5 Tips to Tackle Your To-Do List

Bay Area Professional Organizer De-Clutter to De-Stress with Kiera Rain “Rename your “To-Do” list to your “Opportunities” list. Each day is a treasure chest filled with limitless opportunities; take joy in checking many off your list.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience 5 Tips to Tackle Your To-Do List! 1) Do you REALLY need or want to do it? Or can you delete it from your list altogether or at least delegate it to someone else? For an example, I'm so glad I have a landscaper who can take care of my yard for me, especially in this California heat. You may consider hiring a personal assistant if your work load is overloaded. You may want to hire a cleaning service or the neighborhood teen to help out with personal assisting, childcare, lawn care, etc. But even better, is sometimes just completely deleting it from your list! No one is Super Human--we can't do it all. Nor should we. 2) Overwhelmed? Set a Timer for 30 Minutes. When it dings, pat yourself on the back and go back to your regular day. Repeat each day for a week. Or one day a week, same day every week. 3) Use the "Snowball Method." The Snowball Method is a visually depicted metaphor that keeps you focused and the momentum building to reach completed success! This is a wonderful way to approach your debt, your to-do list, scheduling, or anything else you need motivation with. Picture yourself in the snow, making a snowball--it's small, it's the size of your hands. If you want to make it bigger, you place it in the snow and start rolling it, and you watch it as it gets bigger and bigger, picking up more and more snow as it travels along. For your work projects, it's the same thing: take the smallest task at hand (returning a phone call, scheduling that dr's appt, mailing out the wedding RSVP). Completing each small thing, one at a time, will make you feel immediately accomplished, taking weight off your shoulders. You'll be amazed at how quickly your to-do list is whittled down smaller and smaller, and you'll gain momentum with the energy you create by getting more stuff done, faster! You save the biggest, hardest, most time-consuming projects for last, and tackle the smallest tasks first. 4) Do things ONE AT A TIME. Don't overwhelm yourself more by trying to multi-task like a superhero in the ending of the world. Pick up ONE THING at a time, and don't pick up another to-do until you've completed it. You WILL get more done this way, I promise. This concept is especially hard for ADHD clients, but it's a bad habit needing to be broken because it's counterproductive. ONE THING AT A TIME--slow and steady wins the race. :-) 5) Make it Fun! Turn on the lights, play some upbeat music, pour a glass of wine, open your windows for fresh fair and more light, leave behind all the distractions (have Grandma come pick up the kids!) Make a Game out of it. Make a Race out of it. Reward yourself with ice cream once you've finished your goal.