4 Ways To Tackle Your TO DO List

I was going to title this 4 Easy Ways to Tackle Your TO DO List, but changed my mind because it’s not always easy to do what we need to do, but these 4 ways will make your job simpler, but ONLY if you use all 4.

1.  Completion

Let’s face it, there are things that you and only you can do, at least up to par. If you don’t do them yourself, your business or career could suffer. That doesn’t always mean doing these items is pleasurable, although I hope you actually look forward some of your TO DO items, but not doing them or doing them yourself could mean potential displeasure down the road, AND the addition of more completion items on your TO DO list.

Always do the two or three Most Important Tasks first and early in the day. Those are the key tasks that will make the biggest difference in your business or career.

2. Deletion

This one won’t be easy for the control freak, or the person who gets a kick out of checking things off of their TO DO list, but doing away with unnecessary tasks can be a huge relief and time saver too. Spending time on unimportant things decreases your overall effectiveness, even if giving you an illusion of efficiency.

Ask yourself, “If this task never got done, what’s the worst that could happen?” If in reality it wouldn’t affect your life, do away with it.

If you must, write down the task and draw a line through it to eliminate it.

3. Delegation

Delegation is another hard one for the control freak. You know the one who always says, “If it’s to be done right, you better do it yourself.”

This is a trap. You can’t do everything right, and even if you could do most things right in your business, there are a few key areas where YOU are at your BEST. You’re efficient and effective in those areas that make your business what it is. Stick to that and you’ll be happier too.

The rule of thumb is to delegate those things that someone else could do at least 80% as well as you. So it’s not perfect, but it might just be good enough.

4. Deferment

You’ve heard the adage “Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” Apparently it’s credited to Benjamin Franklin, who I daresay accomplished a lot in his lifetime, but I bet he used deferment when it counted.

While there is something to be said to getting something done today, not everything need be finished today. Consider the tasks priority in relation to your goals for the week or month, and postpone or schedule accordingly. And if it’s just a bucket list item, put it on another list to be reviewed at a later date so it’s not taking up mental energy.

Make a habit today of utilizing all four strategies to tackle your TO DO list and you’ll find that you are actually getting more done.