Chances are many of us today will have forgot to complete at least 1 task they set out to do at the beginning of the day even though they had all good intentions and time to do it. The problem is we just couldn’t remember it at the right moment. If you have got a feeling at some point where you think you need to do something; but can’t recall what it is then you know what I mean.
There is a simple, yet effective, tool we have used that is sure to help you remember things and increase your productivity. The “To-do List” in its various forms can make sure you remember what you need to do when you need to do it. In the previous article we have mentioned other techniques you can use to improve productivity.
There are a number of books written on this subject. The ones I have found useful are “Getting Things Done” by David Allen and “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right” by Atul Gawande. The last one is particularly interesting because the author is a surgeon and makes arguments about how a simple five-item checklist in the operating room can dramatically reduce hospital-acquired infections, which kill 99,000 Americans a year. Now if the list can help with life and death situations in the hospital; I am sure we can all find it useful in our daily life.
There are some useful guidelines you should follow when making and using the lists:
- Keep it realistic. Don’t overestimate the amount of work you can accomplish in a given time. If you keep missing items in the list by a long shot every day the list loses the significance as a useful tool.
- Make it task oriented. Rather than saying “Improve sales by 10%”; write down “Call 5 potential customers about new sales”. The former is a goal; the latter is a task to accomplish it.
- Update throughout the day. If the list just sits there without being referenced to see what needs to be done; it doesn’t help. The list should be continuously updated as tasks are being completed and new ones are added.
- Have it remind you automatically. Use the reminder tools available in the form of emails, SMS, etc. to have them remind you about your list throughout the day. There are several online tools available to help with this. The best one I have found is a web site called RememberTheMilk.com
How do you manage your to-do list? Have you found it useful for productivity improvement?
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Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!