It's a familiar scene: You spend the morning making a detailed to-do list with every tiny task you need to get done, then you spend the rest of the day checking them off. You tally up all the items on the list, only to realise you still weren't able to get everything done.
The idea of a to-do list is a popular one, but it doesn't always guarantee your productivity. It's easy to organise the day into tasks on paper or digitally, but the real work involves actually doing the work of getting things done.
A to-do list gives you the feeling of getting things done. It feels great to cross things off, or even adding stuff on the list … making you think that THIS will help you get it done … and you get to feel like a responsible, structured and productive individual.
Through the years, handling my own personal productivity and supporting clients with theirs, I’ve discovered some techniques that work better than relying on to-do lists to get things done.
A to-do list helps you DEFINE what you would like to get done or what to work on and towards. That’s as far as it goes in terms of being helpful. So by all means, keep a to-do list, just please don’t expect the list to be the answer to HOW to get things done.
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Footnotes:
Study mentioned, http://blog.idonethis.com/how-to-master-the-art-of-to-do-lists
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Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives):
Artist: Soundroll
Song: Business As Usual
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual
License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK
Artist:Mood Maze
Song: Trendsetter
https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter
License code: OVSAUTLS0A7HDW0B
Artist: Trinity
Song: Funk in the trunk
https://uppbeat.io/t/trinity/funk-in-the-trunk
License code: ZVMMS9AERAG2BAPC
Artist: Prigida
Song: Moonshine
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/moonshine
License code: 51ZZ8I8BYHC8ADQJ
Artist: Dan Phillipson
Song: Making progress
https://uppbeat.io/t/dan-phillipson/making-progress
License code: 7LVTMYRS3CAGZSP6
Artist: Icosphere
Song: Still dreaming
https://uppbeat.io/t/icosphere/still-dreaming
License code: TCKPG9OLNKQDBRFG
Artist: Avbe
Song: Espresso beans
https://uppbeat.io/t/avbe/espresso-beans
License code: 2Z9TLNDISYMSM9K6
Artist: Prigida
Song: Sunkissed
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed
License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU
Why To-Do Lists Don't Always Get Things Done - And What You Can Do Instead