Post written by Marlon Ribunal.
Follow me on twitter.
What is the first thing that you do in the morning when you sit down in front of your desk?
If you answered “check email”, “listen to voice messages”, or “sort pile of documents”, then you’re wrong.
If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably start your day by a side trip to Starbucks or to any coffee shop you prefer. The coffee at the office is just as good as any commercialized coffee out there. My morning coffee ritual is a short trip from my desk to the lunch room.
If you answered “check my To-Do List”, then you are right. Or, if you answered “get some coffee, then check my To-Do List”, I’m going to accept that.
Some people claim that the To-Do List is not an effective tool in getting things done. That is not true, though. But I am not going to argue with those dissidents.
The To-Do List is still widely used by many today and it’s still effective in delivering results.
[ More from Productivity Bits: How To Effectively Manage Your To-Do List ]
But here’s the key: Your To-Do List is an effective tool only if it clearly designates your priorities.
If you’re starting your day by navigating through your new emails and voice messages,chances are you are opening yourself to new tasks that are not yet on your To-Do List.
In his Getting Things Done book, David Allen said that once you opened an email you’re basically committing yourself to that email (or voice message for that matter).
Opening an email means that you are committing yourself to the tasks enclosed in that email.
But here’s the key: Your To-Do List is an effective tool only if it clearly designates your priorities.
You may not consciously committing yourself but your mind is now tied to that email’s content. You have to respond to that email at one point or another.
You should also set goals to achieve based on your To-Do List. Suppose that you have fifty items currently on that list. Set a milestone, say thirty tasks, that you try to check off.
Until you reached that milestone, you don’t add any new tasks on that To-Do List. And you just go from there. You can experiment on this by finding the right number of tasks to set as milestone.
[ More from Productivity Bits: How To Effectively Manage Your To-Do List ]
Stay focus first on your current To-Do List. If you’re able to check-off all your To-Do tasks from the previous day, then you can commit to new responsibilities. If you are like most people, that is not the case (specially if you are working on a project).
You should perform a daily review of your To-Do’s at the end of the day making sure that you achieve all your goals that day. And don’t forget to always do your weekly review, too!
Overwhelmed with Information and Email Overload?
Productivity Bits Recommendation – “Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload“
Marlon,
Great stuff… I never thought of looking my task list this way … focusing on the tasks first that are on my list and then adding more responsibilities after reaching a milestone. That sounds reasonable when I think of it.
Thanks for sharing a new idea :)
Timo
Timo Kiander recently posted…10 Different Hats To Wear When You Become An Internet Entrepreneur
Thanks for sharing I really need something like this. :D
Lynne
Lynne Quintana recently posted…Making Your Fortune in Sales Training Coaching
Marion, thanks for the good advice.
However, I I failed the quiz. My reply was ‘go through my emails’.
I try so hard not to let emails over run me. Step number one for anyone who wants to do the same is to turn off the notification ‘ping’ noise you get from outlook every time you get a new email.
Having read this post I will now also promote the ‘To-do’list to the position of job number one in the morning.
Thanks again.
Dave
For me also my to do list was just a way for me to remember what I had to get done from day to day. I did not use it as a way to get me to do them things but only as a way to remember what I needed to get done.
Nicole@Life Coaching Courses recently posted…Life Coaching Programs – 4 Skills You Should Have To Become A Life Coach
I find when I am completely overwhelmed by what I need to do at work or at home, I tend to “shut down” and get paralyzed by the impending workload. I find the to-do list tremendously useful. I list *everything* I need to do (no matter how trivial the item) and then check each thing off. Even if I did two small items, (like, wash my coffee cup and empty the office recycle bin) I get momentum from seeing things get crossed off the list.
Jennifer recently posted…Are magazines upsizing your expectations
Jennifer,
I don’t list the routine tasks. But definitely seeing crossed off items can help you establish some momentum.
One thing that helped me manage my to-do list is using the calendar for tasks that need to be done on particular date. I use a simple app on my BlackBerry to set alarm for hour-specific tasks within the current day.
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…6 Things The Navy SEAL Team Six Can Teach Us About Getting Things Done
Right on Marlon!
You have mentioned some great points here. Some of which I use on a daily basis, some that I really need to work on!
The key in making a to do list that works is not overdoing it and prioritizing. You know some people have so many things in their to do list, it becomes too overwhelming. I used to be like that but not no more!
What I do is create 2 to do lists; 3 as a matter of fact if I count the bucket list as well. So, I have the bucket list; things I want to do in my life time. A weekly to do list where I jot down all the things I want to or need to accomplish within that week and a daily list. I create a daily list right before I go to bed so that as soon as I get up in the morning, I can jump straight on it along with a hot cup of coffee (O:
Even though my weekly list is very crowded, I like to keep my daily list simple so that I can actually accomplish and tick off what I set out to do for that day – seems to work more than 95% of the time.
Thanks for an awesome article Marlon.
Later brother!
Adam,
You’re doing it right! Bucket lists can also be “Someday Lists” (GTD).
Yes, To-Do List for the next-day jobs should be done at night before the workday. I’ve suggested few times here.
Daily Review & Weekly Review should also be part of maintaining To-Do lists.
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…Top 10 Productivity Tools For Chromebook
I liked David Allens book but I use his techniques in tandem with those shared by Brian Tracy and the mindset of Stephen Covey.
Together I think they make a good system.
Plan by the week, organize by the day and use an inbox.
When you have a weekly plan that captures your priorities and then use the ABCDE-method to prioritize your day you have a recepie for success.
Daniel M. Wood recently posted…Motivational Tip 6 – The Master Decision be happy
Daniel,
Realistically, no single system can solve all of our productivity woes. I, myself, use a lot of combinations from different systems – some from existing methods and some are home-brewed.
The key is to adopt working system (you shouldn’t reinvent the wheel) and make it work according to your work style and habits.
Okay Marlon, here’s my input.
I do make a “to do” list and I do follow my “to do” list every single day. BUT, I do start my day by checking my emails. If I get one that is more along the lines of a personal message, I save those until in the evening to respond to. But by checking my emails, I reply to my blog comments and people I have connected with on social media sites. That’s my relationship building methods which are very important to me.
Once those are finished my list is next and I don’t waver from that list. Nope, no more checking emails or answering calls that may disrupt my work flow. So I totally agree that “to do” lists are very important in order to achieve everything you need to accomplish. But, don’t let other things distract you either!
Thanks for this, very good and informative post.
Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…See How Easily You Can Get 1-000′s of Likes on Your Facebook Fan Page
Adrienne,
Thanks for the input.
Your checking email for blog comments is probably an exception to the rule. Responding to comments is considered a task for infopreneurs. Thus, your inbox list functions as to-do lists for comments. :-)
Marlon,
My to do list was more of a remembering tool than a way for me to get things done. I’ll be working on something and then I will get an idea in my head and I write it down to be done later.
If I don’t write it down I will be sure to forget about it.
Justin@Mazzastick recently posted…Time Is Accelerating And We Must Change
Justin,
The ToDo List is used in different contexts. I use it primarily for my daily tasks in my work (not fix work). I have another ToDo list for personal use. In that personal ToDo, I have personal tasks, someday lists, and ideas.
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…6 Things The Navy SEAL Team Six Can Teach Us About Getting Things Done