The Great To-Do Riddle

Question: When is a to-do not a to-do? Answer: When it is ta ?#147;done! Okay, I admit that it is a terrible riddle, but it is an important question. Everyone, including me, teaches that one of the most important things you can do to achieve more efficient use of your time is to start making daily ?#147; weekly ?#147; monthly to-do lists. A to-do list helps you get a clearer picture of exactly what is on your plate, and helps you set priorities so that you can spend most of your time pursuing the high-value items on your list. However, making a to-do list is not the same as getting those to-dos done. A to-do list can end up being just one more guilt-inducing reminder that you are a failure when it comes to time management, unless you also have a strategy for accomplishing those things you say you want to do. What is the real answer to the great to-do riddle? There are two simple steps to follow to change to-dos into ta-dones.

First of all, rigorously cull your to-do list and get it down to something that will conform to the known parameters of the space-time continuum. We complain constantly about the fact that we have too much to do, and most of the time we are right. Face it: you can’t do everything. Set goals, define high value priorities, learn to say no, or delegate everything except your most important (not necessarily your most urgent) tasks. Once you have narrowed your to-do list down to those most valuable activities, you are halfway done. However, halfway done is still the same as mostly NOT done. There is still one more vitally important step to take.

If you really intend to accomplish the goals and complete the tasks that you have identified as being very important, get out your planner or a calendar and schedule a block of time that you will devote exclusively to working on each one. From a certain point of view, your to-do list is only wishful thinking; it is a statement of what you would like to do. By reserving time in your schedule to devote exclusively to this task, you are now positioned to begin actually DOING it!

Think of it this way. Giving this item a special spot on your schedule is like setting an appointment, and this gives you extra leverage to protect the time you will need to accomplish this task. When those inevitable interruptions and “urgent” demands rise up to try to steal your time, you can often beg off by explaining you have to keep an appointment. People are generally very understanding about appointments. You don’t have to let on that the appointment is with yourself, though there is no reason to apologize for that fact. What is important is that you honor the commitment you have made and stick to your schedule.

In a perfect world, this would be the end of this article. However, we all know that sometimes interruptions arise that can’t be ignored, and some urgent requests really do require your immediate attention. As a rule, you should never abandon the high-priority projects you have already scheduled, unless something develops that is a higher priority. Use your “appointments” to filter out the trivial, but there will still be times when you must be flexible. For that reason, don’t schedule yourself “wall-to-wall.” If you generally work eight hours a day, don’t schedule eight hours of important projects to do. Leave an average of 10 minutes per hour unaccounted for, and you will have a cushion to absorb those interruptions. Of course, that may require you to go back and cull your to-do list one more time, so that you are not tempted to pile on too much.

Finally, be realistic about how much time you block out on your schedule. We all know that most of the time projects take longer than we expect, usually because of unforeseen issues like missing data or contacts that haven’t returned our calls. If you schedule plenty of time, not only are you more likely to get the project done on time, you will experience less stress and anxiety, and make fewer mistakes.

We all have important goals to accomplish and good intentions to pursue them. However, if you really want to measure the things that are truly important to you, take a long hard look at your schedule. Whatever isn’t there isn’t going to get done.

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