“Success is never getting to the bottom of your to do list.”
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo
Everything on your list is important right? A long list or a short list, it all has to be done and it has to be done right now. But does it?
What is a to do list? A to do list should be tasks that you capture on paper or digitally that you want to accomplish. But if you didn’t accomplish those tasks that particular day, life would still go on. You could move those tasks to the next day and all would be well. No harm, no foul.
So what is a critical task? A critical task is a task that has a deadline, a due date or a negative consequence associated with it if it’s not completed. Does that sound like something that should be on a ‘to do’ list? No, it shouldn’t because the tasks on a to do list should be able to be moved to another day and all would still be okay.
Let’s take a closer look at what a to do list should look like and how to take care of critical tasks.
A to do list should be a manageable list that you create at the end of your day for the next day. A manageable list may look like 4-5 items and you should do your best to estimate the amount of time you think each task will take you. It’s really common for all of us to underestimate in our minds how long taks will take. Underestimating leads to frustration when we’ve bitten off more than we can chew and we don’t get everything crossed off of our list. Estimating your time for each task is your best guess because sometimes unexpected things come up that take us longer that expected. The more you practice attaching a time to your tasks, the better you’ll get at it. And if you knock out your tasks faster than you expect, you can always add another task on if you want to. Or maybe you can just be done for the day!
Be sure to take into account what you already have on your calendar for the next day as you create your list. If you have a full day of meetings, your to do list should be shorter or the tasks should be quick and easy to knock out. If you have a full day in your office to work, your tasks may be more complicated or take longer to complete.
What about the critical tasks with deadlines, due dates or negative consequences if you don’t complete them? Well, they should be on your calendar as an appointment. You should have a date and time dialed in to complete your critical tasks so they don’t slip through the cracks and they don’t get pushed off to another day.
Wrap Up:
- Discern between your tasks as to do list tasks vs. critical tasks.
- Create your to do list and schedule your critical tasks at the end of the day for the next day. Take into account other things on your schedule for the next day.
- Creating your lists at the end of the day will allow you to get right to work the next day with focus and fewer distractions.
“I add drink coffee to my to do list every do so I know I’ll get at least one thing done.”
Someecards
