Get More Done With Better To-Do Lists
The Find: If long ignored items are piling up at the bottom of your to-do list, the problem may be less procrastination or your dreaded duties and more how you actually write your list.- The Source: A Harvard Business Review Conversation Starter blog post by Gina Trapani, author and founding editor of productivity blog Lifehacker.com.
- Break it down. Then break it down some more. Don't confuse to-do's with goals or projects. A to-do is a single, specific action that will move a project toward completion. It's just one step. For example, "Plan the committee lunch" is a project. "Email Karen to get catering contact" is a to-do. In this case, the action of emailing Karen is a simple, two-minute undertaking--something small and innocuous that you can do without thinking. ... After it's done? Add the next step to your list. Breaking down your task to the smallest possible action forces you to think through each step up front. With the thinking out of the way it's easy to dash off that email, make that call, or file that report, and move your work along with much less resistance.
- Use specific action verbs and include as many details as you'll need. You're overdue for a cleaning, but the "Make a dentist appointment" to-do just hasn't gotten done. When you write that task down, use an actionable verb (call? email?) and include whatever details your future self needs to check it off. "Call Dr. M. at 555-45678 for a cleaning any time before 11AM on Jan 17, 18, or 19" is a specific, detailed to-do. Now that's something you can get done while you're stuck in traffic with a cell phone.
The Find: Could getting more done really be that easy?