To do lists come in many sizes, shapes and media.  Some are as simple as a post-it note stuck to your monitor, while others are complex virtual tools with advanced detail functionality.  As a Productivity Consultant, I deal with to do lists in all forms from people in many different professional settings.  Here are some key tips I have developed to help manage the ever-lingering to do list.

Managing To Do Lists in 5 Steps

1.  Keep your to do list out of your calendar! Keeping your to do list separate from your calendar will not only save you time from daily re-writing, but it will also prevent you from losing track of individual tasks, creating a higher level of productivity.

2. Create a high-priority and a low-priority list. The information we receive on a daily basis is doubling every 12-18 months. You can imagine that our to do lists are growing exponentially with all of this new data coming at us constantly.  Many of my clients struggle to keep one long to do list because it makes them feel overwhelmed. One effective strategy that I recommend is to keep a high- and low-priority to do list.

3. Keep your high-priority list small.  For this process to work, you need to get in the habit of reviewing your high priority list at least every other day. By keeping it small, you will lessen the burden of reviewing the list and help turn this habit into one of your new and trusted organizational systems. Your low-priority list can be reviewed less frequently and can be much longer.

4.  Review, and move items between lists, as needed.  Periodically, you will find that you need to move lower priority items over to the high-priority list. You will also find that the longer something stays on your low-priority list, you may find it unnecessary and choose to eliminate it altogether.

5.  Seek professional help.  If you’re not sure how to determine which tasks are high- or low-priority, or if you just can’t seem to get things checked off the list, some professional productivity coaching may be the answer.

At CTC Productivity, we can work with you and your company to prioritize, organize, manage your time and improve overall productivity.  Contact us today to set up a consultation.