Getting it Done: It's All About the Lists

Man, has it only been a week? These past 7 days have felt like an eternity. Maybe that's because I've been getting things done!

Since limiting my daily internet use, I've freed up a lot of time. No longer do my hours go missing into the great time sinks that are reddit and facebook. Instead, I have those hours to do other things - like actually finishing a podcast (coming soon) and setting up some new fitness goals.

It's not just about limiting my internet usage, though, it's also about organizing my days so that I know exactly what needs to get done and when. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit of a planning junkie. I really like finding systems that work and I'm about to nerd out on you!

Wunderlist is AMAZING! I've got it set up so that I have larger, weekly goals planned and smaller, daily goals. This app has sub-tasks, reminders, and the ability to get others in your lists. It's also very easy on the eyes. They aren't paying me, I just love their app.

It's not enough to have good apps, though, you also need to have a good organizational process. What's mine? Well, I'm so glad you asked random blog reader!

• Make a list of all goals starting from the big ones to the minute. Do the smaller goals contribute to greater goals? Are the greater goals in line with my values?
• Break goals into two groups: Short term and Long term. Then, break them down into subgroups Big and Small. This is to figure out what needs to be broken down into smaller tasks, and shorter term goals and what is list-ready. Long term goals and Big goals need to be on their own lists to keep the big picture visible, but they also need to be broken down to more doable chunks.
• Put smaller and short-term goals on appropriate to-do lists, preferably broken down by week, and day. I try to get a little bit of everything in every day, so I'm not getting so bogged down by small and short-term stuff that I lose sight of what I need to get done. I have a to-do list of weekdays with the actual to-do's as subtasks that help me keep everything small and manageable.
• Break down Long Term goals into short term goals and distribute them as in step three. For example, if a long-term goal is to run a marathon by the end of the year, it could be broken down to a weekly running goal.
• Break down Big goals into smaller chunks and distribute as in step three. For example, writing a book could be broken down by chapter or word count.
• Double check everything. This one might seem nitpicky, but I generally go through and check my lists on a weekly basis to make sure I'm not overloading or underloading my days by too much. This step only works as the result of a lot of trial and error, and isn't always exact. Seems like there is always something in my day that takes less or more time than I expected. This is OK, and why I review my lists regularly.
• Plan for flexibility. As per step six, this one keeps me from stressing about what I can't quite fit in to my days, and gives me room to add tasks. I tend to fill my Monday and Tuesday lists, and slightly underload Wednesday-Friday. I don't put anything on the Weekend list until the end of the week so I can try for leisure time.  This lets me shuffle tasks down my week if some take more time. Again, this is trial and error, so I say do what works for you.
• Add reminders to appointments and anything deadline-related to keep from getting caught off-guard. I tend to be a little spacey, so this keeps me from freaking out when I realize, too late, that I should have set an alarm to wake up for an appointment. Not that that's ever happened, but.. OK. Yes, that's happened to me - too many times to be OK. This is why we have reminders.
• Keep a catch-all list. I have a "Pending Assignment" list for any extra tasks that pop up through the week, particularly if they don't have a deadline. This way, I don't forget any little thing that I might have to put on the back burned until space pops up in my daily schedule.

So that's it! I try to follow this approximate process every week and, so far, it's like time has slowed down. I'm just getting so much done! Of course, there's always more to do, but that's a blog post for another day. Good luck and happy planning.