I wanted to remind myself to make a “To Do” list for this coming week but I didn’t have a “To Do” list to put it on.
But now I do. I don’t know about you, but I function very well with lists. And not online calendars or reminders, because I tend to forget to look at them. For me, the absolute best thing is a piece of paper on the floor where I am going to have to step on it. Ah yes, stuff to do!
Not everyone works best with paper (and of course we can’t be killing all the trees) and so really it’s about finding what works best for you and sticking with that.
To do or not to do
Again, this probably won’t be for everyone, but for those this is helpful for, pay attention. Because as much as I know that lists are the most helpful things for me, they tend to last for a while and then life gets busy or I just forget and I go back to being semi-productive.
When I have a list of all the stuff I want to get done today or this week (working freelance mostly means that I need to police myself because there are not the same official work scenarios going on unless there is a deadline looming) my productivity soars. Which means I tend to feel better about myself. So win-win!
Also, I should add that I tend towards procrastination and so when I don’t have a specific focused “To Do” list sitting in front of me, then anything around me can become a virtual “To Do” list and that tends to not end well.
Don’t put it off
I started writing this article after writing my “To Do” list for tomorrow and then for the week. I have a physical paper version next to my computer, but I also made a Word document so that it has double the chance of being seen by me.
What are the things I want to achieve this week? Firstly, I start with the things I have to do – the commitments, the work requirements. Then, I fill out the list with things I really want to be priorities, like starting a new book I’ve been meaning to read, getting going with those back exercises my mate gave me and diving back into my isiXhosa learning (ndiyazama noko!). Thereafter, I might add some items that would be nice to get to if time permits. I end up with a list that will make my week really productive and know which items to prioritise on it over others.
Whether or not I keep to the list kind of depends on how my week goes. But I know for me, having the list is half the battle won. With it physically staring at me, I am way more likely to jump on and the pleasure I get from ticking items off mobilises me to jump on to the next one.
As I mentioned, this may not be for you, and that’s okay. We all tend to work in different ways. But I imagine there must be a lot of others like me and maybe this article was all you needed to nudge you to create your own list for the rest of the week. If so, leave a comment here and let us know how it goes.
# Write article (I can give that one a very big tick… now what’s next?)