Sign up for our newsletter

organizing articles, tips, and fresh, easy ideas

Home

Yahoo! Here's How to Get Through Your To-Do List

If you’re having trouble getting things done, it may be because there’s way too much on your list of things—to--do and you’re getting overwhelmed. Here are 7 easy ways to ensure you get things done, and feel a sense of accomplishment each day.

1. Use lists. They’re a necessity
You have a million things to do, right? Why clutter your brain with all of these tasks? Instead, get them down on paper. You’ll free up your mind for more important things.

2. Know the difference between a Master and a To Do List
A Master List and a To Do List are two different animals. A Master List includes everything you have to get done. It is simply a running list of tasks that don’t necessarily have to be in any particular order. It is basically a place holder so that you don’t forget about things that need to get done. A To Do List is a short list of tasks that you need to do TODAY.

3. Prioritize the items on your Master List
Every time you add an item to your Master List, code it A, B or C:

A = This is vital to the achievement of my goals. I must do it immediately.
B = This is important to the achievement of my goals. I must do it soon.
C = This is not very important to the achievement of my goals, but would be nice to do if I have the time.

Obviously, things like buying groceries, picking up items from the dry cleaner, and doing that report for your boss, etc., are usually indirectly supportive of your major goals. You have to eat, you have to wear clothes and you have to take home a paycheck.

4. Make sure your To Do List is not overwhelming
Each day, transfer some of the items on your Master List to your To Do List. Be sure the majority of tasks on your To Do list are A priorities. B priorities come next. Then, feel free to add one or two C priorities if you’d like.
Cross anything you transfer to your To Do List, off of your Master List.
I recommend no more than 10 items on your To Do List each day. And if you can’t seem to get 10 items done, I then suggest cutting the number of items on your To Do List down to whatever number you can manage. It’s perfectly fine if your To Do list only consists of 3—4 items at a time.

5. Know the difference between a task and a project
Don’t add items that consist of multiple steps, as one single entry. For instance, if one of the items on your To Do List is ‘Plan birthday party’, that is a project, not a task. A task consists of one step, while a project consists of multiple steps. Your To Do list should consist of tasks, not projects.

Be sure to break your projects down into tasks before you put them on your lists. For instance, 5 tasks within the project of ‘Plan birthday party’ might be:

1. Make list of people to invite
2. Select invitations
3. Mail invitations
4. Plan party menu
5. Hire clown

6. Don’t add anything, until everything is crossed off
While you can add to your Master List anytime you like, the golden rule is that you ‘cannot’ add anything to your To Do List until everything on that list is crossed off.
If you can’t get to every item on your To Do List today, continue on those items tomorrow.
Once everything is crossed off, feel free to add your next set of tasks to your To Do List.

7. Think half-full, rather than half—empty
It is more optimistic and fulfilling to think of a glass as half—full, instead of half—empty. The same is true when it comes to your To Do List. If you finish 5 out of 10 tasks, don’t feel bad. Instead, celebrate the fact that you accomplished 5 tasks, and that you’re halfway there to completing the remainder of your list. You can do it