Lauren Holder Coaching

Create the Success & Happiness You Deserve

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How To Create Effective To-Do lists

to do listThere are hundreds of books that address the topic of time management.  As a Coach, and someone who is constantly working to improve my efficiency, I have read many of them.  I am amazed at the variety of software programs and books available that promise to help you improve your life.  The funny thing, you only have to read the 200+ pages to learn how!  Now, I am not discouraging you from reading these, but in an effort to help you NOW, I am going to share three best practices I utilize for managing time more effectively.

  1. Generate and work from effective to-do lists.
  2. Use time blocking techniques
  3. Track your time and tweak as necessary

So I don’t overwhelm you with too much information, I will focus on one practice per article.   Practice #1, and the topic for this article, the dreaded and ever growing to-do list.

What’s on your to-do list?  How many items are included?  By following your to-do list, do you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of most days?  My experience tells me that most lists include all types of tasks, probably in the neighborhood of 15+ items on any given day, and you do not feel satisfied with the result at day’s end.  The good news, a slight change in approach will improve your feeling of accomplishment.  Try changing your approach by taking these 3 steps to create an effective to-do list.

1.  Start by creating a Master List.

  • Includes all tasks that have to get done at some point.
  • New tasks or action items should be added to this list first.

2.  Then create a Project List

  • Include larger tasks, or projects, that require sub-tasks to complete.
  • Be sure to include the sub-tasks on the list.

3.  Finally, create your Daily to-do list

  • Include the top priorities from your Master list.  These are tasks that will negatively affect your business or life if not completed today. Be honest with yourself as not every task will have the same effect if postponed.
  • Include some of the bite-sized tasks from your Project list so deadlines are met.
  • Lastly, break the daily list into work and personal.  Respect your work time by filling it with work tasks.  The same goes for your personal time.  By respecting these times, your lists are shorter and you’re less likely to fall into the trap of procrastination due to overwhelm.

We tend to underestimate the time needed to complete tasks, so make sure to not over-schedule!    By following these guidelines, you’ll likely approach the day with a positive outlook, focus on what truly needs to get done, and enjoy a sense of accomplishment at day’s end.

A final thought…

Don’t wait until morning to create your daily plan.  Once the day has started, you are already behind schedule and dealing with distractions.  I’ll address this in the next article, Time Blocking for Success”.

(See below for an example of this process.)

Sample Master list

  • Call B of A for status of the Smith’s short sale file
  • Lead generation activities
  • Plan Joey’s birthday party
  • Prepare 1st time homebuyers workshop
  • Create MLS search for all new leads
  • Schedule Rover’s vet appointment
  • Target for back to school supplies
  • Laundry
  • Schedule homes to show Bill and Sally
  • Email Jenny about Friday night’s dinner plans
  • Grocery store
  • Paint bathroom
  • Register Joey for soccer
  • Start looking for summer vacation spot
  • And the list goes on…sometimes for pages………

Sample Project List

1.  Lead Generation activities (can include calls, notes, meetings, emails)

  • -client calls
  • -handwritten notes
  • -personal visits
  • -follow up emails
  • -send birthday and holiday cards

2.  Plan Joey’s birthday party (research locations, days, times, guest list)

  • -research possible locations
  • -choose a date and time
  • -guest list
  • -invitations out

3.  Prepare 1st time homebuyers workshop (identify venue, day, time, prospective attendees, create material)

  • -Find venue
  • -Determine date and time
  • -Locate prospective attendees
  • -Create presentations/materials
  • -Order refreshments
  • -Confirm RSVPs

Sample Daily to-do list

Work time

  1. Call B of A for status
  2. Schedule homes to show Bill and Sally
  3. Lead Generation (5 calls: Joe, Cindy, Sarah, Bill and Brian)
  4. Email George to schedule work lunch
  5. Identify venue, date and time for 1st time home buyer workshop
  6. Create MLS searches for new leads

Personal time

  1. Look into possible locations for Joey’s party
  2. Schedule Rover’s vet appointment
  3. 1 load of laundry
  4. Email Jenny about Friday

 

If you would like help getting your schedule in order and become the organized person you’ve always wanted to be, contact me and let’s talk about how coaching can help.