There are times when there is an avalanche of things to do and it all seems overwhelming. You keep creating lists and tackling the to-do’s but it doesn’t seem like any progress is being made. It’s not a matter of getting work done, it’s whether or not you’re working at the right thing at the right time. It can be daunting to tackle all the tasks at once, and instead of feeling better, sometimes you can feel worse when you’re expending all this energy, and not feel like you’re making a dent.
It might not be a matter of how much effort you’re putting towards getting things done. Instead, it might be more of what you are working on. It’s more important to work smarter, and not just harder. It’s time to take a little break to organize and make smart strategic decisions on what you work on and when.
Since it’s no small task, it’s always important to be ready to tackle it on. Getting yourself mentally prepared is an important part of the process. At times, we’re all caught up with things in our head, it’s important to change things up and get moving. Do something different for a moment. Take a few deep breaths, take a walk around the block, clear your mind, or do a few jumping jacks. Do some stretches, dance to a favorite song. Whatever it is, a physical movement will help get the blood flowing, and help with shaking off a little stress to help you think more clearly.
Step 1: Get it out of your head – Write down each task on a separate post it.
Some folks have running lists that are written down or entered onto a digital format. It’s great to have an inventory of all the things that you want to do. The act of writing them down on a piece of paper or logging them somewhere helps ensure that it doesn’t get lost. There used to be a great sense of satisfaction when I had successfully struck through all of my todo’s in a list. Unfortunately, more often than not, the todo-list ran multiple pages, and the done items were getting mixed up with the not done items. Over time, the list spanned multiple pages of notebooks, and I wasn’t sure I was getting anything done. I had to change my approach. Writing down all the items on a post it can help categorize your work.
Step 2: Organize it Organize the work into logical grouping and assign priority
Logically group your tasks. I like to group them into common themes. You might have a bunch of tasks associated with home improvement or professional development. Some tasks might circle around a future goal as part of a larger 5 year plan. There are no rules to this logical grouping. As long as they make sense to you.
Once the common groupings are done, I like to review the groupings themselves and categorize them into Status, Progressive, Regressive. Status represents tasks that are done that don’t really contribute to any forward progress. If I vacuum my house today, or next month, it won’t really contribute to my goals. These are tasks that are done to maintain the status quo. Cooking dinner, laundry, etc. Progressive tasks are items that improve things, and help improve things. They can be exercise, periodically updating your resume and social media profiles. Regressive tasks are things that are just done for fun, and don’t offer any benefit aside from a little mental rejuvenation. It’s beneficial in moderation, but overdoing it can cause more issues. TV, video games, social media, and online shopping- all the general activities that we do when we’re bored. A little is fine, but it’s a time suck that can truly affect your overall productivity. If you want to take a break and play some video games- go for it. Add a task for it. It can be treated as a personal reward, or part of a budget of down time. It’s important to make a conscious decision on how much time you are okay with “wasting” in this task.
Step 3: Prioritize it
Review the work and identify how much time you want to spend doing work in each group or category. Don’t overthink it. In a 6 hour day, how much time do you want to do for each group? I like to have about 20% of my day in Status activities, and 10% in regressive, and the rest of the time should be in Progressive tasks.
Step 4: Kanban Me! Create a kanban board to track your progress after you pick which tasks you know you can do today. This will serve as your daily plan.
I have a few items in “Todo” that represent all the things I’m committing myself to do. Each of the task should take no more than an hour to complete. Above the “Todo” I have my pet projects. Below in the “Todo” column i have things that I have identified as later.
When you are tackling an item In Progress- don’t do anything else until it’s done. You should be able to maintain focus for 45 minutes on a task. There might be small interruptions, but it’s best to keep that at a minimal and truly commit to completing the task.
Note: I used a hard back board and covered it with fabric. I then used plastic sheeting to cover it so I can use Dry Erase. Also the post its stick very well to the plastic sheeting. I used washi tape to mark the different status areas. I also used blue painters tape to add any additional markers- “Projects” and “Later.”
It’s a Process Each day, I look at the board and plan out what I want to realistically can accomplish in a day. The Tasks move around, and sometimes different things take priority. It’s fine to change things, as long as you know the impact, and your consciously aware of what you are putting off to do something else. We all have a lot to do, and this is my little way of ensuring that I’m working on the right thing at the right time.
Why Post Its and Paper? Sometimes it’s easier to get moving and get the blood flowing. Move post its around, build a little special Kanban board. The activity in a different medium will change things up a little, that can help reset your focus.
