C system (with A being urgent and C being eventually), or you cluster tasks by date, make sure you go into each day with certainty about what must be accomplished and what might be accomplished.

Don't do it.  I know, this is a funny suggestion, but there truly are things on your To Do List that don't matter.  It's OK to delete tasks and move on.  Let's say there's a book someone mentioned that you want to purchase or a thank you note you've intended to write for two months - is the earth going to explode if you don't do it?  No.  The task only exists because you've created it, and no one else will even know if you don't accomplish it.  Be willing to let some of these jobs go when you're feeling overwhelmed.  If actually deleting the task from your list completely goes against your nature, another option is to create a 'Someday List'.  This is a great place to house those little things that you'd like to get to one day, but which don't matter in the present.  A URL to look at, a book to buy, an old friend from high school to reconnect with... the Someday List is the place!

That's my system.  By staying on top of your To Do List, you'll avoid the horrible feeling of trying to outrun your To Dos, the shame of missing an important deadline, or the guilt of ignoring things that really matter.