Don't be Fooled There is a More Efficient Way Than To-Do lists to Manage Tasks...

“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.” – David Allen.

Many of us have to-do lists and although they can be very helpful there is a more efficient way to manage your tasks...

Use calendars or a journal.

Pick your method be it digital via Outlook or Google, via an app, or back to paper.

To-do lists can sometimes feel overwhelming, but calendars convert time to space. Allocating space to tasks can make them feel a lot more manageable.

Every task you do add to your calendar - the beauty of using digital is you can add meeting links or links to a document you are working on. Meaning that everything is all in one place.

If like me you like to color code, when a task is done simply change the color of the task to a dark grey.

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Allocate time to tasks

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.” – Jean de la Bruyère, “Les Caracteres” (1688).

To-do lists are the wrong tool to use as they remind you what you need to do, but are not time focused. Calendars are the right tool as they give a timescale to your tasks allowing you to better plan for achieving them.

Everything you need to do 'calendar it' — from professional tasks to errands. Meetings, recreational activities, meals exercising, and downtime allocate space for everything you do.

Planning a new project or trip? Or even set a reminder for a reminder! Make it an entry in your calendar rather than on your to-do list as everything takes time.

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Measuring tasks

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year — and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Anthony Robbins.

Most of us underestimate or even overestimate how long it will take to get a task done. Setting time at the end of the week to reflect on your tasks will help increase your self-awareness of how long things actually take you to do! Therefore you get more productivity as the weeks go by with a calendar task system in place!

Don't forget to allocate some daily 'buffering time' for any surprise tasks, complications, or if something is taking longer than scheduled.

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Patterns and planning

“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” – Stephen R. Covey.

With a buffer zone in place to deal with any unexpected events, you can now start to pay attention to your daily habits. Plan for these.

I'm not a people person in the morning therefore I like to block out this time to check and respond to emails and 'eat my frogs' which means the more difficult tasks, things I might be otherwise likely to put off to the end of the day or those likely to cause some stress get done first.

So, if something unexpected happens in the day, I have already got all the most important non-people-focused tasks out of the way and also have some buffering time I can roll into.

I rarely book meetings before 10 am as I need time to warm up to people. People tasks are scheduled between 10 am - 4 pm. Do what works for you don't let other people micromanage your time.

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Break it down into manageable chunks

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” – Charles Richards.

Tasks don’t always present themselves in calendar-sized chunks. A large project for example will need to be broken down into dedicated chunks with daily time allocated for any project work.

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Schedule time for reflection

“One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks.” –Malcolm S. Forbes.

At the end of every working day, look ahead at the calendar for the next day. What kinds of tasks are planned? Have you scheduled breaks and downtime? Are there breaks in between every meeting? Especially if these meetings are digital.

Every Friday or Sunday evening, visualize your upcoming week. Are the tasks evenly spread? Is there anything you could delegate? Digest the layout of your week to get you in the right mindset.

Remember a successful day is not about completing every task allocated. It's about reflecting on what you have done even if it's one task and re-planning the other tasks for the day ahead without the overwhelm or stress that to-do lists can bring.