Why Use a To-Do List?
We often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work we do everyday. There are tasks that needs to be done and duties that should be passed before the given deadline, but we need to understand that a business cannot run effectively without a task list as it is the key to efficiency. At the same time, of course we need to buy groceries for our families, do the household chores and pick up the dry cleaning.
Life has so many things to offer. Setting goals and fighting every day to achieve them. Our to-do lists often fail us. They are usually long and unreasonable. In fact, you don’t have to make very long to-do lists. You can actually feel more productive if you use a priority rule for your things to do, such as the 1-3-5 Rule.
How 1-3-5 Rule Works?
The concept of this rule is to accomplish one big task, three medium tasks and five small tasks, and narrow down your to-do list to those nine items, like laying out your clothes the night before. Sounds scary? No. This rule can be flexible. If you spend much of your day in meetings, you might need to revise this down a bit. But the main point here is -prioritisation surely works!
Complete the Most Gruelling Task Before Lunch!
“If you eat a live frog for breakfast, the rest of the day will taste great“. -Mark Twain
This simply means that you should tackle your most complicated task first thing in the morning. This will be easier for you because you can outline your target the next day. By taking down that big beast, you can build your momentum to crush the rest of the day and finish your easier tasks.
This idea might also help:
• 1 big thing before 1 o’clock
• 3 medium things before 3 o’clock
• 5 small things before 5 o’clock
Reorganising and planning ahead are good investment for your business. Get organised, get all your to-dos in place, minimize the possible distractions and start practising that 1-3-5 list! ☺