How I Use To Do Lists : Simplify Your Life Series 2016

Source: Pintrest

All my life I have strived to be organised and on top of everything.  Sometimes I succeed, other times...errr...not so much.  So after 20 plus years I feel I have finally found a system that works very well for me.  

So I thought I'd share it in the hope it can help others too.  It's actually very simple - aren't the best systems always just that?

The System

Basically I use 2 types of lists to keep me and my life broadly on the straight and narrow.
1)  A "Master To Do List", this contains everything I need to do and is in no particular order...just how the tasks came to be known to me.
2)  A daily To Do List where I list out 4 to 5 heavy items I need to get done that day.
Items are only checked off the Master To Do list once they are fully completed, that way if a task drags on over several days you don't forget it still needs your attention.

How I utilise the system

The trick is not trying to cram too much into one day and to be realistic with the time a task will take.  It can be very demotivating if the list is growing all the time but nothing ever gets completed.  Along the same lines, it is also extremely important not to hold yourself to such a high level of perfection that any perceived "failure" depresses you....so what if you only managed one or two of the items on your list?  Simply cross through the ones you missed doing and move them over to your next days list.  Allow your list to flex with your life - if you are too rigid you will again start to feel like a failure at life!  Sometimes stuff happens on the day that means your nicely planned list gets completely scrapped and that is ok - life happens...

Source: Pintrest

Credit where credit is due

Now whilst this is not an earth shattering or even scientific system and will no doubt be pretty obvious to most of you reading this, I struggled for many years and just used to do lists as reminders of what I needed to do...not as a tool for planning and organising my working life.  I still struggle some days not to get distracted by all the tiny little things I feel I could get done quickly and out of the way, but if I focus on those and not the big things I should be progressing with I have come to realise that I am not being effective in my job - and no one wants that conversation with their Manager.

So thanks to a wonderful lady I follow on YouTube called Mrs Erica, I had an epiphany and started to adopt the system she described so well in her video.  Visit Mrs Erica yourself for more life and home inspiration: Mrs Ericas Blog

Sometimes I am quite distressed at the amount of unchecked tasks in my Master To Do list, but then I remember that I am not a perfect being, but one doing my absolute best in a chaotic and busy world so I need to cut myself some slack and give myself credit for all I do manage to accomplish.

Does this resonate with you too?  How do you keep yourself organised and on track?