Hey Reader

It might come as a surprise, but I'm actually a big fan of a to do list.

Shocking, I know 😛

I love how they help me organise my thinking, and tackle my day with more clarity.

Plus, the satisfaction of checking things off is very rewarding to me.

The problem is though, given how much I like a to do list, sometimes I'll get a bit carried away or unfiltered when writing them.

For something like a brain dump where the purpose is to declutter your mind, being unfiltered is fine. In fact that's kind of the point 😝

But for a daily or even weekly to do list?

If left unchecked, I can end up writing down way more than is feasible to do.

The actual problem

A long-ass to do list isn't a problem of itself though. The main issue here is the way our brains respond to this.

For some people the consequence is immediate.

They look over this huge list of things to do, get completely overwhelmed, and don't end up starting.

Not super great when the purpose was to get things done 😅

For others, their consequence comes later.

Looking at the list, they see a challenge and get to work.

Wanting to make as much progress as possible, they diligently tackle task after task, checking things off, and getting those fleeting moments of satisfaction before jumping into the next one.

At the end of the day, they look back at the list and the first thing that stands out is all that was left unfinished 😔

Often, the brain has trouble recognising the difference between “you were lazy and didn’t finish your list” and “you genuinely didn’t have enough time to do all these things”.

Their consequence is that despite all the work they did do, they still end up feeling inadequate.

Either way though, piling too much on a to do list can be a problem.

So what can we do to tackle this? Let’s have a loot 👀

The idea - Schedule your task list

As said, I love a to do list.

However, when it isn't paired with genuine consideration of the time we have available and how long things take to do, we're just setting ourselves up for disappointment.

The general steps we can follow to make sure these things get accounted for are:

1. Write out your to do list as usual
2. Select the most important thing to tackle or work on
3. Assign the amount of time needed to complete the task
4. Schedule the task into your calendar

Steps 2-4 can be repeated as many times as you need to either deplete the initial to do list and get everything scheduled or just get the most essential tasks on your calendar. At least that way we'll have the satisfaction of the important things getting sorted.

These are just general steps, but there are also other ways we bring this into our planning depending on what works best for you.

Use a calendar rather than a to do list
​Instead of writing a to do list in the first place, build your list into your calendar. The tasks aren't just items on a massive list, they're appointments with dedicated times to do them. This system is great for people who appreciate the visual of time blocks to show how long to spend on something.

Use a timed task list
​Keep your task list, but also:

• Sequence it in order of priority for the day, and
• Add what time you hope to start working on it based on how long the thing before it will take.

The benefit of this system is that the structure is similar to a regular task list, but just with some bonus information. Also, even if you end the day with things unfinished, at least you know the most important things got actioned.

Use the Pomodoro method
​Break your daily schedule into chunks of 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of rest (or whatever split makes the most sense for you). After writing your to do list, assign the tasks to specific intervals, making sure to schedule the most important things first. If some tasks won't take a full 25 minutes, try bundling them together in one block. Similarly, if a task requires more than just 25 minutes, assign as many blocks as needed to get the thing done.

These methods are not only good for helping you action a long to do list, but they also assist in getting the important stuff done and highlighting what is reasonable to achieve in the time you have.

Psssst 👀

Before we get into the action taking for today's newsletter, as part of the newsletter team, you get the first heads up that the next round of the Change Your Life challenge is coming 🥳

This is our free quarterly goal-getting challenge where we take action on the things that will move our lives in a positive direction. I'd love to have you on board, so be sure to check out the intro video for this upcoming round!

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Let's take action

When you write your next daily or weekly to do list, make sure to:

1. Write out your to do list as usual
2. Select the most important thing to tackle or work on
3. Assign the amount of time needed to complete the task
4. Schedule the task into your calendar

Steps 3 and 4 rely on knowing roughly how long things take to do though, so what can be helpful is a "discovery week" where you pay attention to how long typical tasks take you across a week-long period.

This can be done by:

• Recording the start and end times for longer tasks, or
• Literally setting a timer for shorter tasks

This is the technique I used to discover that putting away my laundry usually only takes 8 or so minutes…but I'll still put off doing it for up to a week 😂

But!

Knowledge is power, and by knowing how long things actually take, we can better schedule our tasks rather than just piling way too much on our plates.

Until next time!

- Jess

Sick of setting goals that don't get achieved? Learn the system everyday goal-getters are using to make EPIC things happen.