How to Keep Taking Action With an Effective to Do List

By Gerard Goh


What comes to mind when you think of a to do list? There is a huge difference between an effective to do list and an 'ordinary' to do list. Imagine the traditional to do list where you list all the things you need to do. This will only cause more stress as you keep adding more and more things on your to do list.

So how do you deal with the problem? Create an effective to do list. You will be able to keep taking action non-stop if you know how to deal with it. This is the best time management tool you should use to manage your time. It is also the most effective tool you can use. But you must make it effective, a traditional to do list is not enough.

Have 2 to do list
Have one to do list for the week, and one for daily tasks. By having 2 to do list, you get an overview of the things you are suppose to do for the week.

Set monthly goals. As you set monthly goals, you can create a weekly to do list really quickly. This is because you know exactly what to complete.

How to use the 2 lists effectively
How does this work. I'll give you an example so you can picture it easily. So imagine that you want to deliver a speech by the end of the month. So that would be your goal.

The next thing you need to do is to create a weekly to do list. In your weekly to do list, you can write things down like practice body language for speech, improve tonality of speech, and read a book on 'how to deliver a great speech'.

By doing this, your weekly to do list is in line with your goal in mind. Now the last thing is your daily to do list. But this time you will need to write down action steps to achieve the tasks of your weekly plan.

So to deliver that speech, what action steps do you need to take? Follow your weekly plan (practice body language for speech, improve tonality of speech, and read a book on 'how to deliver a great speech'), but break it down into smaller steps and set a time frame for each of it.

Tracking Action
The next thing you need to do is to track what you are doing. Keep track of whether you are in line with your goal. Make sure you focus and keep your concentration on the task until it's finished, then tick it off as you complete each task.

This will give you a peace of mind, and allow you to complete tasks with ease. You will never experience unfinished work anymore by having an effective to do list.

Gerard Goh runs a time management website at http://www.time-management-improvement.com which contains extremely useful free resources which can help you increase your personal work productivity. You can also learn various time management techniques which can help you get more things done in less time.

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