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Why lists are STILL relevant

Every Monday morning I make a list. Whether mental or written, my list helps me reflect and organize the priorities, tasks, and activities for the week. In his best-selling book, “Getting Things Done,” productivity guru David Allen calls this process a weekly review. Suggest that we take at least 60 minutes each week to review our commitments. The idea, says Allen, “… is to put yourself in the driver’s seat,” rather than letting yourself be carried away by your commitments. I have practiced this habit for over 10 years.

If I forget to make the list, my week is much less productive. Usually in the middle of the week, I realize that I accomplished some things, but not the ones that would have made the most of my time. In other words, the tasks that I accidentally choose are less impactful than those that I must complete to reach my overall goals. Of course, you know that months are made up of weeks and years are made up of months. Therefore, these misdirected “accomplishments” could derail my entire month or year, if I indulge them for long.

When that unpleasant mid-week realization comes up, I immediately pull out the spiral-bound 4-subject notebook that I use to record my activities, meeting notes, and to-dos and compose the list.

If you’ve never used lists to help organize your workday, or perhaps, in the age of smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices, you think lists are dinosaurs, it may be time to reconsider.

Even before the term “productivity” was coined, people used lists. Why? Because our brains are not equipped to handle the flood of data that we subject them to. Sure, we can retain vast amounts of information in our long-term memory, but we’ve taken things a bit too far. For example, consider:

• In today’s information-crazed world, the Internet gives you access to mountains of data on whatever topic you love.
• There are literally thousands of television channels offering entertainment and education on everything from how to buy a house to the most morbid ways to die.
• We send approximately 200 million emails per minute every day!

While we have a great capacity to store data, we simply cannot juggle more than a few ideas simultaneously. Change management consultant Sarah from Do Your Best Work puts it this way: “Try to keep too many things in your conscious mind at once and in your prefrontal cortex (PFC), the part of the brain that is involved in conscious thinking. , interaction and decision-making – you will get overloaded. Inevitably you will drop some things and lose track of others. “

Sounds familiar?

At some point, we make the decision to free up our brain space by making lists. We learned that making lists reduces stress – no longer worry about forgetting! It also increases your productivity and keeps you organized. In fact, you’re probably already using, sorting, and prioritizing lists, if only mentally.

It is part of our decision-making process:

• When you go to the movies or even stick with HuluPlus, Netflix or Redbox, you choose from a list of available movie options. You probably rate those movies by your mood (do you feel like laughing or crying?) Or by your company (skip R-rated movies when you’re with your 12-year-old niece).

• When parking at the mall, identify a list of available parking spaces. Then you choose the best one based on proximity, size (can your Yukon Denali fit in compact spaces?), And other factors.

And if you’re like me, make lists of your household bills before you pay them each month, groceries to restock the refrigerator on your next grocery store, or names of team members who skipped the last staff meeting.

See what I mean?

Since you are already applying this highly effective productivity tool, why not increase your efficiency? Here are 3 smart ideas to help your lists have more impact:

1. Lists have little impact without prioritization

Prioritization is a powerful “next step” to incorporate into your list building. Years ago, when I was working as an operations assistant for a global specialty retail chain, I was occasionally overwhelmed with the many responsibilities that my job entailed. When that happened, I leaned on one particular District Manager, Sue, who was good at helping me get over my insanity.

When I called Sue, we would first make a list of my open tasks. So Sue would ask a question: If you could complete only one task this week, what would it be? We answered that question over and over again, until a priority list was formed. By prioritizing my to-do list, I was able to identify and complete the most impactful tasks and projects first. I would finally thank Sue and happily execute each task, in order. Disaster warned!

2. Lists have a greater impact when they are consulted again

Staying focused is the only habit that separates you from achieving your goals or NOT achieving them. Once you’ve outlined a plan of attack, one way to stay focused is to track your progress. When Sue rescued me from administrative overload, she encouraged me to re-examine my list as I worked to compare the remaining tasks with the amount of time left to complete. Doing so kept me engaged in the task at hand and forced me to focus on what’s next. By tracking your progress in the same way, you will know when to hire others to assist or advise your manager or client if, for example, a critical report will not be completed on schedule. Also, checking off completed tasks gives you a sense of accomplishment. Who doesn’t need a little motivation here or there?

3. Lists are more effective when you share them

When someone (other than you) holds you accountable, you are more likely to achieve what you intended. As I shared my lists with Sue, I was motivated by her support and encouragement. Even today, my team meets every week to review the progress of assignments and projects that we have committed to completing. Practice provides an opportunity to share best practices, hold each other accountable, celebrate successes, and learn from our mistakes, together. You can also share your intentions with team members, so they can help recognize patterns and ask about your progress.

In today’s information-crazed world, lists are an incredibly relevant productivity tool that can help you identify and focus your energy on the tasks with the greatest impact to achieve your overall goals. We need lists to help us organize and process the flood of data that invades our brains every day. Even if you already use lists, you can enhance the power of lists by prioritizing, tracking, and sharing your intentions.

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