Spring Clean Your Never-ending To-Do List
Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? So you don’t have to do it now, of course! The problem is that this list of perpetually postponed unpleasant tasks just keeps growing. And it all piles up in the back of your mind, weighing you down and wearing away at your morale and productivity. How can you tidy up your tangled thoughts?
- Make a list of all the tasks that need to be done.
To get an idea of the big picture, empty your mental load onto paper. Everything counts, whether it be professional duties (having a discussion with an employee who isn’t delivering, following up on unpaid invoices, gathering information on the competition, etc.) or personal matters (making an appointment with your doctor or mechanic, scheduling dinner with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, etc.).
- Do one task first thing every day.
As soon as you can in the morning, select an item from your list. Do what needs to be done yourself, delegate the work to someone else or accept that it won’t ever get done and banish it from your brain. Checking off a task from your list will lighten the load and you’ll feel freer to face your day with one less thing on your mind.
- Keep at it!
Do this routine every day, building on the momentum of every small win to get you through the next. Every now and then do a batch of tasks at once, like the clean sweep of spring cleaning. Challenge yourself to see how many things you can get done in an hour or half a day.
Ready, set, go!