Busy! If you’re having trouble keeping your head above water, read on my friend. It might seem strange that the first thing I’d tell someone who’s having trouble getting things done is to add to their list. Don’t worry I’m not suggesting you add any tasks. However,
How to make plans if you want to remain hopelessly overwhelmed
The problem with your todo list stems from the way you approach it: make a list, sit down, work on Item 1 until it’s done, cross it off, work on Item 2 until it’s done, cross it off…
This approach ignores a fundamental truth: Time is a limited and scarce resource. Every millisecond that you give to a task is a millisecond that you take from all of the others. See if this feels familiar:
You have a homework assignment due tomorrow and an exam in a different class after that. You sit down to finish the homework assignment and get stuck. You bang your head against it for a while, take a break because you’re frustrated, try again, and eventually get it. Now you’re drained so you take another break and realize it’s almost dinner time. “No point in getting into anything deep now, I’ll be stopping again in 20 minutes.” This goes on until eventually you sit down to study and all you can think is that “you don’t have enough time.”
The issue is that you don’t feel the pain of giving the homework assignment too much time until you realize you don’t have enough left to study effectively for the exam. Even then, you’ll find a million other things to blame before pointing the finger at that homework assignment.
The amount of time you give a task is yours to decide If the “work until it’s done” mindset is the cause, then the “time budget” is the cure. The amount of time you give a task is a direct measurement of your priorities. If you give the homework assignment more time than the test, you’re implicitly saying that the homework is more important (which it may or may not be, that’s for you to decide).
How to make an effective todo list
Write down the tasks. Write next to each one exactly how long you’re willing to spend on it. No, that’s not an ESTIMATE of how long you think it will take. It’s a PRESCRIPTION for how long you’re going to give it.
When the time runs out, stop working on that task. This will feel weird at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. The secret is to decide how long a task gets based on three criteria:
- Priority: the more important something is, the more time you should reserve for it.
- Desired Quality: not everything has to be perfect. Not everything has to be your best work. Ask what “good enough” looks like.
- Your Skill: this is the deciding factor. Your skill sets the limit on the quality you can achieve in a given amount of time.
These three criteria tug at each other – navigating this tension is all you actually need to do to become wildly productive. If you can’t get a job done to your desired level of quality in the amount of time you’ve given it, then you have to adjust: either your expectations for quality need tweaked, or you have to rethink your priorities.
Conclusion
The truth is your time is far more precious than you think. When you overspend money, you learn a lesson and then go earn more. You don’t get to go earn more time. It’s the temporary nature of life that makes it so precious.
Make sure that your todo list includes at least one thing that gives you energy. Move it to the top of the list and go do it, regardless of what else is waiting for you. You’ll discover that the work always seems to get done. In fact, having energy from doing something just for you before getting to work might even help you complete the work more quickly.
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