How to get organized at the office? 3 tips for making a to-do list (and sticking to it)
14 November 2014
Read by 1773 persons
Organized, you have made it a habit to make a to-do list every morning when you arrive at the office, but you feel like you never manage to finish it? Here are three tips to help you write it better and finally stick to it.
To-do lists are like New Year's resolutions, everyone has them and everyone struggles to keep them. Why? Because we tend to set ourselves impossible tasks. Is it really realistic, for example, to decide to never get angry at the office again?
For to-do lists, it's the same, except that it's not the actions that are the problem, it's the quantity. If you haven't been able to finish your to-do list for several years, it's because it's an impossible task.
Yet to-do lists are useful, but if they are poorly managed they will bring you more frustration than satisfaction.
Tip n°1: apply the principle of reality
There are 2 things to remember in the morning when you contemplate your to-do list:
- the day only has a finite number of hours
- the unexpected will take up at least 30% of your time
Roughly estimate the time required for each action on your list and compare it to the available time in your day, minus 30%. This will allow you to check if, mathematically, it fits into your day.
If this is not the case, examine the priority of your actions and choose which ones you will postpone until the next day instead of letting chance decide for you.
By default, we always tend to do first what we know how to do or what is requested with the most insistence. This is how routine and urgency often take precedence over innovation and what is important. For example, it is not uncommon to spend too much time refining the details of your weekly report and then find yourself rushing the new file that you have to present the next day.
Tip n°2: empty your to-do list into your agenda
It's by telling ourselves that we can make a 2-minute phone call anytime that we end the day without having done it.
Instead of waiting for a quiet moment to tackle your to-do list, schedule the different actions to be done in your agenda. Group small actions together to make slots of at least 15 minutes.
Assigning a specific time to each action may seem tedious, but it is very effective.
It also stops you from constantly saying to yourself "I mustn't forget to..." since an appointment is made to do it.
Tasks scheduled in your agenda can be deleted from your to-do list, which will now only contain tasks waiting to be assigned a time slot.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published on November 5, 2014.
Posted online on November 14, 2014.
To-do lists are like New Year's resolutions, everyone has them and everyone struggles to keep them. Why? Because we tend to set ourselves impossible tasks. Is it really realistic, for example, to decide to never get angry at the office again?
For to-do lists, it's the same, except that it's not the actions that are the problem, it's the quantity. If you haven't been able to finish your to-do list for several years, it's because it's an impossible task.
Yet to-do lists are useful, but if they are poorly managed they will bring you more frustration than satisfaction.
Tip n°1: apply the principle of reality
There are 2 things to remember in the morning when you contemplate your to-do list:
- the day only has a finite number of hours
- the unexpected will take up at least 30% of your time
Roughly estimate the time required for each action on your list and compare it to the available time in your day, minus 30%. This will allow you to check if, mathematically, it fits into your day.
If this is not the case, examine the priority of your actions and choose which ones you will postpone until the next day instead of letting chance decide for you.
By default, we always tend to do first what we know how to do or what is requested with the most insistence. This is how routine and urgency often take precedence over innovation and what is important. For example, it is not uncommon to spend too much time refining the details of your weekly report and then find yourself rushing the new file that you have to present the next day.
Tip n°2: empty your to-do list into your agenda
It's by telling ourselves that we can make a 2-minute phone call anytime that we end the day without having done it.
Instead of waiting for a quiet moment to tackle your to-do list, schedule the different actions to be done in your agenda. Group small actions together to make slots of at least 15 minutes.
Assigning a specific time to each action may seem tedious, but it is very effective.
It also stops you from constantly saying to yourself "I mustn't forget to..." since an appointment is made to do it.
Tasks scheduled in your agenda can be deleted from your to-do list, which will now only contain tasks waiting to be assigned a time slot.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published on November 5, 2014.
Posted online on November 14, 2014.
