Making To-Do Lists Work for you

Do you have a to-do list? I do. Some of you even have to-do lists that consultants have made for you.

How long have things been on that list? If you are like me, checking the list is probably on the list. Doing these checks makes me feel: Okay that was progress - now I can go off and make a pot of coffee. This is not so good.

There are several reasons that things get done and off my list.
1. It was fun to do.
2. It was easy to get started.
3. I got someone else to do it.
4. I really, really wanted to get it done.
5. It was on my calendar for a particular date and I did it on that date (that is such a good trick)
6. I decided it was silly or unnecessary and took it off the list.

I am sure you can come up with more reasons that work for you.

But what about those things that are still there? Go through them and figure out how to change them so they meet one of these requirements for getting done. Make it something you'd have fun doing, or get someone else to do it, or put it on the calendar - choose the way that you have shown will get results for you. Because a to-do list is worse than worthless if you never do the things on it.