Get Organized With To-Do Lists

Transcript

[Presenter] When you are overwhelmed at work, or have lots of things on the go at once, it can be easy to forget even simple things. This can leave you scrambling for deadlines – or even forgetting them entirely. So what are you to do?

See what I did there? That's right... In this video, we're going to explore To-Do Lists and how you can use them to get organized.

Essentially, a to-do list is a record of all the things you have to do, in the order you need to do them. They're a straightforward way of organizing your tasks so you stay on top of your work.

You can also use to-do lists to break up a large task into smaller ones so that you don't feel overwhelmed or forget something important.

How to Create To-Do Lists

So, here's our guide to writing and using to-do lists so you can get the most from them.

1. List all your tasks

First, list all the jobs you need to complete. If they're complex, break down the first step and write this under the larger task. Ideally, steps should take no longer than one or two hours to complete.

Then allocate each job a letter, to show how important each activity is from "A" (very important) to "F" (not important). If too many tasks have a high priority, run through your list again and promote the really important ones.

Once you've done this, rewrite it in priority order.

2. Be specific and use verbs

Be specific and use a verb for each point.

Rather than putting vague terms such as "presentation," or, "meeting," write down, "create slides for a presentation," or, "organize venue for meeting," instead, to make your list clearer and more practical.

3. Work through your list in priority order

Once you've done that, simply work through your list, starting with the high-priority A's first, then the B's, and so on.

4. Avoid overwhelm

Don't feel like you need to do everything on your list straight away. This will only likely lead to stress and overwhelm. So keep things short and sweet.

If you have lots on, think about how you could organize your list better by breaking it down by day, week, or even month.

Also, update your list regularly. Spend five or 10 minutes redrafting it at the end of each day, so you can tick off what you've achieved and look over what you'll need to do tomorrow.

To-do lists can create pressure and a sense of failure, rather than organization and success. Remember, in the real world, no one ever finishes their entire list. Knowing how to prioritize and reprioritize is often the key to staying productive.

Keeping a "Done List" can also help. Pause to enjoy ticking off items and keep as a record of your achievements and progress. You never know, it could come in handy as a boost for your next performance review, as well as for your own personal sense of accomplishment.

Let's recap.

To-do lists are great tools you can use to stay productive and organized, particularly if you've got lots of different tasks and priorities on the go at once.

To create your own to-do list, simply write down all the tasks you need to complete and rank them by priority. Focus on the things you need to do today, and include an action word or verb like, "organize," "create," or, "write," to make your tasks more specific and meaningful to you.

When you do all this, you'll be able to spend your time and energy on the things that matter most. You'll also be able to look back with pride on your progress and accomplishments.