Where TO-DO List Items Go to Die
Each week, I take a half sheet of paper on which I have pre-printed the days of the week. I use this half-sheet of paper to plan out my week. I look at the previous sheet of paper, note any repeating items, and write those down on the appropriate day. I then go through the calendar on my phone and write down any scheduled activities. Then, I give my week a once over to see where I can schedule time for other projects on which I am working. This is how I know what I am doing when. If I write it down, it gets done.
However, at the bottom of my weekly TO-DO list, I have a section for “miscellaneous.” This is where TO-DO list items go to die. When I write things here, it is with the intention to do them, but I do not schedule them. Because I do not schedule them, I often find myself thinking, “I can do that later.” Later never gets here and neither does that task. As a result, I try not to use that section of my weekly planning sheet.
The Importance of Scheduling
If it is not scheduled, it won’t happen. If you keep telling yourself, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” you will never do it. A question I like to ask my clients is: When does tomorrow get here? It is a trick question. Tomorrow never comes. It is always today. Therefore, putting a date on when you will do it makes it more likely to happen. That is why I write down what I will do each day in ink. It is permanently written down; I have declared when I will do it.
Miscellaneous Items Should Be Given a Home
Consider all the miscellaneous things you have to do homeless. Until you have assigned them a home (i.e. a date on which you will do it), they have nowhere to reside. They must be given a home. In order for them to get done, you will need to let them reside somewhere. If they float around in your head, they might run away and disappear. To ensure that they have a home, pick a date on which you will do it, and write it down.
I write this blog post mostly for me. Because I know about my fickle ways, I have to keep reminding myself not to put things in the miscellaneous category. It is a death sentence for those items. Instead, I want to give my TO-DO list items a home.