Let’s face reality…we all have To Do lists. And while they seem to be never ending at times, To Do Lists can be a good thing. It kinda means we’re still alive! If you don’t have any in your life, then you’re probably dead! So, knowing that we’ll always have To Dos, maybe we should have a plan for how to keep track of them and get them done!
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So what’s the best To Do list? Well, the best To Do lists are the ones that works for you! Whether you prefer an analog or digital solution…anywhere on the spectrum of tying a string around your finger, pencil and paper, or the latest To Do app…figure out the tool or tools that work best for you and stick with it/them. Continue reading…
If you’re not sure which tools work best for you, don’t worry. Just take some time to think about, research and maybe even test a few tools for yourself before committing to one…or a TON of To Do list management tools. But before you get started, there are some things you should know or consider.
Main Topic:
To Do Lists in Four Simple Steps
We have lots of different types of To Dos: personal, professional, work, projects, etc. But no matter what type of To Do you have, there are four simple steps you have to focus on to get your tasks or To Dos done: CAPTURE them, CONTAIN them, ASSIGN a date and EXECUTE!
1. CAPTURE your To Dos. There are different ways you can do this (you may need to use several ways to capture your To Dos):
- Write them down. On scratch paper, a post it note or in a notebook.
- You can also record a voice memo. We use Dragon Dictation and Evernote.
- Send an email to yourself. This is convenient when you’re on the road or out and about away from the office.
- Or directly input your task on your To Do list if you have immediate access to it.
2. CONTAIN your To Dos. This is WHERE your To Dos are kept. One of the best things you can do to manage your To Dos is to capture them in ONE PLACE!
- Paper notebook: Use one you can easily carry around with you or keep in your purse/backpack to take to meetings, on errands, etc.
- Digital: Google Tasks or spreadsheets are an easy tool to use when it comes to editing and not having to re-write your lists when they get messy on paper.
- Mobile apps: There are tons! Try searching for “best To Do apps” for your mobile device and try a couple out.
Note: Containing your To Dos usually requires some sort of a routine, like an end of work routine before closing up shop or a nightly routine at home where you gather all of your To Dos and put them in the proper “container.”
3. ASSIGN a date and time to get them done!
- Before you decide on WHEN…you need to first determine category (personal, work, projects, etc) and the priority of your tasks.
- Note: Priorities may change….that’s why you need to have a routine of systematically reviewing your To Dos.
- Then plug it in on your calendar. Remember…To Dos are pointless unless you assign a date and time to get them done!
4. EXECUTE your To Dos. Putting them on the calendar doesn’t guarantee they’re going to get done but you can use control measures to get help get them done like:
- Use reminders like on Google Calendar where you can set up email, text and/or pop-up notifications to remind you of your To Do item.
- Set alarms on your computer or mobile phone for To Dos you need to get done each day.
- Start a nightly routine where you review your To Dos for the next day.
- Use post it notes (strategically placed) as an additional reminder for those To Dos you just reviewed during your nightly routine.
- Create and put up checklists (again…strategically placed) to help remind you of recurring To Do items. These can be posted on paper, dry erase boards, large post it notes, glass boards, etc.
Takeaway:
We all have To Do lists and it can get pretty overwhelming trying to manage all of the myriad tasks associated with them. But if you keep it simple and take a different approach to how you manage your To Dos by Capturing them, Containing them, Assigning a time to get them done and then actually Executing those To Dos, then maybe it won’t be so overwhelming and you’ll start feeling a little more like you’re accomplishing those tasks instead of falling too far behind.
Question:
What types of To Do lists or apps do you use that have helped you simplify your life? Please let us know and share your ideas and thoughts with us in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!
Interview with Erik Fisher of Beyond the To Do List
We had the pleasure of interviewing Erik Fisher of Beyond the To List. He has an incredibly popular podcast dedicated to productivity and making things in your life easier.
Thing Segment:
If you’re looking for a virtual assistant, Meredith Jones of Elms Marketing did an amazing job for us! She’s offered a free 30-minute consultation to just for SLT listeners and a 25% discount on VA services. Contact her at meredith@elmsmarketing.com
Announcements:
2013 Podcast Awards:
- Simple Life Together is a finalist for the 2013 Podcast Awards in the Education and People’s Choice categories.
- Voting is still on until 15 November, and you can and should vote once a day at PodcastAwards.com.
- Our friend Erik Fisher’s show Beyond The To Do List is also a finalist so be sure to show him some lovin’ when you vote, as well!
Simple Life Together Meetup in D.C.
- We will be in the DC area for the week of Thanksgiving and are looking at having our first Simple Life Together meetup!
- We’d love to have you come join us for great conversation, pay as you go snacks and drinks, and the chance to connect with others who are looking to lead a simple life in the modern world.
- We’ll be at La Tasca in Rockville Town Square at 7:00 PM on Sunday, 24 November.
- Spaces are very limited but they’re FREE, so make sure you grab a seat before they’re all gone!
- Just go to SimpleLifeTogether.com/dc to sign up or search for Simple Life Together at Eventbrite.com
Shownotes:
You can download a PDF of our show prep, too.
