To-do lists are not checklists.
But checklists are very important. Checklists are for things that are done regularly. Pros use them, too. In fact, it’s the pros who design, adjust and tweak the checklists. Pros use checklists to standardize excellence in performance. They also use them as they expand their staff and turn over activities to key assistants. The checklists allow them to not only train new people quickly, but to be able to monitor their performance. The pro can delegate activities, yet use the checklists to quickly establish if their assistants are doing a great job or not. The obvious thing is that if they can’t be relied upon to follow the checklist they need to be replaced.
To-do lists are for “one time” activities.
Every day is an adventure for a pro – they all are different. Can you relate to that? It could be your day unfolds in similar fashion. You may fight the same battles.
This is how many pros keeps up with the endless stream of things they must do. It involves:
- Phone calls they must make
- Emails and texts and letters they must answer
- Planning future events and travel
Pros have lots to do. These may seem small but they can create big delays and big problems if they aren’t done. Even though they’re small items they must be dealt with, but no one’s got a good enough memory to keep up with it all.
Want to copy their simple routine?
This is something you do yourself and you don’t rely on someone else. These are things you have to do yourself. These are things you can do quicker yourself than turning them over to someone else. These are things that need to be handled quickly by you. Here are some suggestions:
- WRITE yourself a fresh to-do list every day. Keep it simple – keep it to 4-6 items
- DO your to-do list, first thing in the morning. Get it done. Knock it out. Put those things behind you. Move forward.
- As you go through the day more “to-do’s” will come up. Jot them down on the back of your list. If you haven’t got them done by tomorrow, put them on tomorrow’s list.
This is a never-ending process where you are continuing to move forward and not allowing the normal activities of life turn into a burden.
Here’s what you’ll find:
- This is satisfying.
- This is liberating.
- This keeps you in control of your life.
- This is something you can always do.
This is something you’ll always need to do while working, on vacation or any other stage of life you may be passing through- there’s always things that need to be done and you don’t want them piling up.
