How To Put Together A To-Do List You Can Actually Finish
作者：Danny Forest
1. The Big Mistake Graduates Make With To-Do Lists
1.1. They put their list together at the start of a demanding workday or when they’re up against a deadline.
1.2. Set yourself up for success each workday far in advance.
1.2.1. To set priorities effectively, write out your to-do list at the end of the workday i.e. write Tuesday’s list on Monday before you finish.
1.3. Review the list and pick one-to-three items representing what matters most.
1.4. When the workday rolls around, get to work on priority one, then two and three.
1.5. At the end of the week, purge or remove unimportant, non-urgent tasks.
1.6. If you’re feeling good, go as far as picking out 6 tasks to focus on for the day, but picking too many is a recipe for overwhelm.
1.7. Neglected but important tasks naturally rise to the top of any list.
2. Find Time For What Matters
2.1. Block time in your calendar for focusing on priority tasks.
2.2. Thirty-minute increments are usually enough to advance an item on your to-do list.
2.3. If you need to concentrate on a troublesome task, consider using the Pomodoro Technique.
2.3.1. That involves working on a single project or task for blocks of 30-minutes
2.4. You could also book a quiet meeting room in your office or cultivate a state of flow by wearing noise-canceling headphones.
2.5. During blocks of focused work, close internet and social media as they can be distractions.
2.6. During the workday, distractions will inevitably arise. Instead of getting stressed about them, anticipate their arrival.
2.6.1. Add new items to your to-do list, or keep a notepad by your desk to jot down random ideas and tasks rather than letting them slip by.
2.7. Useful apps for creating a to-do list include:
2.7.1. Evernote
2.7.2. Todoist
2.7.3. OneNote
2.7.4. Google Tasks
2.7.5. Remember the Milk
2.7.6. the humble pen and paper