Bin your do list
The endless to do list. The list of tasks that gets worked on daily or weekly or monthly spending time moving and ticking off and adding to.
The list that brings a sense of dread when you can see a whole bunch of things you should be doing.
At some time when less busy or studying or even personally this can be useful, however to truly be on top of what you need to do, you need to work smart. Much smarter
A long endless lists of tasks whether you write it down or slightly better have a word document or similar is a massively inefficient way to stay on top of what you need to do..
Here’s why:
Lack of strategic viewpoint.
With a list of tasks you don’t know whether you are hitting what you need to do strategically and not getting swept in to tasks that are wasting your time.
Inefficient planning.
A long list of tasks means that you will spend a lot of time picking and choosing what you think you need to and adding new ones in. Wasting time on this daily adds up to a lot of time.
Inability to be able to prioritise.
A long list won’t give you the opportunity to be able to prioritise easily and at a glance see what you need to do, in fact seeing a long list means that you may start on tasks that you feel are easier to do rather than the ones that are a real priority.
Too much noise.
Looking at everything that you need to do daily is a big distraction and can have you thinking about all the different areas of the business which can distract your focus and slow you down. We can also have triggers that can distract us eg if an invoice needs paying and you can’t do that yet, to remind yourself daily will only slow you down.
Overwhelm.
If you can see everything that you need to do in one hit, it is very easy to get overwhelmed and then not start a task or action at all. Why would we choose to see everything that we ultimately we need to do each day and then expect ourselves to be motivated?
Missing ‘When’ and ‘how long.’
So a list of tasks is useful, however in this form it is missing two key components for actions or projects. The ‘when’, when do I need to complete this and when does it need to be completed by and also the ‘how long’. How long will this task take me to completed. If you were to randomly pick a task from the list how do you know that you will have enough time on that day to complete it and that it is being done in time without constantly doing this daily with then the very obvious probability of failure at some point.
Here’s What You Should Do
1) Start from the top level with what you need to accomplish
2) Breaking it down in to sub projects or areas needed to achieve these
3) Then smaller actions to achieve the outcomes for each of these
4) Use a tool that helps you add in the ‘when’ and ‘how long’ or even ‘who’ where applicable
5) Connect this to your diary or a feed through in to a list that you can see daily for what is due that day / week or month
6) Review every few months
A way of working that hits the mark.
Ultimately, a way of working that helps you stay on top of what you need to do, and ensuring that what you are doing hits your targets, current strategy or even personal goals depending on what you are using your planning for that highlights the corresponding action you need to take that day are key.
Then the rest is you sticking to that way of working, fine tuning where you need to and most importantly getting the tasks done!
How can I help?
I have carefully curated a time management coaching package that supports you to get to the top of your game when it comes to your time management with astounding results and up to 20-30% more productivity and time
Check out the Time Management Coaching Package HERE
Learn more by downloading my free ebook Smart time management for peak performance HERE
Got a question about this area and how my coaching can help? Book a discovery call HERE
About Sian Winfield
Sian has spent the last two and a half decades working with those that have made the choice to take action. From the fitness industry as a fitness professional to NLP coach and trainer working with Traders to attain peak performance in London City. Moving on to start her own company 7 years ago within which she has had the fortune of being involved with the successful growth and scaling of over 200 start-ups.
Empowering hundreds of entrepreneurs internationally coaching individually and through group programmes most recently including programmes such as Foundervine & Barclays Black Founder Accelerator Programme and mentoring for The Peter Jones Foundation.
Her experience has provided her with a huge wealth of experience in how others have attained their success and she is hungry to share her learning with as many people as possible.
Connecting with Sian
If you are interested in finding more about Sian and her coaching visit her website HERE
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