Simplifying The Task List

Wednesdays are simplicity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Even though I write this blog and make it a point to find the best ways to be productive, occasionally I get buried.

Right now I am buried under a mountain of projects and tasks. I simply look at my task list and want to run away and join the circus.

It isn’t the first time it has happened, and I am sure it will not be the last.

But there is one thing I have learned from all the times this has happened.

There is a method to getting back out from under the mountain. All it takes is a bit of time and a very large shovel.

So here is the shovel for you to use as well, should you need it.

1. Purge the list. Anything that doesn’t have to be done right now gets deleted. If you can’t bear to lose sight of it, write it on another list…a backlog list if you must.
2. Prioritize what is left. Look at the items left, and decide what must be done first. No more than that. Just the first thing.
3. Do that thing. Since your task list is (of course) filled with do-able items, do the first priority.
4. Move on. Find the next item to be done and do it.
5. Take time to relax. Just because you are buried doesn’t give you an excuses to turn into a machine. You must rest and relax during these times, even more than others, simply so you don’t burn out.
6. Do not give into the feeling of “just one more thing”. If you keep chipping away at the list, it will get done. Re-balance, re-prioritize as necessary. Some days you will have more time to do things than others. If your schedule is full, don’t overextend yourself. (Although if your schedule is so full you can’t get anything done, you need to look at your schedule…)

That’s it. Pick up the shovel and dig your way out. It is quite simple…but don’t let that fool you. Sometimes the simplest things take the most work. 🙂

Photo by Muffet