To do list Formula The author has presented methods and examples for managing work and activities in life to be effective. What are the stories and methods? Let’s find the answer from the book To-Do List Formula: A Stress-Free Guide To Creating To-Do Lists That Work! written by Damon Zahariades.
Have we ever had the chance to observe ourselves and see what we have to do in a day? For example, we might wake up at 7 am, then wash our face, brush our teeth, have 1 cup of coffee, and 1 slice of bread because if we eat more than that, we will definitely be late for work. Then we have to rush out of the house to fight the morning traffic to get to work on time. What about work? What tasks do we have to deal with today? If we try to list just the stories of our morning, it seems quite chaotic, doesn’t it? And many times, there are many things that we have to say, “Let’s do it tomorrow,” because we don’t have time to do them today.
“Many things make it difficult for us to complete the tasks we set out to do within the time limit.”
I believe that everyone has had the experience of trying to finish their work each day, but in the end, it didn’t end as planned. Whether it’s at work, at home, or even going to the convenience store, there is always a chance that something will not go according to plan. Lack of discipline and managing the priority and urgency of each task is a problem that is often overlooked because there are many things that we are responsible for happening around us, and many things we don’t have time to do. When this kind of event happens often, we feel used to it, and eventually we see it as normal.
“A to do list will make it easier.”
To do list or to-do list is something that we must have seen before because this function is available in almost every smartphone model. But there are few people who use this function to their full benefit. For the to-do list, it does not mean that we have to rely on the application on the smartphone to make it. But we can make a To do list anywhere, anywhere that is convenient for us, whether it is on paper, in a notebook or a computer. We just have to be sure and confident that when we have done those things, we will open it up to see and actually follow those lists.
What do we gain from creating a To do list?
A good to-do list should help relieve the pressure associated with doing multiple tasks in a day and ensure that those tasks are completed and accomplished. Ideally, if we can stick to our to-do list, here are some of the benefits we often reap:
- It gives us control over your day-to-day operations.
- It allows us to define working hours.
- Making us do the right thing at the right time
- Prevent wasting our valuable time
- Helps reduce stress
- It allows us to focus more on other tasks.
- Reduce depression and frustration that occur at work.
But there are many reasons why we can’t complete our to do list. And here are the reasons why most people make mistakes:
- Lack of Commitment : Many people may not understand the purpose of a to-do list. A good to-do list helps us prioritize urgent and important tasks.
- No Time Limit: Sometimes, tasks don’t have a deadline. Therefore, setting a deadline for each task will make us more motivated to complete them.
- Our to-do list is too long : A long to-do list can distract us because there are too many options to work on. We may not be able to focus on any one thing and we may not be able to prioritize our tasks properly.
- Too many different to-do lists : Having too many different to-do lists can also make it difficult to prioritize, especially if many of the tasks are completely unrelated. In these situations, it’s best to prioritize them from most important to least important, or from most urgent to least urgent.
- Too many options : Having too many options makes it difficult to make a decision, so a straightforward choice works better.
- Tasks are not properly prioritized : Sometimes we just write down the tasks we need to do without specifying when or how important they are, causing us to overlook them or not give them enough importance.
- Our to-do list is vague : We can run into this problem if we don’t clearly list what we need to do or if we don’t have clear measures of success for each task.
The secret to making a to-do list successful is to add the “why” to it. Find out why you need to complete each item. Write the reason next to each item.”
Negative emotions undermine our productivity more than you think
It is essential that we understand how emotions affect our lives. Because it can either increase or decrease the quality of our life. When negative emotions affect the quality of our life, we feel isolated, less creative, and it becomes very difficult to make decisions. After that, we start to lose focus more and more on our work, which eventually leads to work stress.
9 examples of methods for making a To do list or a list of things to do that are most popularly used by people.
There are actually many ways to make a to-do list, as each method depends on the user’s preferences and abilities. However, here are 9 examples of the most popular methods.
- All-in-one list : This method is a list that includes everything that you can think of and puts into one list.
- Task + Start Date + Due Date : This is a way of keeping a to-do list, noting the start date and the date you want to finish it. This is a great way to boost your motivation.
- Main Task List + Daily Task List : This method divides which tasks? are the daily tasks that we have to do today and which tasks? are the main tasks? which we may need to do for several days.
- 3+2 Strategy : This is a method that relies on prioritizing tasks to see their size. There are 3 big tasks and 2 small tasks.
- The 1-3-5 Rule : This is a method that uses the size of a task to divide it into three sizes: one large task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks.
- Work is based on the system : This method arranges the work according to the related projects. The same work is kept together or done consecutively.
- Kanban Method : This method is unique and more visual in making a to-do list. We write down the newly received tasks in the “To do” column. If we have started and are working on it, we put it in the “Doing” column. When we have finished the task, we put it in the “Done” column.
- The Matrix System : In this system and method, we will divide the area of our to-do list into 4 parts: important, urgent, important, not urgent, not important, urgent, not important, not urgent, and then take each task and evaluate it according to the said Matrix.
- GTD (Getting things done) : A to-do list is a general to-do list. We organize the big tasks, break them down into smaller steps, and complete them according to the steps we have separated.
“To do lists are as unique as the people who created them. We just have to find the method that works best for us.”
Finding a to-do list format by selecting from the 9 formats above may make us find a boring task or in some steps may feel like it doesn’t suit us. Therefore, if we want to have a perfect to-do list, we have to create our own format and method. We ourselves will be able to create a perfect to-do list in our own style.
“The key is that no one is perfect, so if you make a mistake, just admit it and do it again.”
In addition to having the right format and methods, if you follow these steps diligently, the to-do list you create will be many times more effective.
- Separate daily goals from long-term goals.
- Customize the list based on desired results
- Break big tasks down into smaller steps.
- Set the time frame for each task.
- Limit number of tasks per day
- Categorize each job well, such as by job, type of job, or location, etc.
- Cut out unnecessary items
- Estimate the time required for each task
- Work with enthusiasm
- Record the details of each task in full.
“Making a to-do list or a list of things to be completed can motivate you to continue working and complete other tasks in the future.”
Making a to-do list and writing down your accomplishments not only helps us to know which tasks are completed, which are not, or which have not been done, but recording your accomplishments also creates a sense of pride in yourself. The feeling of self-esteem will be filled and it will energize you to want to continue working to achieve success in the future. However, this method only works for some people. For some people, a completed list can make them lose their enthusiasm for sitting and being proud of themselves.
Conclusion
Often we are faced with too much work in a day. It is hard to prioritize each task given to us and it is one of the best stressors at work. A to-do list is an outline of the tasks that we want to do, prioritize them and clearly define the time frame. The perfection of creating your daily to-do list depends on how well it works for you. Don’t overwork yourself.
“Choose to do the right thing in the short term for the long term goal.”
Whenever we feel ineffective or have failed because we are not able to accomplish a goal, don’t let that goal go, don’t give up, try to create a to-do list with those goals that we may not be able to achieve in a new way. Because the only way we can stop doing it is to remove it from the to-do list because we have already done it.
