Is your to-do list filled with hundreds of tasks and no matter how hard you work, it never seems to get smaller? Do you feel stressed and overwhelmed looking at that long task list every day? If so, I have a solution for how to trim your daily to-do list.
An Unachievable To-Do List
For many years, I had a really bad process for completing tasks. I would carry around a multi-page to-do list each day. When I had a few minutes, I would look at the list and complete a task that I felt like doing or a task that I thought I had time to complete. Often, it was a meaningless task, but at least I got to mark a task off my list.
It was a terrible process! Not only was I carrying around a large, unachievable, daily to-do list, I was not focused on completing tasks that were important or focused on completing tasks that would move me closer to my goals. I ended every day feeling like I hadn’t accomplished anything because my list was still so long.
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To help me feel productive and not overwhelmed, I realized I needed to change how I handled my daily task list.
HOW TO TRIM YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
Here are the keys to creating an achievable, daily to-do list and reducing your task list overwhelm. Spend 10-15 minutes each evening completing these steps to help trim your to-do list and reduce your overwhelm.
Do a daily brain dump
Write down every task you need to complete. Write down everything you can think of- big or small. This is your comprehensive task list.
Review the brain dump list
Try to eliminate, delegate or outsource as many of the tasks as you can. Your final list should be comprised of tasks that only you can complete.
- Eliminate any task that is no longer important, or that you know you do not need to complete in the next year. Get rid of any task that you know you will bump automatically or that you know you will not focus on in the near future.
- Look for tasks that you can delegate to others such as assigning cleaning tasks to your children or bill paying tasks to your spouse. Delegating tasks to your children not only teaches them the value of hard work and responsibility, it gives them a sense of accomplishment and helping out the family. My teenage son helps with several tasks like moping, dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, laundry, yard work, and some cooking.
- Determine what tasks can be outsourced like hiring a lawn service, cleaning service, or meal delivery service.
Prioritize the remaining items on your brain dump list
You can either list them in numerical order (#1 being most important) or use the POWER Ranking Method which ranks each task based on 4 variables: happiness, priority, big goal and time. Either way will help you prioritze and determine which tasks are most important.
Review tomorrow’s schedule
Look at your schedule for the next day and determine how much time you realistically have to complete tasks. Are you in meetings all day at work and have a dinner party scheduled for that evening? If so, you will not have alot of time to complete tasks. However, if you have several gaps in your work schedule, and no plans after work, you will have plenty of time to get important tasks completed. Determine how much time you actually have to get things done.
Create a to-do list for tomorrow only
This list will probably have only 3-5 top tasks. (If the tasks are super fast, you may be able to list a few more.) Create tomorrow’s to-do list with your top tasks from your prioritized brain dump. Put your top tasks first. Only list as many tasks as you can realistically expect to complete based on your availablity tomorrow. The goal is to create a list of your most important tasks that you can actually achieve every day. I want you to be able to check off all your tasks on today’s to-do list and feel a sense of accomplishment!
Carry this small to-do list with you all day
I like to carry a one- page, paper schedule that has a to-do list section on it around with me each day. (I use the daily schedule found in the Reclaim Your Evenings Toolkit.) While doing my nightly planning session, I transfer any appointments that I have listed in my big planner or phone calendar to the daily paper schedule. It is much easier for me to carry this one piece of paper around with me all day at work and while running errands instead of lugging around my big, bulky planner.
As you think of new tasks you need to complete, write them down on the back of the list so that you can add them to your master brain dump list when you get home.
Review your master brain dump list again
Add any tasks that you had written on the back of today’s to-do list.
Repeat the above steps as you prepare tomorrow’s to-do list
Each night before bed, take a few minutes and complete all of the steps above and plan out tomorrow’s to-do list. I know this may look overwhelming, but this whole process shouldn’t take you more than 10-minutes each night.
If you didn’t complete all of your tasks you listed out for today, don’t beat yourself up. Life happens and schedules can change unexpectedly. It’s okay. That’s life. Look at the tasks you did not complete. If they are still important, put them at the top of the list for tomorrow. If not, place them back on your brain dump list and schedule them for another day.
According to Brian Tracy, author of Eat that Frog, “every minute you spend in planning saves ten minutes in execution”. On that same note, according to trafft.com, planning for 10-12 minutes each day can prevent you from wasting up to 2 hours of time each day. Clearly, a quick, nightly planning session can help you save time, get more accomplished and trim your daily to-do list! You’ve got this!
