7 Tips to getting your to do list, done
March brings in the season of change. Winter is rapidly becoming Spring and even the daffodils are slowly but surely rearing their heads after a long and quite cold Winter.
March is also the final month of the financial year, at least here in the UK.
A lot of us, myself included, have a huge long list of things we want to get done whether it be this month, this week, this year or even over the next 5 years.
A typical person has a hundred and one things to complete from doing the day job, to being a great dad, looking after your own body and mind as well as being a great partner/wife or husband.
How can we be all of these things and still lead a life that is positive and not draining.
Well here’s a few tips to get the things on your to do list, done.
1. What’s important to you, gets done
It’s true what they say, if it is important to you, you will find a way to make it happen. Prioritise the things that are important to you, whether it be financially, physically, mentally, family or business related.
Prioritise the important tasks first and get them done
2. Sign them up
In the past I’ve made the mistake that everyone was signed up to the end goal.
However in reality they were actually busy drilling holes into the boat.
Whether you have family, a girlfriend/boyfriend, husband or wife. You’re going to need their support and understanding.
So make sure they are all signed up to supporting and helping you focus on crossing of those to do items. Some may even be able to take a few of those to do’s off your hands — delegate as you see fit.
3. Measure it
It's true what they say “What get’s measured gets done”.
So let's say you have 15 calls to make relating to a personal matter but the boss wants you in for 9am. Knocking those 15 phone calls on your lunch break might sound like a bridge too far, but think about how you’re going to feel once you’ve got them done.
Even if you only managed 7 during your lunch break that is still over 50% complete. Get them done, get it measured and come back for more.
4. Take Action
Get it done.
No matter how tired, fed up, low or even ill you are. Get up and take action every single day.
If your to do list is growing and growing and nothing is getting done. Guess what? That isn’t going to change without action.
The following day more tasks will come in and unless you’re prepared to get them done they’ll just pile up and become a crippling source of fear that will eventually see you crack.
5. Every Minute Counts
How many hours do some of the worlds most successful people have during the week? The same amount as you and me. What is different between us and them is they know how to make every minute of the day count.
Most of us have heard the expression that “time is money” so think about that for a moment.
Spending 7 hours of an evening watching Netflix and munching your way through a bag of Doritos isn’t gong to cross off the business plan you wanted to get started nor will it unpack those boxes from the house move you’ve just done.
Make it fun for yourself. Set a target, to unpack 20 of your boxes within the next 2 hours. Get it done, grab a reward, not Netflix, perhaps a piece of fruit, chocolate or whatever your vice is.
6. Schedule it in
When you have a million and one things to do it can feel very overwhelming. The trick here is to sit down, place all of those tasks into a series of sticky notes and then create an ideal day plan for yourself.
You could even colour code them, Green for low priority, Yellow for medium priority and red for vital.
Schedule in each of those tasks into your day and get them done. You will find that overtime you will be able to cross off more and more items on your to do list.
The none important stuff will come in and you’ll be able to handle those, you will also be able to handle peoples expectations a lot better and essentially show them what’s acceptable to you.
7. Changes ahead
Be prepared for change.
Life has a tendency to throw in curve balls. Our focus and priorities shouldn’t really change, whatever your focus is, whether its to achieve £100,000 turnover, hire 50 members of staff or run a half marathon. Stay focused on what you want and go deeper.
Depending on what that success looks like to you, each new curve ball that comes in should be looked at, thought about and defined as either helping towards your success or as a hinderance.
Everyone of us has the same 24 hours a day, no more and no less. It is a case of how do we choose to spend the time. If you’re doing the same thing day after day and expecting things to change, that’s lunacy, change only comes when you do something different.
Whether its waking up a little earlier, working out harder or connecting more. Keep pushing yourself and your to do list will be a thing of the past.
Resilience is success.
