The Never Ending To-Do Lists
Do you multi-task regularly or do you prefer to take on tasks separately? Do you feel like there’s not enough time in the day for all your chores? Do you wish you could get more sleep instead of finishing up last minutes to-do’s? Well, this USED to be me. I went day in day out getting out of work, going to the gym, getting home, cooking, cleaning, and relaxing for a mere 1-2 hours before it was time to go to sleep and repeat this cycle. This USED to be me until I found a secret to becoming stressless: to become efficient and productive.
(See footnote for additional discussion)
Life is about priorities. For me, life is also about having a smaller to-do list than the previous day. Yes, there are exceptions when things come up, but I’m talking about the normal day to day activities. I’ve spoken with many friends who just can’t get their head wrapped around the day! They end up blowing off friends, family, and even their significant others simply because they’re too overwhelmed with the items on their to-do list.
Some tricks that I personally use or have heard many highly successful 6-7 figure earners recommend are:
A to-do list: Spend some time at the end of each night or first thing in the morning writing a list of the things you need to accomplish the next day. Writing down your goals and checking them off has a positive psychological benefit (especially for those of you who thrive on completing itemized lists). This way you know exactly what needs to be done in advance, making you more likely to accomplish these goals.
Don’t kill yourself: Don’t create a list that it is completely overwhelming, leaving you up until 1am just to finish this list each and every day. This will end up backfiring on you, causing lack of sleep and draining your psyche.
Ask for spousal/partner support: Instead of tackling all of this alone and changing by yourself, ask your significant other to join you in this cause of crossing off not only your to-do list, but also theirs. Generally speaking, it’s much easier to change and accomplish this with a supportive partner. If you don’t have a partner, try to rope a friend into this habit; even holding yourself accountable to someone else will increase your likelihood of being productive.
Kill 2 birds with 1 stone: Try accomplishing multiple tasks at the same time. This is part of being productive and efficient. For example: group errands based on proximity to one another and distance from work/home or while vacuuming, clean up and organize your house. (There are a couple more examples below.)
Eliminate distractions: While trying to accomplish your to-do list, stay focused on the task at hand. While listening to music and having a TV show on in the background may help, avoid being sucked into your favorite TV show. Try putting your phone on silent so you don’t hear the barrage of text messages or notifications that draw you away from completing your list.
(See footnote for additional discussion)
Getting things done more efficiently is paramount to success as an adult. As stated above, when combining activities, one can knock multiple ‘to-dos’ off their list. For example, when cooking, many people often pay all of their attention to cooking this amazing (or not so amazing) meal just to finish with an overwhelming amount of dishes afterwards. When waiting for something to cook or in between stirs, wash a couple dishes that you won’t be using any more. This may not seem like it’s worth it, but believe me, it makes cleanup afterwards much easier. You could also cook for your partner or friend and have them clean up as you go. Another example, one of the key reasons that I’ve observed people not “having enough time” throughout the day is that they spend hours watching TV or playing video games each night. If this is a MUST in your daily routine, which we will talk about at a later point, try multi-tasking while watching your favorite TV series or Netflix movie. Some things you may consider during your TV hours are an at-home workout, homework (for you students), cleaning the living room, planning meals, creating a budget, or even planning your next vacation – which both Carmen and I believe is critical for a stressless mind. If these are some things that you could use some help with, throw a comment our way and we may be able to tie them into future posts, as we will be covering these topics and many more.
If you're looking for some more things that ultra successful people do daily (Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, Warren Buffet, and many more), Click Here
*As you can see, Eric's to-do list is partially keeping up with values of his- it coincides with his short and long term goals and it is what he wants to accomplish the following day. This style is good for those who may get overwhelmed easily or are just starting their to-do list routine. Meanwhile, Carmen's to-do list is more in depth and encompasses not only tasks for the following day, but also that of the week, and sometimes even month. She tends to put together a running to-do list rather than a more simple daily list.