Resources and Links:
Erik’s Book Beyond The To Do List: Goals
Erik’s Podcast: Beyond The To Do List
GTD by David Allen: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
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I’m a GTD and workflow organizing geek so of course I dug this episode. I also regularly listen to Beyond the To Do List. I use the Things app for my to dos tracking. The ability to categorize by area (home, work, blog, errands, volunteer) and further by projects (budget, site design) and also by tags (posts, bills) has made my life simpler. I also use it to track bright ideas (if I do say so myself), reading lists, viewing lists and foodie lists (yup you read that right, wines to try, new dining). When I’m in the mood to watch a documentary on Netflix, I go straight to my viewing list. For my errands, I use tags to designate area of the island so it helps me save gas and time. If I’m going to be in a certain area, I check my errands and the location tag (gas is regularly $4.5 to $5/gallon on Maui!). That said I still find a dry erase calendar for top level deadlines, a team department calendar on outlook and also excel checklists for things like month end closing off my app useful. I think it is tough to use just one thing because there is something to be said for removing all the to do clutter and visually be able to focus in on a separate calendar for very specific purposes, particularly in a corporate enterprise environment. I also use a separate app that only pulls in my editorial calendar for my blog/writing. (How I manage that is I only use my google calendar for writing and turn off all other calendars for work/home in that one app.)
I use the alarm trick constantly! In the old days, I used to have this alarm clock ruler thingie that I stuck in my Franklin Planner but now of course I use my office outlook which synchs to my iPhone. Even the silliest things like fill gas are set with an alarm. I also type in reminders of urgent morning matters (meetings, etc) on the wake-up alarm as I can be kind of too relaxed in the mornings and a bit loopy.
Agree whole heartedly on the benefit of “going dark”. I do an entire weekend every other month or so. I also shut down most of my sm apps during the day, opting to check in only at certain times for a limited time period. The wheat! Omg. I’m actually allergic to wheat now. It’s a recent development confirmed by blood tests after I noticed cake and bread was affecting me. I get headaches, a Buddha belly and I feel generally crappy. Haven’t read Wheat Belly yet but been meaning too. There was an excellent article awhile back in Whole Life (I think) about how the processing of wheat in the US is different now and people can sometimes eat wheat in other countries without ill effect. If I find it, I’ll send it to you.
Sorry this is uber long but one last thing. I did want to mention how much I enjoy the military terms and workflow discussion. My job is heavily system/process oriented. If I don’t structure our workflow in an appropriate way things can typically get chaotic. There are a ton of little moving parts to closing a company’s financials accurately and meeting deadlines, etc and not working a gazillion hours doing it. I can definitely see the correlation with how much thought is also put into a military operation. Plus I’ve always been friends, particularly through tennis leagues, with military wives as Honolulu has a ton of military bases.
OMGoodness! We totally should have interviewed you to for this episode, Tania! I agree, it’s difficult these days to commit to just “one” to-do app or way of getting things done…it’s more a matter of using too many and trying to manage them that can hold you back. The Things app looks pretty cool! I checked it out and it has a lot of great features…love the tags!
That being said…I think its great you take an entire weekend off every other month to “go dark” (another great term for unplugging). I think December is going to be our month for unplugging…at least for a little bit ;o)
Oh and the wheat…what a crazy crazy thing! Every time I eat healthy and then stray and have wheat…I can feel and see the difference immediately (on the scale and the way my body bloats)! Wheat Belly is a great book and it can get pretty technical…but I guess that’s a good thing because the doctor who wrote it has done an incredible amount of research on it. I find it difficult to stay completely away from wheat but we’re trying to keep it in moderation. As a matter of fact, last night we had gluten free pasta and meatballs (I used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs in the meatballs) with gluten free sauce…but then we had french bread on the side ;o) So…everything in moderation, right? But it looks like you’ll have to make more dramatic adjustments! I bet you’re going to feel a lot better though!
Anyhoos….so glad you liked this episode and find our (mostly Dan’s) military terms enjoyable and beneficial! We use them all the time in this household as you can imagine. Thanks so much for sharing….LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
As a stay-at-home mom for over 25 years, I’ve written a lot of to do lists. Recently, I learned that I can keep one 8.5 x 11 sheet for about a week, with categorized lists like “food prep” and “errands.” This avoids writing a new list every day. Assigning a date and time for these tasks, however, can be tricky (re: impossible) for me, since my schedule is so dependent on my family members’ needs. So, I try to prioritize each day in a real simple manner–I put an asterisk by 3-5 items that are important to me that day. I can quickly scan the list whenever I have some “free” time to start a new task. After years of trying to schedule out my days, I’ve found it very freeing to live more moment-by-moment.
The other absolutely essential truth that I learned from Getting Things Done: only put on my list things I actually plan to do. Saves a lot of angst. 🙂
Hi Colleen! Thanks so much for leaving us a note. It sounds like you’ve refined your system over the years and found what works perfectly for you! That’s great because there’s just not “one perfect system” out there. I think Moms are the busiest people there are and as such they depend more on the habits, rituals, routines, and rhythms we talked about in Episode 30.
Oh, and YES…putting ONLY things you actually plan to do on your list is a biggie! I think we’ve all been guilty of confusing a “To DO List” with a “Wish List” before! Great reminder, Colleen!