Organize Tasks for Better Productivity

Throughout the day, it’s easy to drift off into la-la land and get lost in a daydream.  Many people have big dreams of what they want to accomplish and a clear picture of the life they want to live, But, they put it off as, “someday.”  They waste a lot of time dreaming, when they could be turning their dreams into goals, creating an action plan, and making it happen.  Dreaming is easy – the hard part for most people is figuring out where to start.  So, let’s do some reverse engineering, this down, and organize tasks to make those big dreams a reality!

Turn a Dream into a Goal – Set a Deadline

A dream becomes a goal once you set a deadline.  This gets the ball rolling!  When you set a deadline, you’re making a decision to work at something.

Do your research and take your life circumstances into consideration to set a realistic deadline.  In my book Push, and in many of my goal setting exercises, I tell people to set goals they want to accomplish in the next year.

Do a Brain Dump

After setting a deadline, do a brain dump session.  Write down every single thing that needs to be done to accomplish your goal.  Get detailed here.  Your list should include even the smallest tasks that must be completed.

Then, break down large tasks into even smaller ones.  Think bite-sized to-do’s – it should take no more than a day to accomplish each item on your list, if that.

Categorize and Organize Tasks

Now that you have a laundry list of tasks, don’t get overwhelmed!  Organizing your tasks into the following categories will make the order in which you need to tackle each item clear.

1.) Research – What tasks require research?  Do your research first.  Here’s the cool part: anything you want to do, it’s very likely that someone else has not only done it, but is willing to inform you how.  Don’t hesitate to learn all you can from those who came before you.  You have access to the information, so do your research.

Learn from experts.  Ask, “What is it going to take?”  Doing the research is necessary to make informed choices and to know how to move forward.  When you do this, you’re creating a recipe for success.

2.) First – After your research is complete, what tasks must be completed first to set you into motion?  It’s that simple!  This is where you start after you’ve researched everything you need to know to get started.

3.) During – This category includes tasks that you can tackle along the way.  You will address them when the time is right, and you have completed your research and first action steps.

4.) Later – These are tasks that don’t need to be completed within the first 30 days of working toward your goal.  This includes anything that can wait and anything that doesn’t make sense to do right now.

Organizing your bite-sized to-do’s into these four categories will make your list less overwhelming and make it clear where your focus should be.

START DOING!

You’ve created a plan, now it’s time to get to moving!  Tackle three tasks per day.  Each day, put three new tasks on your to-do list, and check them off!

You’ll be surprised how quickly you run out of to-do’s!  In fact, many people often set goals for the year, and before they know it, they’ve accomplished their Push Goal in 6 months or less!

When you have a big goal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or even stalled with indecision or anxiety.  Don’t let this stop you!  By learning all you can and creating a plan based on the experiences of those who have already achieved success, you are designing a foundation for your own success in making your dreams a reality.