How to Make the Dreaded “To-Do” List Work in Your Favor
Planning can be a challenge for everybody, but especially those who are not born within in word appreciation for organization and structure. If you find that you struggle with discipline and order, utilizing a to-do list may be exactly the step you need to take in order to get your life on track.
So how does one begin utilizing a to-do list to help them to get on track and stay motivated to succeed? Surely it isn’t as simple as creating a checklist that you can reference. What actually works about creating this type of structure for yourself? And doesn’t it only work if you are willing to allow it to work?
The truth is that if you are not motivated enough, nothing is going to work for you. You have to take the step necessary to overcome your hesitations and do whatever needs to be done in order to ensure that you are staying on task. A to-do list is a great starting point, but it isn’t going to be the only thing that you do to be successful. Success falls on your shoulders alone, and no list, no matter how detailed, is going to do it for you.
To make the dreaded to-do list work in your favor, first you need to have detailed vision of your plan already laid out. Visualization techniques can help you to do this. If you know your ultimate goal, then planning out all of the steps that you need to take will be that much easier.
You should make sure that you have a list full of goals that are not overwhelming that you can work on on a daily and weekly basis. Make sure that you are not creating your to-do list on the day that you want the items done. You need a chance to process the task at hand so that you can prepare yourself mentally for getting things done.
Instead of saving the hardest item on your list for last, that is the thing that you should be working on first. Prioritize your list so that you are actually knocking things out in the order of hardest to easiest so that you only become more motivated to finish from there. If you leave the worst for last, then you are going to find yourself agonizing over what you have left to do rather than being in a relaxed and less stressed out mindset that will ultimately contribute to your achievement.
Every day you should be working toward your goal, and having a to-do list ready for you the night before is a great motivational tool that you can use to succeed. This is especially true for people who are often reluctant to abide by structure in their lives. It can be easy for a lot of people to become overwhelmed by the tasks at hand and living in the moment, but having a to-do list to reference will ultimately provide you with the foundation you need to achieve your dreams.