Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection
How to set clear objectives
How to follow up after a meeting
How to manage time effectively
Including Too Many Tasks
Ideally, create a ‘top three’ tasks at the beginning of your to-do list.
Long lists are a problem because most people aren’t aware that “we only have about three to six good hours of work in us each day.”
People also tend to underestimate how long a task takes.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Writing The List In The Morning
Although it might feel natural to create your to-do list first thing in the morning, it's too late.
Writing the list at the end of the day allows you to leave work behind and transition into personal time.
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Treating Each Item Equally
If it’s not a priority, it should not be on the list. Follow the 3-3-3 system when writing out your list:
- Delete three of the items since they probably aren’t that important.
- Delegate three of the items to someone else, as they...
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Including Someday Items
Aspirational tasks, like writing a book, don’t belong on a to-do list; instead, create a separate bucket list.
Daily to-do lists should be focused. If you have a big project you want to complete, you can put it on your to-do list if you chunk it out into smaller, more attainable ta...
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Not Being Specific
Be as specific as you can be, so that when you’re taking on a task on the fly, you can just get it done. For example, instead of writing “expense report” on your to-do list, write “enter receipts into spreadsheet.”
And skip the vague-sounding action words, such as “plan,” “...
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Using The Same List Until It’s Done
Every day changes, so what you did today is not what you will do tomorrow. And what you think you are going to do tomorrow may change before today is over.
Instead, create a fresh list for each day.
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Not Linking Your List And Calendar
“If you have a full calendar and a full to-do list that aren’t connected, you’ll never have time to take action on your to-do list, short of robbing yourself of sleep, family time, weekend relaxation, or vacation.”
Instead, block out time on your calendar to take action on your to-d...
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CURATED FROM
These Seven To-Do List Mistakes Could Be Derailing Your Productivity
fastcompany.com
7 ideas
·79K reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. " ~ Abraham Lincoln
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
3. Scheduling Tasks Ineffectively
A never-ending circle of tasks may feel devastating, cause stress, depression and burnout.
Time management tips:
- Eat the frog. Do the most important or ...
When You're Juggling Too Many Things
When your focus feels depleted, it could be because you are juggling too many tasks.
What you can do about it:
- Start by controlling your environment. Put your phone in another room. Close your email tab. Put headphones in so you don't hea...
Time blocking
Assign every hour of your day to a specific task.
Take your day’s to-do list and estimate how long each task will take. Plan your day out by assigning each task to your calendar. Include all related tasks such as commuting, breaks and admin tasks.
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