Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a bit obsessed with to-do lists. I like them. They keep me moving and make sure something gets done every day. Those readers can probably guess how many times I read this Lifehacker article on to-do lists.
While I think there’s some great information in here for those who are still thinking, “Gosh, I could move to a to-do list, but I’m just not ready,” there is good advice in here for those who live by their lists, too. Just ignore that any other to-do lists are renamed “project lists”, or you might get as annoyed as I did.
Maintaining one visible to-do list is a great idea because it keeps you focused. Personally, I define one visible to-do list for a day. I add those items I expect to be able to do, and then work my way down the list. (If I’m completely unmotivated, then my to-do list changes form slightly.) I keep a number of “project lists” (I call them to-do lists, though), and pull the next step or two off whatever projects I want to focus on that day. As I finish them, I file them into the appropriate category in Google Calendar. (This is great because i can then see how long it’s been since I’ve worked on a specific to-do list.)
There’s really nothing like the feeling you get when you clear a to-do list, or even better, delete an empty “project list”.
