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I am a list-maker. I love lists.

  • I write things down in lists so that I don’t spend entirely too much brain power silently reciting my list as I try to memorize it. Believe me, that’s a real productivity-killer.
  • I also get a lot out of seeing my tasks written out. It gives them a bit of physical substance, and it makes it easier for me to sort out what to do and when to do it.
  • And, of course, the best part of a to-do list is crossing things off of it. Maybe you’ve even done the old “add something simple (or something already done) to the list so that I can cross it off.” It gives a feeling of accomplishment to cross something off a list, and rightfully so! Brushing my teeth every morning is an accomplishment! Some people don’t even get that much done in a day.

Common Mistakes

Sometimes, though, I struggle to cross things off my list because I am too grandiose–or too vague–in what I write down. Don’t let this happen to you! To have an achievable list, it helps to get really specific.

Your goal is not measurable.

As I was getting prepared to launch this blog, I caught myself one day with “blog” on my to-do list. Just that. Blog. I opened Evernote and drafted a few ideas for posts. I logged into WordPress and worked on making my widgetized sidebar look good. I spent quite a lot of time working on my blog, but I was never able to cross the item off my list, and it was frustrating!

Take a vague item, like “blog,” and break it down into individual tasks:

  • draft one new blog post
  • brainstorm 5 blog post ideas
  • proofread and find image for first blog post and schedule it to publish next week

Your goal is too big to sum up in one “item.”

That same day, I had written “website SEO” on my list. That was equally frustrating as I chipped away at the little things that needed to be optimized but never reached a point where I could cross the task off my list. I ended up with two big, looming projects on my list that I couldn’t cross off, and I felt defeated.

Take a big item, like “website SEO,” and break it down into manageable chunks:

  • add SEO keywords to my “About” and “Pricing” webpages
  • find a tool for image optimization
  • ask contacts for help optimizing my website speed

 

Always make sure the items on your list are very clearly defined. Have a definite way to measure whether the task has been completed. Then, you can estimate how much time is needed to work on every item, you can schedule them all into your day, and you can finish each one and cross it off. That is what makes a doable to-do list!

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