You probably have a big list of to-dos hanging around somewhere. It might be in a notebook, a spreadsheet, Outlook tasks, or on your phone. We make lists to try and organize all the items that we have to do with the hopes that we will keep track of them and that it will help us decide what to do in each moment. One of the biggest problems with our to-do lists is that the actual list seems about a mile long and quickly becomes overwhelming and unhelpful. To help from having to review all 500 items on your list when you have 30 minutes to work on something, try this one systemic change to your list to help you become more organized. Break your list down into smaller lists, organized by context. This trick from David Allen’s Getting Things Done has been a game-changer.
To start, create separate lists for personal and work items. That way you are only seeing the items that are for work while you are working. Same thing when you are doing personal tasks. You don’t have to wade through all those work tasks to get to the ones you need when thinking about what you want to get done this Saturday. You can further subdivide those lists to make things even easier. I have errands lists that include my Grocery list, Costco list, and General Errands. Whenever I think about needing bananas, that goes to my grocery list or if I need to get a new bike tube, that goes on the general errands list and so on. That way, when I’m at the grocery store, I have those items grouped where I can find them. Or if I’m out and about, I can look at the errands list and see if there are items I can check off.
This is just the beginning. Use lists to create smaller sets that fit a specific location, tool, or context. You might have a list for things to do specifically at the computer. Agendas are great. Create an agenda list for your boss or direct reports or certain meetings. Lists can track projects or tasks you have delegated. You can even have a list for things you want to do in the future (Someday/maybe list). There are lots of possibilities. For more ideas, do an internet search for “GTD lists.” If you want to try and organize that big list that feels overwhelming, try the GTD method and divide it into smaller, contextual lists. It has made a huge difference for me in not just writing down the things I want or need to do, but actually doing