OPTED Magazine

Most of us have a never-ending to-do list.  In our careers, especially those in the non-profit world, there is no shortage of good work to be done and identifying an “end” to our work is often impossible.  When one task is completed, five others take its place on the list.  The same is true for our personal life.  If we clean the house or make our grocery store run, we can cross that task off our list only to find it added again a few days later.

Not all of the things that are on our daily to do list belong there.  We have a tendency to be ambitious with our time when we plan our daily agenda the night before or at the start of the next day.  We add tasks that aren’t required to be completed that day, even though we might intend or desire them to be finished.  This habit is difficult to break, but it’s important to try.

Why?

Essential tasks on our to-do list such as scheduled meetings or deadlines for paying bills are must do items and should be prioritized above other things on our list.  Theoretically these items should come before the “optional” tasks that could be completed at another date or time with no consequence.  When we combine must-do tasks on the same list as our optional tasks, it can be easy to default to tasks we feel like completing rather than the ones we need to complete.

For this reason, it’s important to have a system for your tasks that clearly identifies the essential tasks of the day.

I’ve used a number of different methods:

• When making paper lists, I highlight/underline/star the essential tasks, or separate them in a box to the side
• When I use my online task manager, I designate the tasks in bold or with a star

On any day where I have a date specific, essential task to complete, I complete it first, before anything else. That way, if all else fails, I’ve completed my date specific tasks that would have repercussions if I missed the deadline.  Anything else I complete that day is bonus!  Obviously, if I have a meeting with a client at 3:00pm it doesn’t mean I am inactive until that time, but it does mean that first thing when I arrive at the office I prepare every last detail for the meeting before moving on to optional tasks.

This strategy is a surefire way to tackle your to-do list in a way that keeps you accountable to your commitments and priorities and recognizing the hierarchy of importance for items on your list.  And it has the added benefit of lifting a weight off your shoulders knowing that all your mandatory items have been handled well, and on time.

How do you approach your to-do list?  What have you found helpful?

If you liked this post, you might like::

1. Use the blitz approach for your to-do list
2. How to address the cloud hanging over your head
3. Batch tasks to save time and achieve maximum efficiency
4. How to make progress with your to do list
5. Top 5 tasks for your evening routine