Organize your to-do list in 5 easy steps

If you’re like most people, you’ll be a bit overwhelmed by your ever-expanding to-do list. Here are 5 quick ways to organize, prioritize, and minimize your to-dos and get started.

1. Record everything in one place. Many of us write our tasks in various places (computer, notepad, calendar, phone, and Post-It notes, to name a few). Consolidate all your tasks in one task management system. This will help reduce the feeling that you are forgetting something.

2. Assign a date to everything, even if it is an arbitrary date. If you assign a due date, you are more likely to do so. Also, you can easily organize your tasks by purchasing the due date.

3. Prioritize your tasks. I like method 1,2,3. A task is one (1) Top Priority, High Reward / Large Consequence, one (2) Medium Priority, Average Tasks, or one (3) Low Priority, tasks that can be delayed or eliminated with little or no consequence. By organizing your tasks by priority, you can identify and complete the most important tasks first.

Four. Don’t overload yourself. Be realistic about how many things you can accomplish in one day. If you assign yourself 20 tasks and only accomplish 10, you will feel bad about what you have done. On the contrary, if you assign 8 tasks and complete 10, you will feel outstanding! Setting realistic goals and sticking to them will help you stay motivated and energetic.

5. It’s ok to delete. Many of us are task hoarders. We know we will never do all of them, but we refuse to let any of them go. Accumulating tasks is like accumulating belongings. It bogs us down, drains our energy, and obscures what is really important. We all have things on our list that are low-reward, unattractive, or have been put off indefinitely. Be picky about how you spend your valuable time. If a task is not up to scratch, eliminate it, delegate it, or hire someone else to do it.