The alternative to-do lists

The alternative to-do lists

So, I’m definitely a ‘to-do’ list kind of girl. I love being organised and have tried many new shiny things over the years that promise to make organising my life, work and everything in between, easier and slicker.

But I always come back to the old-fashioned pen and paper and making a list.

Okay I have a special book I keep my list in.

And there is more than one list. (daily, weekly (that moves to daily), monthly (that moves to weekly))

I just haven’t found anything that beats it for me in terms of getting me clear on what I need to be doing to move me nearer my goals or just getting the stuff that has to be done, done.

It’s not the most exciting thing though I know so I’m still on the lookout for anything that makes it a bit more exciting and sexier.

Failing that, this week I’ve decided to give you 3 alternatives to the to-do list – if like me, you love a list but want to inject some variety now and then!

  1. The ‘Ta-Dah’ List – the lovely @gracemarshall tweeted about this last week and I thought what a great idea. At the end of the week, instead of thinking about everything you didn’t get done, write a list of what you’ve achieved in the week. Your own ‘Ta-Dah’ list!
  2. The ‘Stop Doing’ List – every once in a while think about the things you want to stop doing and put them on a list. Maybe it’s making bad eating choices, maybe it’s stopping always putting other people ahead of your own needs, maybe it’s always saying yes to people and finding yourself on every committee going,  maybe it’s things that you hate doing or drain your energy. When you’ve got your list you can start to figure out how to stop doing these things and have more time to spend doing on what you enjoy.
  3.  The ‘Just Do It and forget the list’ – a tip I’ve picked up is whenever something needs doing I ask myself ‘can I do this in 3 minutes or less’. If I can, I aim to do it there and then. If not, it can go on a list somewhere! This helps me shift paperwork that used to pile up waiting for some action, reply to emails more quickly, and sort through the endless stream of ‘stuff’ needed for school (reply slips, dates marked on calendar, payments made etc.).

What do you think of my alternative lists? Do you have any other suggestions? Please let me know by leaving a comment.

 

 

The following two tabs change content below.

Alison Bradford

Alison Bradford is a business coach who works with smart, ambitious business owners to get clarity about how they can grow their business and increase profit. Sign up here to learn 6 easy ways you can boost profit in your business today.
2 Comments
  • Carolyn Trafford
    Posted at 13:30h, 30 October

    I did pick up an idea once. I’m going to call it the “bleep it” or “shove it” approach because in the original article it suggests using the strongest words you can find and I’m not sure the words he chose are appropriate here or on my blog.

    The idea is that you go through your to do’s and strike off everything that you know you’re never going to get around to because leaving them on your to do list are just a drain of your energy.

    • Alison Bradford
      Posted at 14:44h, 30 October

      Thanks Carolyn. Think I can imagine what the ‘bleep’ replaces and this is another great tip. Why keep stuff hanging around if you’re never really going to do it? You end up feeling bad every time you look at it. That’s why I love focusing on just 3 things at a time on my to do lists.