Are you in charge of your to do list?
Is your to-do list working for you?
Have you ever wondered whether your to-do list works FOR YOU?
That is, whether you're making the list that's best for you and whether you're using it correctly?
It's not insignificant how you create a to-do list.
And it's definitely not insignificant how you use it.
Let me explain...
There are 3 essential requirements for your to-do list:
1. It should give you an overview.
Whether the list is just for yourself or for an entire group, you should be able to easily see the tasks, who will do them, or who is involved, and when the deadline is.
2. It should support your process.
If you're in the middle of a large project—where are you in the project? For example, do you use different colors for different phases of the task or project? Or ensure that it's visible who is responsible for what.
3. It should show your progress on tasks.
Sometimes, it can be overwhelming with the number of tasks you need to complete, so it's important that you can see the order in which things need to be done. And it's equally important to see what you HAVE done so that it's visible that you're actually getting things done.
Use the examples as inspiration to create a to-do list that helps you, and that you control, so your to-do list doesn't end up controlling you.
More inspiration
I've been using to-do lists for many years and have often struggled to find a good method to maintain my overview.
It was only when I heard about tangible to-do lists that I got a handle on my lists.
This was in a video by Brandy Agerbeck from TedX Windy City 2013.
I would recommend everyone to spend the 16 minutes the video takes to be inspired by one of the great visual thinkers. Here is Brandy's talk from TedX Windy City: Shape your thinking.
Another visual thinker and great source of inspiration is Doug Neill and his YouTube channel: Verbal to Visual. He has many concrete tips and tricks. In this video, he shares a specific method for managing projects.
And one final recommendation is to search on Pinterest. You can always find lots of inspiration there.
