Does Your To-Do List Make You Sick?
“Decluttering your to-do list is the work equivalent of taking a day off. It calms the mind and makes work feel more fun!”
0:00
/
0:00
Does Your To-Do List Make You Sick?
We recently installed a new project management tool in the office. The aim is to make work feel more manageable and, therefore, fun.
In reality, though, if you aren’t careful, even project management tools can become a beast; a monster to-do list that is so terrifying it makes you want to call in sick each time you look at it!
Here are a few tips to keep the to-do list fresh and make work fun:
The rule of seven: The average brain can remember between five and seven numbers. Anything more than that and it’s an effort. Lighten the load on the brain and keep your active list of “to do’s” below seven items.
Timeline: Nothing is more exhausting than looking at a list that is impossible to achieve. You cannot do a year’s work in a day, so separate your list into a realistic timeline and place work for next week and next month on a different list, separated from the immediate tasks.
Prioritise: Decide what is genuinely most important and move it to the top of your list. This will reduce the constant anxiety about what you should be doing.
Stuck? Be honest with yourself about the items on your list. These stuck things can drain your energy. Yet how often are they much simpler to do than you imagined? If something has been there forever either do it or take it off the list.
Rewards: A common human characteristic is to expand the task to fill the available time. Set yourself a completion time and have a reward lined up. Leave your desk and enjoy it!
I hope these tips help you to have a fresh, uncluttered week ahead.
