To be more productive, perhaps you have tried to start writing a to-do list. But then, after a while, you discovered that you can’t finish the tasks on your to-do list and you haven’t gained any extra productivity. To-do list doesn’t
work ?
The following are reasons why your to-do list is not working and the corresponding solution is also listed.
1... Procrastination
Maybe You do not finish items in your to-do list and tell yourself that you will ” do it later ” but you keep postponing it and the task never get done\
solution
This is a great website to refer to :
https://jamesclear.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating
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2... Lack of priorities
Do the most important things first. If we don’t prioritize the items in our list, we will most likely end up doing the less important things first and then we will have no time left for the most important tasks, so we do not make significant progress after finishing many tasks
That’s why even though you have a to-do list, your productivity is still not high.
solution
Prioritize your to-do list every day before your work and always check off the most important task first.
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3... The items are not scheduled
You have not schedule when you will do each task and how much time you will spnet on it. In this way, you may waste time doing something else since you have no plan to discipline you. And you will spend more time on each task in your to-do list because you have no time limit
solution
Schedule a fixed period of time for each task and set a time limit for it
4... Not reading it
After writing a to-do list then you never read it. If you never read it, you never know what you have to get done.
solution
Build the habit of reading your to-do list before work every day and use a reminder app to remind you to read it
5... Not working on it
The tasks that are in your to-do list are not checked off because you are too busy or too lazy
Be disciplined and strengthen your willpower
6... having unimportant tasks in the list
Your list is full of tasks that come to your mind randomly, making your list full of trivial items.
This will cause you to focus clarity about which task is the most important and having such a long to-do may scare you off in the first place
solution
Filter out unimportant tasks before you write your to-do list
7... Tasks are unrealistic
There may be some unachievable tasks in your to-do list. It is normal that you can’t finish those unrealistic tasks, making you feel like you have accomplished nothing.
solution
Use your experience to determine how much work you can truly do everyday and only have that many works in your to-do list
8... The list is an all-in-one list
Tasks to do in different aspects of your life, like work and life, are all in the same list.
This will cause you to be distracted by the unrelated tasks in the list. For example, when you are at work, things like sweeping the floor or changing the light bulbs are probably irrelevant
solution
Have a separate list for work, life, and entertainment
For work, put down anything that your job requires you to do and things that help you to achieve your career goals
For life, put down things that will improve your life and things that you need to do for your family.
For entertainment, put down what you want to do in your free time to entertain yourself
9... Forgetting to write what you need to do on the to do list
If you forget to write it down, then you may forget to do the work later
solution
Make writing to-do list the first thing you do in the morning or just do it the night before
10... Writing to-do list is inappropriate in some situation
If you use a paper to-do list, It may be unsuitable to suddenly pull out your notebook and start writing down things while you are talking to someone. If you use a digital version, you may not be allowed to use your phone in class or during a meeting. Therefore it can be difficult for us to jot down what we need to do
solution
Be brave to ask whether other people mind you writing a to-do list during the conversation. And you can have both a paper and digital version of your list, so that you still can compile your list when either one of the version is not allowed.
11... Overwhelmed by large tasks
If you have a big task in your to-do list, then you don’t know where to start first and you will be scared by the seemingly time and energy consuming project.
solution
Break down large tasks into smaller tasks
So you can finish the big project step-by-step and you know where to start
Break big tasks down into subtasks. This will offer you a clear path to finish the project step-by-step, making it looks less formidable. Hence, we are more likely to do that work
12... Mixing goals with tasks to do
Goals cannot be achieved easily and quickly. If you put your life goals in your to-do list. That will clutter your list and you will still have many items that are not checked off at the end of the day, which can be very demotivating
solution
Separate your goals from your daily tasks
The 2 things should be separated so you can view both more clearly
And sometimes we need to make our list according to our goals. Having a goal list and a to-do list separated offer your easy reference when writing your to-do list
I hope you know more about why your to-do list is not working and my tips are helpful
If this post helped you, feel free to share it with other people to inspire more people.
For more articles about productivity, you can refer to :