Is Your To-Do List a Dream List or a Done List? The Secret Sauce You're Missing!
Raise your hand if your to-do list looks more like a wish list for Santa than a practical guide to getting things done! 🙋♀️ Yeah, I thought so. We've all been there.
You scribble down "Call Mom," "Finish Report," "Water Plants," feeling super productive just for writing them down. But then... crickets. Those tasks just sit there, staring at you, judging you, silently multiplying until your list is a monster that haunts your dreams.
Here's the bombshell, my friends: writing tasks down is NOT scheduling. Mind blown, right?
Think of it like this: You wouldn't just say "I'm going on vacation!" without booking flights, hotels, or setting actual dates, would you? That's just a dream! Your to-do list needs the same VIP treatment.
The magic happens when you give each task its own little appointment in your day. "Call Mom" isn't just a task; it's now "Call Mom from 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM." "Finish Report" becomes "Deep work on report from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM." See the difference?
When you schedule, something amazing happens. Your brain gets a clear signal: "Okay, this is happening now." It creates commitment, reduces procrastination, and suddenly, those daunting tasks transform into manageable chunks of time. No more guessing, no more drifting. Just focused action!
So, next time you write down a task, take that extra minute. Open your calendar – digital or physical – and give it a home. Give it a start time and an end time. You might just find your "wish list" turning into a "we-did-it list" faster than you can say "productivity wizard!"
Original article inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nwokedibenedicta_timemanagementcoach-activity-7432651595399454720-ys6K