How to Create an Effective To Do List Without Overwhelming Yourself.
Life as a small business owner can be pretty hectic. There are always a hundred things to get done, from responding to emails and calls to recording expenses and planning the next project. On top of running a household, keeping up with hobbies, and maintaining a social life. It can be overwhelming, I know I struggled with knowing what to get done and when. I’d end up missing deadlines or forgetting key details about a project. I then discovered to-do lists, and they have been a life-changer for me. I am on top of all my chores and business tasks, as well as more effectively assisting clients with running their own business. This month I am sharing an in depth how-to guide for creating an effective to-do list. I hope you find to-do lists as helpful as I do!
So, what is a to-do list? It’s a simple project management tool that acts like an external memory for you. It is a list of tasks to complete, and can be as simple or detailed as you need it to be. You can use a to-do list for everything from household chores, recurring responsibilities, task delegation, project tracker, or any urgent tasks to get done. I use to-do lists for tracking my household chores, Linklater Admin tasks, client work, and some hobbies. If this feels overwhelming already, remember that these lists can be adapted to your needs, and they are a skill that is easy to learn.
To-do lists have many benefits. When done properly, they can help you achieve your goals and reduce stress levels by keeping things manageable. They are also excellent time management tools, helping you prioritize tasks and keeping track of deadlines. I get a little dopamine boost, crossing things off is so satisfying! I also love a colour coded calendar or list.
One more thing before we get into the details of list making. Where exactly do you keep your to-do list? There are a few places they could go. If you write them by hand you could put them on sticky notes, a whiteboard, or bulletin board. You could also have a dedicated notebook or notepad. If you prefer digital, there are several apps you could use. I have my recurring tasks scheduled in my Google Calendar. For my business and clients I use separate notebooks. Do whatever works for you but be sure they go somewhere easy to see or find.
Okay, let’s get into the how!
Decide what you’d like to focus on.
The first step is to decide what area of your life you’d like to organize better. Do dishes pile up? Is laundry getting done? Did you miss a deadline or essential business task? Are you getting enough downtime with friends or hobbies? I chose to focus on chores, my business, and client work. I did the following for each category, but will focus on my business tasks for this post.
Brain Dump.
Get a blank piece of paper or open a word document and write down all the things in your chosen area that you have to do or would like to do. They could be regular tasks, yearly tasks, goals, projects, write down anything that comes to mind. For Linklater Admin I have professional development, bookkeeping, networking, social media planning, and client relations. Think of this list as your first draft. There is no right or wrong thing to put down.
Sort through your list.
Think of this as your first round of edits. Go through your list and put them into categories. You can do this by goal, by project, by recurrence, or by deadline. You could focus on one type of list or have a mix of lists. I sorted my list by recurrence: daily tasks (responding to emails, reaching out to clients, tracking hours) weekly tasks (pulling receipts and invoices, scheduling the next week), monthly tasks (social media plan, writing blog, record expenses, reviewing upcoming events and workshops), and yearly tasks (taxes, yearly blog plan, budget review).
Prioritize and schedule.
Now that your list is fleshed out a bit more, review it again. This time focus on sorting tasks that are urgent and those that can wait or be put aside. You can start with the big picture and narrow it down, or start with a specific task and work your way out. I pull out my calendar and schedule yearly tasks first. I put my yearly tasks, budget review and yearly blog and social media plan, in December. In March I put tax prep. Google will send a reminder when the time rolls around so I can forget about them for now. Then put in your monthly and weekly tasks.
Add details.
This is when you can break the larger tasks down and add any information you need. When writing my blog, I broke it down into research, outline, draft, and review. I then chose a day a week to complete the smaller task. On Monday I created a rough outline and added any extra research in. Tuesday and Wednesday I focused on writing. Friday was for final edits. For a task like reaching out to a client I’d add by email or phone. You could then write their email or phone number so you don’t have to go searching later. Focus on tasks that are coming up in the next week or month.
The final edit.
Now that you have your list of tasks, any details you need, and when they need to be done by, you can decide what tasks need to be done today. I’d recommend starting your day with this. Once the task is complete you can check it off and move on to the next item.
Review.
The important part of the process is to regularly review your to-do list. You can add any missing details, or adjust the list as you need. This ensures you don’t miss a step and that it fits your schedule. I review mine at the beginning of the week and at the start of each day.
There you have it. If this feels overwhelming, you could start with making the above list your first to-do list. Each bullet point could be scheduled every day until they’re done. Remember that getting things organized takes time, there is no rush, nor is perfection required. A little bit of trial and error will be required, as with any new skill or endeavour.
Before you go, here are some helpful tips to make this process easier for you.
Having separate to-do lists can be helpful. You could have your master list, which is a big picture outline. This is where your goals, projects, and deadlines live. For each bullet point, there would be a separate list. This is where each task is broken down. I have notebooks for my business and clients, with my household chores and goals on a notepad or in my notes on my phone.
Keep your list organized. This will be essential for knowing what to prioritize every day and week. You can keep things listed by due date, workflow (to do, in progress, complete), or by category. For each individual list I colour code by priority. Yellow is urgent (daily), orange is for weekly tasks, and green is for tasks that need to be done this month but not right away.
Write actionable phrases. You want to be as specific as you can. For example, if I needed to call my client Kelly, I’d write call Kelly- re:follow up questions about Joe’s email. Not just Kelly. This way everything is clear and you don’t have to go digging for information.
Batch tasks together. When scheduling your day or week be sure to book similar tasks around the same time. This way you can streamline your process by avoiding too many transitions. So, I start with opening up all the tabs I need for the day, my toggl, my email, and any notebooks I need. Then I go through my emails and complete anything related (like pulling invoices or reviewing events) then I go through each client.
Accommodate for errands and appointments. If you have any appointments or errands to run on a certain day, I would avoid booking tedious tasks, like sorting bills and receipts, too close to the same time. The commute to the dentist's office or grocery store takes time on top of the actual appointment or task. Piling tasks and outings too close together will have you rushing, which makes room for error and adds stress.
I hope this post has helped you sort out your tasks and goals. If you are still struggling, feel free to book a call with me. I can help get you sorted out!
