How to get things done - step 1 - Make Lists

In my personal experience (and from the feedback I get from students and friends), the biggest problem with accomplishing something, or anything, is feeling overwhelmed. We have a tendency to make a task more complicated than it actually is. Then we feel like we won't get it done, or we simply just don't feel like doing anything. It's so much easier to waste time putting off beginning something, or we begin and never finish.

To combat these feelings, I have found some methods that work for me. Maybe they will help you. I will be covering one a day to make it easy to implement.

1) Make lists.

I know for some people lists don't work, or they misplace the list, or the list gets so long they don't know what to do first. Well, let me share with you what works for me. First, I keep several lists digitally, stored on the web so I can access them anywhere I have internet access. For me this works great because I can access my lists from my smartPhone. I utilize a free list making site called TaDa List. It's easy and simple, and doesn't have graphics that slow the load onto your phone or computer. I have several lists from groceries to presents to daily todo lists. You can reorder items on a list which really helps with prioritizing. I also include a deadline date with the item if there is one. The site allows you to email yourself the lists as well. Once an item is finished, you check it off and it appears below the list, where you can see how much you've accomplished.

I keep an ongoing todo list, for everything that comes up that needs to get done. I have one for work and one for home. If you are in school, you can also dedicate a list for class assignments, projects, and tests. From those lists I make a daily todo list. A great rule of thumb is to choose 5 things from your ongoing todo list to accomplish for the day, that way things don't get so overwhelming. Of course, there are days when you need to get more done, and you can always do more if time permits. The key here is to prioritize.   Some tasks need to be broken down into smaller parts or chunks in order to make them less overwhelming. This is great for items in which you have a week or more to complete. By breaking larger tasks into smaller ones, you can spread the task over several days for completion. This allows you to work on several projects at once and make progress on all of them daily. It really depends on your personality. I personally don't like to work on the same thing for a whole day if I don't have to do so.

So..to recap!

1) Make an ongoing todo list for school/work/home. Include due dates. Reorder as needed to prioritize.
2) Make a daily to do list by choosing 5 items to accomplish for the day.
3) Check off the items as completed from the ongoing todo list. Do more if time permits!

With a plan, you can!

This blog has been inspired by my life and my therapist who said I should become a motivational speaker. I figure since I don't have a lot of time right now to go out and speak, that I would begin a blog with some of the stories and lessons that I have experienced in life. There are a few great quotes that keep me going when the times get tough. Today I will start with my favorite:

"Life is All About How you Handle Plan B
Plan A is always my first choice.
You know, the one where
Everything works out to be
Happily ever-after.
But more often than not,
I find myself dealing with
The upside-down, inside-out version --
Where nothing goes as it should.
It's at this point that the real
Test of my character comes in..
Do I sink, or do I swim?
Do I wallow in self pity and play the victim,
Or simply shift gears
And make the best of the situation?
The choice is all mine...
Life is all about how you handle Plan B."
— Suzy Toronto