How to Make a Proper and Productive To-Do List
By: Ashlyn Rochester, ACN Communications Specialist
Last week we talked about creating a proper to-do list and Indeed has some good tips to maximize productivity and efficiency. Here are a couple of tips to create a proper to-do list.
1. Choose your format
Some people like having pen to paper for their lists while some prefer the online equivalent. The benefit of a physical list is having the satisfaction of crossing off the items when completed, which can give you a sense of accomplishment. For the online enthusiast, Monday.com or Trello can help manage your to-do lists. Digital to-do lists can also be great for those who don’t want clutter.
Once you pick a platform, be sure you plan accurately by limiting the tasks you want to complete in a day. Daily, you should focus on completing three to five important tasks and delivering quality results. This method requires you to revise your list every day, which you should do anyway, to keep it up to date.
2. Know your schedule
The beauty of to-do lists is the flexibility they allow you. Depending on your deadlines and schedule, you can plan a to-do list for the day, week, month, or quarter. The time you choose can impact your priorities and the number of tasks. For example, a weekly task list is longer than a daily one.
But this can also help you prioritize what tasks are important and remind you to focus on the smaller details. Looking at your schedule and the deadlines that correspond can help you prioritize. Keep in mind if there are multiple players involved in that task. For example, if you create the content and someone else schedules it, your work impacts when they finish theirs.
3. Start with an action verb
Start your task list with an action verb to keep you motivated and organized. Common action verbs for Ag communicators are email, call, write, edit, proof, create, schedule, etc. It will also help keep you on track with your tasks instead of writing vague phrases and trying to recall what action you were going to do.
When tackling those action items, be sure you’re not multitasking. Multitasking can decrease focus and quality. Instead, you can write one task down on a separate paper to isolate the task, so you’re not overwhelmed with all the tasks.
Interested in more tips? Check out this webinar ACN hosted on maximizing productivity.