How to Tackle Your To-Do List Like A Boss
Hey there and welcome to the All About Organizing blog. I’m Amy - the owner and Professional Organizer at All About Organizing, located in West Hartford, Connecticut.
This week I’m going to share some tips with you on how to get tasks done quicker. I’ve had to learn how to do this in my business and then I got to thinking, this is pretty practical and makes sense to do in my personal life too!
I am going to walk you through, step-by-step, on how I did this so you will be able to hopefully implement this yourself!
Step 1: Write Down All Of Your Regular To-Do’s
The first thing you will want to do is write down every single to-do that needs to get done every week. It doesn’t matter how big or small the task is. If it is something regular that needs to get done, write it down. Really think about how you spend your time and the tasks that have to get done. This could be things like:
Grocery shopping/gift shopping/returns
Laundry
Bringing the kids to sporting events/dance classes etc. (If multiple, list each one as their own task)
Walking the dog
Going to the gym/other exercise program
Going to church
Phone call follows ups with doctors, services, your kids school, extra curricular activity groups, etc.
Step 2: Input the Non-Negotiable’s
Take your planner, whether it be paper or digital, and input all of the events or tasks that need to get done at specific times. These are things that do not change and have to be done at a specific time. Such as, your daughter’s soccer practice is always on Tuesdays at 6pm, or, we go to church every Sunday at 10am.
Step 3: Sprinkle In The Rest
This step is what I like to call, batching tasks. You may have heard this before, because it is becoming more and more popular in the world of productivity hacks. Batching tasks means that you compile a list of tasks that are common, or make sense, together, in order to get more done in a quicker amount of time.
Let’s walk through an example of a way you could batch certain tasks together that could make some sense to you.
Let’s say that you are in the routine of going to the grocery store every Saturday morning. You may decide that you will want to get the rest of your shopping done at this time too. This could help save on time and on gas - because you are already going out. Nine times out of ten, when you go in the direction of the grocery store, there are other stores in the area too. So, when planning on going to the grocery store, make this time slot the time for all of your shopping. Grocery shopping, making any returns at any stores you may need to do, getting any birthday gifts, cards, etc. that you may need for any events coming up. That way, you get all of the shopping tasks done in one day. If you order things on Amazon or any other sites - this is the day and time that you do that too.
If you are dropping off your child for sport practice, or whatever activity there is going on - what can you get done during that time? Maybe that is when you do your shopping if there are things in the same area. Or, maybe that’s when you decide to take your own fitness class if there is something in the area as well.
Step 4: Assign Certain Days For Certain Tasks
I’m not sure that this is really considered “step 4”. It really could be a different step. Assigning certain days for certain types of tasks could be just another way that you batch your tasks if that works for you. This is something that I have actually started doing and it has actually helped me prioritize tasks that come up throughout the week. Let me explain.
So when I was going through the process of all of the things I needed to get done throughout the week for my business, I realized that certain tasks just made sense together, or were along the same lines. So I decided to batch those tasks together, but then assign these tasks to a certain day of the week. This made it easier for me to focus my thoughts and to stay on track with the tasks for that day rather than wondering all over the place deciding what I was going to do next.
By assigning tasks to certain days of the week, it also helped me realize that those random tasks that pop up during the week, are not all necessarily urgent, or needing to get done that day. It gave me grace to say, “Ok, that will get done on the day that I do those types of tasks”.
When it comes to getting personal tasks done here are some examples of daily breakdowns of tasks:
Monday’s: Laundry & Cleaning Tasks
Tuesday’s: Phone calls for doctors, banks, service providers/home improvement/contractors, schools, etc.
Wednesday’s: Financials - balance any checkbooks/accounts, stocks/401k, review credit card statements (make sure there aren’t any unknown charges)
Thursday’s: Shopping day
Friday’s: Laundry & Cleaning Tasks
Saturday’s: Family day
Sunday’s: Family time, review tasks/schedule for the week, meal planning and cooking
The best part of this whole process is that you can do it however you want. These are simply ideas to “get the juices flowing” on how you want to structure your days/weeks. Customize it however you’d like. You may have to try a couple of different ways to see what works best for you - just like I did. Unfortunately, you may even miss a few tasks along the way, just like I did, because you are trying to get used to something new. Getting used to something new, or learning something new, takes time, so be patient with yourself. Give one system a couple of weeks before you try something different.
Tell Me:
What strategy are you going to try using to complete your to-do list? Or…is there something different that you are doing that is working? Share with the rest of us! I love learning and I’m sure others would love to hear different ideas too.
Until next time,
Amy
I started All About Organizing out of my passion for helping others, my love for working hands-on, and the freedom to creatively help others succeed. After graduating from CCSU with a BA in Education, and life experience working in fast pace office and retail environments, I transitioned to being a Professional Organizer. My background has helped me understand the importance of how to accommodate for each learning style, and to ensure my clients always get 100% of me when working together for a truly custom experience.
Before hiring me, clients are burnt out, feeling overwhelmed, and drowning with to-do’s of their everyday lives. As I work with clients, they start to see a transformation - in their homes and in themselves. They tell me that they love their home again, and that I motivate them to get more done around the house too. I have been called “a magical fairy” that they never new existed!
Ready to get started? In-home and virtual organizing services are offered! Can’t wait to meet you!