Are you stressing over your to-do list? Our brains aren’t good at retaining a lot of information at any one time. That’s why to-do lists come in handy. They enable you to write everything you need to get done down, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting. But creating a to-do list isn’t without its issues. If not used correctly, it can often lead business owners down the route of stress and overwhelm. 

So if you’re currently stressing over your to-do list, here’s how you can solve the problem and get back on track.

Split your to-do list into three

You don’t have to stick with a single to-do list. It’s often less stressful if you opt for three separate ones – one for today, another for this week, and a final ‘nice to do’ list. You can then separate your tasks and just focus on your list for today.

Set aside time to go through your list each day

A common mistake is to work through your task list in order. This isn’t always a productive way of working and can sometimes mean important tasks get left until last. So make going through your daily to-do list your first task of each day. You can then decide which tasks have the higher priority and allocate time towards them first.

Weed out the non-essentials

Each week, go through your task list and delete anything that isn’t essential. If deleting a task feels too final for you, move it to your ‘nice to do’ list instead.

Group similar tasks together

If you want to work productively, group similar tasks together. You’ll be surprised at how much time you lose switching between tasks, programs and apps. Grouping them helps you keep focused and minimises the time you lose.

Be realistic about your time

Be realistic about your time – in terms of your available time and the time it takes to do a task. Look to only have one large task, two medium tasks and 3-5 smaller tasks pencilled in for each day. As per my blog post entitled How to manage your to-do list so it’s no longer managing you! prioritise your top three tasks.

Block off time to work on specific tasks

If you want to tick tasks off your to-do list, block off time to work on those tasks! Fitting them randomly into your working day isn’t an effective way to work.

Outsource tasks that don’t require your input

Look to outsource or automate tasks as often as possible. This helps save you time as well as minimising the number of tasks on your to-do list. Check out What kind of tasks can a coach delegate to a Virtual Assistant? and 30 tasks a Virtual Assistant can do in an hour or less for help on what you can outsource.

Implement a weekly to-do list review

One way to minimise stress is to review your progress. Carry out a weekly to-do list review, where you look back over your past week, check if all tasks still need to be on your list and plan your next week’s list.

Hand over your to-do list management to your VA

One of the 7 ways to regain focus and get back on track is to outsource tasks. But if you want to really ramp up your to-do list management and reduce the stress, hand the management of your lists over to your VA! They can allocate time in your calendar for you to focus on the higher priority tasks, group tasks together for you and outsource them as needed.

If you’re looking to hand over your to-do list management to a VA, or are looking to outsource some of those tasks, let’s talk! I’m passionate about helping coaches, consultants, and entrepreneurs build their businesses and focus on what they do best by providing them with the administrative support they need. So reach out and let’s talk solutions – you’ll find my contact information here.