Making the most of your daily task list
On ways to use them to not just increase productivity but also achieve personal growth & enhance happiness
While most of us who maintain a daily task list have figured that it is a great way to stay focused & productive, not many of us enjoy or look forward to creating them. We also don't look at it as a tool that goes beyond task accomplishment.
In today's post, I will share with you some ways in which you can make the process of creating task lists fun, achieve personal growth and maybe even enhance your happiness.
These are methods that are working for me & I sincerely hope, they work for you too.
So let's get started with the rules of creating a task list that serves you in multiple ways:
Rule 1 : Don't make it into a laundry list.
Make sure your task list is not running into pages. Look at a maximum of 6-7 items on the list.
Rule 2 : Put the most difficult task of the day - one you have an inclination to avoid, first. You may have more than one tough task to handle. Thats ok. Just put them down one after another.
Rule 3 : Make sure, you have 1 task on the list that brings you joy. Something you really enjoy doing.
That's it. Just 3 rules.
How can this help you :
A. Having a huge laundry list of tasks to accomplish for the day - including every little and every big thing on the list, can make you feel like you have too much to handle. This can feel draining and if at the end of the day, you don't see many ticks on the list, you may feel like a loser, even though you may have accomplished the tough tasks for the day.
So it's important that you don't have a "huge laundry list". The routine things you do, need not be a part of your list.
“If 'to do' lists make you feel overwhelmed or like a failure, then perhaps, you need to relook at your process.”
B. Putting the tough task of the day first on the list and getting it done before the others, helps prepare you, in the long run, to face challenges head on, build confidence & resilience to tackle difficulties.
Some days, you may have many tough jobs to tackle. Just ensure you get one of them done, if not all.
This is a practice that I learnt from Erika Hamden, an astrophysics professor at the University of Arizona and a TED Fellow. I was inspired by her TED talk on "what it takes to launch a telescope". Do give it a listen, if you haven't already. It will help you see failures as something to not be afraid of. She says, "to build confidence for the big goals, you first need to focus on the tiny ones, and that starts with the actions you take every day".
“Confidence gets built when you try something that’s a little scary, and you succeed and then you do it again and again. You have to get into a process of being brave.” - Erika Hayden
C. Having something on your task list each day that brings you joy, is a great way to reinforce that "you are in charge of creating your own happiness". And you have the power to do this every single day. Your task list doesn't have to be a list of things you dread. Putting something on it that you enjoy doing can be a good motivator for you to create one in the first place.
“Choose joy. Don't wait for things to get better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you will run out of time. Do the things that bring you joy.”
When to create your list :
Depends. On you.
Some people like to create their list for the day, the previous night. Some do it first thing in the morning before the day starts. No rule here. It's best to do it when your mind is fresh. I like to create mine after my breakfast. See what works for you.
One final piece of advice :
Be intentional. Know that you are growing from inside every time you get that tough task done. And really be present with the "joyful" task of the day. And like with everything else, be consistent and grow through daily purposeful action ❤️
Did you find this post useful? What productivity hacks do you use to see you through the day ? Let me know in comments or drop me a mail. I would love to learn from you 💕