A To-Do List can help you focus on what matters every day.
At some point in our lives, we’ve all got a to-do list. Writing the tasks you want to finish every day can help you get it out of your head into a more organized format. A to-do list can be as short or as long as you need, but how do you stay positive while completing tasks?
No matter how helpful or organized, a To-Do list can also be the source of some anxiety. With a to-do list, everything that you haven’t finished is right there in front of you.
Sometimes, seeing everything you haven’t done just doesn’t help!
That’s why this short piece has three positive tips that can help you with your to-do list.
Tip #1: Don’t Make Your To-Do List Only About The Hard Stuff
I don’t know how you craft your to-do list, but there’s a simple trick to make it more positive. Mix in everything, and I mean everything, even the simplest things that take 10 minutes.
If you’re wondering, why, this next tip will make it clearer.
Tip #2: Cross things off with a highlighter:
Aha! Let’s say, get off the bed, drink a cup of water, and make your To-Do List ON your to-do list today. That’s simple enough, isn’t it?
Great, cross it off once it’s done, and you’ll have one less thing to do today! The positivity in this approach is that you’re gradually seeing your to-do list shrinking, and it pumps you up to keep going. One side note, if a task takes less then 5 minutes its better to do immedatitely then put on a to-do list (I can explain in a different article… just trust me for now k?)
Tip #3: Divide and Batch:
It’s a simple technique that keeps your to-do list below anxiety-causing levels. Sometimes, a specific task you have to complete is big and has several moving parts. In that case, you should divide that task into smaller parts.
Let us assume that the tasks you’ve broken down are similar to other tasks on your to-do list. It makes sense to bring them into one batch and attach a reasonable time limit. This technique is called batching, and it can reduce the amount of time you spend jumping from one task and “checking-in” with another relatively simpler task without finishing either. Remember, batching only makes sense when the smaller tasks you’re about to complete are similar.
Here’s an example of what I mean by batching.
Glancing at your to-do list, you can immediately tell which ones will take a longer time (e.g., deep concentration tasks). With batching, you can organize your activities and tasks efficiently. If you know what time of day you get tired quickly, you can get the deep concentration tasks out of the way. For the rest of the day, you’re either completing medium concentration tasks or light concentration tasks.
Talk about a productive day!
Let’s Wrap This Up…
To-do lists are excellent for your productivity levels, but they can become quite challenging to follow up and even a source of anxiety! That’s why you’ll need to mix in some positivity tips like the ones I’ve shared so you can keep crushing your daily goals.
Stay positive by crossing things off your list, dividing and batching, and mixing the hard stuff with the easy stuff on your to-do list.
I hope this helps!
Desmond utilizes his knowledge of education policy from his undergrad, his Masters of Education from Johns Hopkins, and a variety of advanced certifications such as CHPC and LWT to construct prime academic intervention programs and homework/executive functioning support for all his students.
