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I Tamed My To-Do List With Three New Habits
2. In my calendar I specify not only what to do, but how to do it.
My ‘to-do’ list used to grow and grow and grow like an uncontrolled jungle vine. Within a few weeks I made three changes which became habits. It’s now a routinely pruned bonsai. I get things done. It feels good.
I needed to wrangle my ‘to-do’ pest. Items remained on the list for months. As it grew, so too did my feelings of anxiety and inefficiency. Even when I got around to attending to the items, they usually took more time than I could afford. So I scheduled a few hours to examine the sources of my discontent and find ways to set me on a path to positive vibes and productivity.
After trying several different tricks for approaching my to-do list and my time, I found three changes that worked for me and became successful habits.
1. I move things from my to-do list to my calendar within a few days.
I immediately jot down all new tasks, chores and projects in my OneNote to-do list with as much detail as I can at the time. If an item needs urgent attention then I schedule time to deal with it straight away, otherwise it sits in my to-do list and I forget about it (no change there).
