Getting Organized: Throw Out Your To-Do List

What do you mean? I hear you asking. What's wrong with my to-do list? I take a piece of paper and write down everything on it that occurs to me that I should do, or want to do, or that somebody wants me to do. Then I try to do as many of those things as I can, as soon as I can. When I get one done, I cross it out. But I almost never get everything on it done, and frankly, if the truth be known, it kind of depresses me. It's a constant reminder of the fact that I don't have all of those things done, and that I'll go to bed again tonight feeling like I didn't accomplish enough. In fact, you're right - I'm going to throw it out!

But, wait, you continue - I can't just ditch the to-do list. I want to be organized and productive. Isn't it a time-honored way to order my days?

Well, you're right about that, at least - the classic to-do list is popular enough, for some reason. But I believe there's a better way.

I believe that most of us actually want to get something done in the course of a day. (It's often an uphill battle, and in fact it's good to not get too hung up on it - but we'll save that for another article.) The fact is that most normal sane people, at the end of a long day of hard work, get a good feeling from knowing that they got the things done that really needed doing. It's definitely a whole lot more satisfying than the alternative.

And of course, that's why the typical to-do list is written. But these lists have one major drawback - they're conceived and written as a rolling, ongoing deluge of tasks. There's no sense of a manageable scale - no concept of a chunk of work which can actually get accomplished within a specific chunk of time. This sense of accomplishment is a motivator in getting these often thankless tasks done, and you want to use whatever motivators you've got.

Realizing this early in my first year of running my own business, I began a practice which has become a permanent habit, or at least it will be as long as it keeps working so well for me. It's very simple: every morning, I write a list of the things I really, genuinely want - and intend - to get done that day. This includes tasks directly related to my business as well as personal tasks - but it only includes those things which I have a reasonable chance of doing, and which I have every intention of doing. It's not a wish list - and that's the real difference between it and the to-do lists many people use. I'm serious about this list!

I try to prioritize the tasks - most important first. If I have appointments, I write those in with their times, of course.

It takes a little time and thought to write this list, because what I'm really doing is having the boss (me) give a set of directions for the day's work to the employee (me). Later in the day, when I'm too busy or frazzled to think carefully, these written directions are extremely helpful in keeping me on track.

I made up a little form for this purpose. It's just a half-sheet of paper with a space for the date at the top, and two columns, labelled, "What I want to do in the office today" and "What non-business and out-of-office things I want to do today". I need those two things separated that way - you might want to develop a slightly different system. The word "want" is no accident - I only intend for tasks to get on this list if I genuinely want to get them done by the end of the day.

Sometimes, as I'm writing up the list, I try to picture how I'll feel that evening. How would it feel to have that phone call I've been putting off done? How about that annoying bit of paperwork? It would be great to make a start on that new project, and I have to get Mrs. McGillicutty's site updates done. I picture how great it's going to be to look back and have all of those things done, and this exercise makes it clear what really belongs on the list. The anticipated satisfaction is a real motivator.

Do I get everything on the list done every day? No, but I can honestly say that on many days, I get everything done, and on most days I get most things done. And seeing that list at the end of the day with everything checked off really is a nice feeling.

This little system might not be for you, but if you struggle with organizing your days and being productive, it just might be worth a try. What do you have to lose, except for that long to-do list?