What Should You Do with Your Massive To-Do List?

I don’t know about you, but Mondays usually greet me with a HUGE to-do list that makes me dizzy just thinking about it. It’s one of the reasons I want to stay in bed a little longer, or flee back to my bed after seeing the pile of to-dos waiting on my desk.

I learned early on I needed to grab hold of the chaos before it got out of control, so I created a method to help calm the madness…

First, I pull out the sticky notes. Yep, sometimes paper and pen is the way to go.

Next, I brain dump all the to-dos I can think of in a list on the sticky. On especially full days I can fill two or three sticky notes. And that’s OK.

Then, I analyze the list. And I give myself permission to put some things off until tomorrow. Or later in the week. Or next week.

With the tasks that are left, I use the alphabet to rate them in priority order. I ask myself, “If there’s just ONE thing I absolutely had to get done today, what would it be?” and I put an “A” next to that item. Then I ask myself that question again, and again, until I’ve used letters A-Z and moved on to Aa, Bb, Cc, and so on. Yes, sometimes I have more than 26 items on my to-do list. Don’t judge. 🙂

Finally, I look only at the “A” item and do it. I cross it off and move on to the “B” item and so on. Some items take a lot more time than others, such as writing promo copy for my Kindle in 30 Challenge.

In fact, it’s mid-afternoon and I’ve finally reached letter “E” on my list. This post. Yay.

Inevitably, I’ll end up with some leftovers that don’t get crossed off. And that’s OK. If it’s not OK, then I may go insane. And I’m already crazy enough, so I’m pretty sure you would thank me if I don’t go any more nuts.

This method of brain dump – prioritize – act has worked well for me for a couple of years. It helps me organize my thoughts, focus on the most important tasks, and realize if I have to wait until tomorrow to complete something, that’s OK, too.

Try it out and post your results (and other quick time-management tips) in the comments below! And if you need help prioritizing your book to-do list, schedule your “On Demand” laser coaching session with me today at KristenOnDemand.com!