Dear Distinguished – To-Do List In The Mud?

Is your to-do list in the mud? Or is sparkling clean, functional, and ever ready to guide you on

your journey to productivity?

In our last blog post, Olayinka told us about using a to-do list to organize our work. Did you read

it? If not, halt. Go back and read it here. Come back when you are done.

Alright, welcome back from that short non-commercial break. I like that we are all on the same

page now.

When I first got introduced to the art of making a to-do list, I found it hard to keep up. Now, I

can’t seem to move around without that tiny piece of paper. Funny right?

If you’re in love with the idea of using a list but lack the discipline to follow through, then listen

up. This post is for you.

Screenshot this line: “All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and beautiful at the end.”

Read it over and over for it to sink in. If you’ve started this journey, I want you to know that you

are doing well. Regardless of if you are achieving all on your list or not.

To help you make your list more effective, I have three tips for you.

1. Put the easy ones first

It is normal for you to attack the hard jobs first because you want to get them out of the

way. But, have you noticed how much time you spend tackling it to the extent you just

spend a whole day on just one thing? How about doing the easy ones first?

2. Break your tasks into bits

When you have to get an assignment done, try splitting it into tiny bits. You can: do your

research; gather information; ask for help from a senior; then write your answers. That

way, the task of writing your assignment does not look so cumbersome again.

3. Make the pending task of yesterday, today’s number 1

Let’s say for some reasons beyond your control you were unable to do everything on

your list the previous day. What do you do, take it to the top of the list? If you are a

stickler for order, you will take the items on your list one after the other and you will get

everything done.

There! Shared the little I know about making your lists work for you. If you have any questions,

comments, or further recommendations, don’t hesitate to note them in the comment section.