No More Resolutions

Newly initiated to the PRU and seeing loads of resolutions from my fellow bloggers, I have to share a secret to getting things off the to-do list.

Forgive me for the hate.

Confession

As a procrastinator at heart, crossing items off my to-do list seemed impossible. Not being one to keep New Year’s resolutions as well as hating the proverbial Honey-do list, I tried this tactic instead. By organizing my chores in a slightly different arrangement, I found I love the feeling of accomplishment.

1. Have faith!

You can do this. One of the biggest hurdles to the to-do list is the belief you will not get it done because you have to do it. Resentment, distaste or laziness, you do not want to do what is on the list. You can overcome all of those.

Make To Do List

Make To Do List

2. Bear With Me

Make a list of the first 100 things you know you need to do. List everything, even if it is a five minute job. Examples:

  • Write a thank you note to your aunt for the gift she sent
  • Sand wood working project
  • Clean out the cabinet over the refrigerator
  • Take Mate on weekend trip
  • Stain woodworking project
  • Buy new shoes. (Should appear on list at least three times.)
  • Throw away old paperwork
  • Polyurethane woodworking project
  • Find yearbook club field trip permission slip
  • Save $10
  • Sign permission slip
  • Lose one pound
Break big jobs, like your woodworking project, into segments. Instead of listing overhaul engine, try the far more manageable steps, 26. clean carburetor, 27. replace radiator hoses, 28. change distributor rotor,… Want to lose 20 pounds? Put Lose one pound on the list at 5, 10, 15, 20…

expiration date3. Date the list.

Make a reasonable time frame. I like having all year. Surprisingly, this does not foster procrastination. This is the perfect time for this list and a yearlong goal. If you have a few big projects, you will not feel the defeat of an out-of-date list.

4. Have a Quickie

When you have five or more minutes, day or night, check your list. Find a job on the list that you can do in the time you have right now and do it. While you are looking, cross off all of the things you have done already. You do not have to do the items on the list in order!

English: A stopwatch is a hand-held timepiece ...

Ready, GO!.

5. Seek and Destroy

Job #82 crossed off the list. Do you still have a few minutes? Find another job. Did you lose three pounds? Cross them off the list.

6. Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Repeat steps 4 & 5 until you are out of time. Jobs you think will take a long time can sometimes be accomplished in just a few minutes.

7. Enlist Help

Read: Children, Bestie or Mate. Two sets of hands are always faster than one. Whether this is delegating an item or having help finishing a bigger item, help is always good.

English: Bronzed Baby Shoes

Take small steps.

8. Baby Steps

Do not fear starting something and not being able to finish it. By breaking big jobs down into steps, you can finish any job without being overwhelmed.

9. Reward yourself.

When you accomplish five jobs from your to-do list, celebrate! Have a cup of cappuccino or go out for an ice cream.

10. Big Reward

When the list is finished, celebrate a lot. Take off a few days or have a massage. Go back to step 1! You will have a lot more faith than the first time you made the list. Like every task, the more often you do it, the faster you can do it. See if you can finish a second list in the time you set aside for the first.

English: A female African Bush Elephant in Mik...

One bite at a time.

Time to Eat the Elephant

Anyone can eat an elephant. Take one bite at a time. You can finish any task as long as you break it down into manageable pieces.

Every year I manage to make and finish at least four lists, without working on it everyday. Some days are eight items off of the to-do list. Some items take three days. The best part is looking for a job on the to-do list and finding I have already done three!

Do you have trouble with to-do lists? Can you make a list of 100 things you want to do this year? What big job are you willing to tackle with this method?


© Red Dwyer 2012
Stopwatch compliments of WikiMedia
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38 Comments

  1. bear

     /  January 3, 2012

    Quickie, no problem. The rest of this list ugh! I have multiple cars to repair, plumbing to do, yard work to complete, CALGON take me away! Wow and I’m a guy who said that. But RED you are correct in taking baby steps. I find much more enjoyment in what I do in my spare time. Good work again!

    Reply
    • I have been known to eat a few elephants in my day. It is even better when you take the time to barbecue it. Family, friends and fire…winning combination. Red.

      Reply
  2. I really like this idea!! My husband is usually the organized to-do lister in our relationship, but I’m definitely going to try this.

    Reply
    • This would be a great one for you! Especially with all your money-saving projects. You may find my path to organization is a bit off the beaten path, but accomplished the same thing in a much more relaxed fashion. Glad to see you today! Red.

      Reply
  3. I always make to-do lists. It’s part of my genetics.

    Reply
  4. Resolutions, who need’s em? Great post, Red!

    Breaking any job down into little steps is less daunting than trying to do everything at once –“To do lists” are a perfect example of that. Why write a horrifically long “to do” list when writing a one-liner will work?
    ie.
    1. Get pencil. –WOW…I achieved my FIRST goal already!

    2. Get paper. — That wasn’t so difficult, was it! I’m really making headway now!
    ..
    3. Um…think up the first line……..um……..ohmmmmmm…….. Oh well, it’s coffee time at M3 !

    This invaluable advice has been brought to you by the president and founder of Procrastinators R US.

    Reply
  5. I’ve probably tried every approach to to-do lists. When I was working as an architect and project manager I became a proficient juggler, able to keep a dozen balls in the air at one time.

    I don’t bother with to-do lists now. I keep stuff in my head and that works most of the time. If I forget, Tracy is here to remind me. LOL

    Resolutions smack of goals and I am trying to eliminate all goals from my life. Huh? Honest. “…be careful not to set a goal. Expectation precludes the opportunity for discovery. When we try to reach a goal, we become fixated on it and we miss the process. Process and goal are the same reality. Each step clearly contains the goal.” John Daido Loori from ‘The Zen of Creativity’

    Al Watt has similar things to say about writing that I alluded to in my latest Monday Musings.

    John

    Reply
  6. Good suggestions – for the entire year!

    Reply
    • Thank you for stopping by to comment. Be sure to leave a link to your blog in the Green Room. Pull up a rocker and grab a cuppa while you are here. Hope you find a lot to enjoy! Red.

      Reply
  7. Nice Red. You know that I have a problem with to-do-lists. Before I can finish one thing, ten more get added. Oh well, I guess as long as I have a list, I have a reason to get out of bed every morning. As always, I love you and God Bless, Grant
    P.S. When ARE you going to finish THAT wood working project? Yes, I know what it is!

    Reply
    • Actually have been making progress on the project lately. Looks like I will have it done by about my birthday 😉 Love you, too. Red.

      Reply
  8. To-do lists – AGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! On the surface, I get everything you said. When it comes to actually doing it – not so much. I generally lose them, even if I make them. I’ll give it a shot though.

    Reply
    • I keep mine in a spiral notebook. My lists on notepads get aliens drawn on the or they become cut paper art…if you know what I mean. does not wonder why fave quote is fave quote.

      Reply
  9. I think I would need a list of lists, just to keep my apartment straight and my inbox clean! Forget about the rest! Some people are very organized, some are hoarders and others are like me, a little on the procrastination side of things…

    great post, and timely too!

    Reply
  10. omg, I get palpitations thinking about making and keeping New Year’s resolutions. Thankfully the pressure is over!

    Reply

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