Why do we create lists?
Life can get complicated and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are often too many things to do and if we don’t write them down and organize them, then in the best case, they won’t get done, in the worst case, we get overwhelmed, shut down or just give up. How can you organize your day to have more energy, vitality and focus and get the right things done?
The Problem with ‘To Do’ lists
The problem with ‘to do’ lists is that most people never finish them. I don’t mean they don’t check off all the boxes, which of course, we don’t. I mean we don’t complete the process of creating the list. Why? Because it takes time and we are in a hurry. We don’t have time to organize and prioritize and…We never will if we don’t find the time to do it.
The biggest problem with ‘to do’ lists is that we usually put the least important things on the list and do them first. The most important things often don’t make the list and the next most important things are on the list, but don’t get done. We run around checking all the easy stuff off to feel accomplished and then we are too tired to do the important things.
Complete the process, what do you really want?
Writing down your ‘to do’ list is just the first step. When you think you’re done, keep writing things down, get it all out, not just the things you need to do today, but everything you want or need to do that you don’t have time for or can’t seem to get around to like starting a business or writing a book. Get it out of your head and on paper. Don’t wait, do it now. This is your life, it’s important.
Write it all down and create categories
Ok, doesn’t it feel better to get that all out of your head? Now you need to organize and prioritize your list. Group everything on your list into categories. Some things might relate to your health, some things might relate to other people in your life, some things might relate work, some to household things like bills, laundry, grocery shopping. Whatever makes sense to you, just group similar things into categories.
What is important to get done for each category?
Once you have things grouped in categories, then the real work begins. You’ve got to know what it is you really want to accomplish, not just what you want to get done. For each category, what do you really want? If you wrote down something along the lines of start a business or develop a side income. Why do you want to do that? What is you ultimate goal? Do you just want to make more money? Do you have a deeper mission?
Understanding why everything is on your list is critical to organizing and prioritizing your list. You might find that some things on your list shouldn’t be there. You might realize that there are better tasks to put on your list in order to get what you really want. Then you need to organize and prioritize your day so that you automatically get what you want.
The most important things should come off your list.
You read that correctly. The most fundamental things shouldn’t be on your ‘to do’ list, they should be habits, they should be automatic. The most important things that you need to do daily to maintain, your health, energy, vitality, focus, life force, whatever you want to call it. Those things should be made habits, part of your daily routine and self care.
You need a self care routine that is fundamental to do your day, not something that you’ll get to if you have time. My self care is something I do everyday, but it’s never on my ‘to do’ list. Your self care routine should give you all the energy, vitality and focus you need to tackle the top priorities on your ‘to do’ list.
Do the most important things first
Of the remaining items on your list, you need two basic categories: 1) Your top priorities that only You can do and 2) Everything else. Your top priorities that only you can do, should be what you work on first thing in the morning. Ideally before anyone else is around to distract you. Once, you have managed your self care and taken care of your top priorities, it almost doesn’t matter what you get done the rest of the day, but you can work on the list knowing that you’ve done the most important things first.
But I didn’t get everything done!
You are never going to get everything done. That is why it’s so important to organize your day and have a self care routine that keeps you functioning optimally and to do the most important things first. You are going to have a lot left on your list that you won’t be able to get to. This is where you need to simplify, prioritize and maybe ask for some help. What can you delegate? What can you say ‘No’ to?
Something amazing happens when you take better care of yourself and have clear priorities. You find that it’s easier to say ‘No’ to things that aren’t important to you. You also find that you don’t need to do as much stuff to feel fulfilled.
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