Time is our most valuable asset, and the older we get, the faster it seems to pass (bring back those 3-month long summer holidays when I was at my grandma’s farm bored out of my mind!). So, I have decided that it is essential to learn how to make the most out of it. For the past 3-4 years, I have been trying different methods for maximizing my productivity, and today I am happy to share my learnings with you! Not as a top expert (I am still far away from this 😊), but as a human being who is trying to be productive and structured but also relaxed and spontaneous.
To-do lists and a little bit of a backstory
In one of my first jobs as an Executive Assistant/Event Specialist, my workday mainly consisted of planning and organizing, so it all started naturally with random to-do lists out of necessity. Years later, when I started getting more into the self-development field, I also started doing the same for my private life. In the beginning, for the weekends as this is when I have the most free time. Today, I am preparing a to-do list for a week ahead, usually on Sundays, but I am reviewing it every day or every other day. Since it is a routine, it takes on a Sunday approximately 15 minutes and on a weekday morning 5-10 minutes.
Fun fact: when I first started, I was jotting down the tasks on random loose papers and post-its, which were lying around everywhere and caused lots of chaos. I am naturally chaotic (ask anyone who has lived with me!), but noticed relatively quickly that I need a good notebook and a planner (which I use until today). Of course, there are many electronic to-do list options out there, but for some reason, I still like to write down to-dos by hand. I am also working with electronic lists now and then (OneNote at work, Google Keep for private life, and recently I have also been testing Asana) but haven’t made the complete transition yet, and not sure if I ever will.
Like with the goal list, you need to make the to-do list items as specific as possible. E.g., not “meeting prep,” but “prep for X meeting 3 slides with Y project data.” It tremendously increases the probability that you actually do the task.
Priorities
Very soon after I started working with random to-do lists, it became clear that a to-do list alone is not the most optimal tool for managing my time and increasing my productivity. Even though it is incredibly satisfying to cross off items from my list (you know what I am talking about, right? 😊), I often lost an overview of the tasks, which left me irritated and anxious. In addition, most of the time, I had way too many things on my list to be accomplished in one or two days, so I needed to find a way how to divide these tasks over the upcoming weeks and even months.
Learning how to prioritize has made the most significant difference in my productivity. Currently, I check my to-do list as first thing in the morning (it doesn’t take more than 5-10 minutes) and make a mini plan for each day, also most of the weekends. Then, I decide my priorities and mark the individual items as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. That way, I do not have to think during the day but follow the list. Surprisingly, the more tasks I have and the more overwhelmed I am, the better it works.
As I am a person who tends to take action based on feelings, my little to-do lists really help to keep me on track. How do I deal with the unexpected tasks that turn up during the day? I always plan in some buffer time, so I can deal with it if it is something critical. But I always finish at least the top 3 things on my list by the end of the day. I cannot say 100% of the time, but probably 90% of the time. Tip: do not schedule tasks back-to-back. You need a (bathroom) break in between. 😊
Of course, each day also brings new tasks, so I am constantly adding new tasks to my to-do list. Since I usually work with weekly lists, I distribute the to-dos over a week.
Minimum and maximum to-dos
Last year I came across one of the best pieces of advice I have heard in a long time (this came from another coach whose name I cannot recall). The concept is simple: decide the minimum number of items you want to accomplish on your list every morning, but also set the maximum number. For me, it was a true “Aha!” moment as the concept sets obvious boundaries and indicates when you should stop, but also what is the minimum you want to achieve. This is especially important for hyper-achievers who can work endless hours without breaks until their bodies crash
Time blocking
Time blocking is exactly what it sounds like: scheduling time blocks in your calendar for each task on your to-do list (technically, you don’t need a to-do list, you can directly enter all tasks into your calendar), so you end up planning pretty much all your time ahead. I have been working with time blocks on and off for several years now, but to be completely honest, I have a love-hate relationship with this method. Despite the daily time blocks in my work calendar, I often ignore them because something seemingly more “urgent” pops up, or I feel like doing another task instead. On days when I manage to follow my “forecast,” I am delighted with myself. And on days when things do not go as planned, I often feel like I failed and am “behind” the schedule. More about this topic to come, so watch out for a blog post on this topic! 😊
Time batching (grouping the tasks that have something in common)
In my private life, I use it for mundane tasks. For example, I have dedicated a time block on Fridays for the tasks such as paying bills, making doctor’s appointments, responding to and writing personal emails, ordering something online, etc. Basically, I am throwing every minor, not time-critical to-do from the current week into this “basket.” At first, I was somewhat doubtful about this strategy, thinking I might want to cross off the small tasks immediately, but since Fridays are my calmest days and I have the most “free” time, I got used to this quite quickly.
Summary:
Step 1
Start with a to-do list (I use it as a brain dump). You can use an app, an old-school paper notebook, or a planner. The list should be within your reach whenever you have something to add (mines is always next to me).
Step 2
Review and prioritize every morning as the first thing. Prioritizing the tasks by simply writing numbers 1, 2, 3 in front of them has made a HUGE change in my productivity. After implementing this, I no longer think about what I will do as next, but I simply do it.
Step 3
Set boundaries and decide what is the minimum you want to accomplish today and what the maximum is. E.g., minimum 3 items off my list, but after 6 to-dos are completed, I will call it a night.
Step 4
Take the items from your to-do list and add them to your calendar as time blocks. As with the meetings, DO NOT schedule anything back-to-back. We all know tasks usually take longer than anticipated (we get interrupted by other emails, calls, etc.), so be realistic here. Plan in some buffer.
Step 5 (optional):
It is often easier and faster to work on the tasks when they are grouped together by their similar nature. E.g., when I clean my apartment, I usually batch the tasks. It wouldn’t make sense only to clean the bathroom floor when I already took out the mop. And then it already makes sense to do the laundry and, and, and… You get the point 😊.
If you are interested in reading more about time management, let me know! Even though I haven’t found the formula for the perfect balance yet, I am optimistic that one day after countless trials and errors, I will get very close to this. So, stay tuned and let me know if you could pick up a tip or two from this article! I hope you have enjoyed this post!
Light & love,
Liis