Category: Task List

Background of a wall of doors with text on top "What if you had fewer decisions to make each day"

What if you had fewer decisions to make each day?

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

What if you had fewer decisions to make each day?

How would that feel?

Would you get more done?

How many times throughout your day are you sitting at your desk deciding what needs to happen next? Only to do it again when you complete that task. You have to mentally go through all of the things that have to happen. And it can be exhausting.

Instead, create that to-do list so that you know what you need to work on next, and you don’t have to make that decision each time you’re ready to move on to a new task.

I’ve had clients tell me that they were surprised at how much smoother their day went with a good to-do list. They didn’t need to try to remember what the next thing was that they needed to get done. They had the next task written down already. The decision was already made.

So create your to-do list!

And if you want to make sure you set up your to-do list to tie in with your goals for the month, the quarter, and the year. I invite you to attend the free training I am doing at the end of April. It’s called Plan Prioritize Profit: The Three Keys to Getting the Right Things Done Each Day. In this training, I will be talking about to-do lists and sharing my framework for how to set them up in a way that allows you to make fewer decisions.

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on YouTube or in my free FB group.

Background of woman typing on laptop with text on top "WHY things don't get done Break it down"

WHY things don’t get done: Break it down

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

Welcome to Part Two in the WHY things don’t get done series.

Last week’s reason was not knowing what to do next (you can find that here).

This week we’re talking about knowing what to do but not doing it.

This might happen because you haven’t broken things down enough, are afraid of getting it done, are waiting for inspiration, are feeling lethargic, or some other reason.

Sometimes I have clients who KNOW what to do next, but they don’t know how to approach it. It’s a black hole project (a project that you don’t know how long it will take, and it feels like it will such ALL your time and energy).

The reason you’re not doing it will determine what your next best step is.

The reason you’re not doing something isn’t always obvious either.

To get to the reason, you need to remove obstacles to make it easier to see what’s going on.

I’ve had clients who thought they were afraid to finish a project, but the actual problem was that the project wasn’t broken down enough. Once they broke it down, it was no longer a black hole project, and they were able to complete it quickly.

Alternatively, I’ve seen clients break things down into a manageable checklist and not do it. But this allowed them to see what they were actually avoiding.

Breaking things down into smaller doable steps (or creating a checklist) can sometimes provide the momentum that allows you to be inspired or move through the blah feeling.

And sometimes, it provides the momentum that allows you to get inspired or move through the blah feeling.

When it comes to inspiration, a quote I return to a lot is:

If you want to create something and you’re not feeling inspired, take a closer look as to why that is or just ignore it and start doing stuff.

Craig Benzine

Often action creates inspiration (and not the other way around).

To sum up, break projects and tasks down into smaller steps. Then one of three things will happen:

  1. you’ll get the project/task done or 
  2. it will shine a light on the real reason it’s not getting done or 
  3. it will give you the momentum to finish it.

Next week, we’ll discuss reason #3 for WHY things don’t get done.

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on YouTube or in my free FB group.

background image of woman writing in notebook. Text on top says "My number one tip for keeping track of it all"

My number one tip for keeping track of it all

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

My number one tip for keeping track of it all…

Is to write it down.

It’s like that document you put in a safe place. It’s SO safe, even YOU can’t find it.

So, there are some caveats or tips to writing it down.

In David Allen’s book Getting Things Done, he talks about having a limited number of “capture locations.” Capture locations are the places you “capture” information, ideas, tasks, etc. From there, they get moved to the place they need to live so you can take whatever the next step is with them.

So, if it’s a to-do list item, it moves to your Weekly or Everything list (more on that here).

If it’s an item you’re keeping for reference, you file it with other reference items.

There are a lot of habits hiding in this workflow that need to work together.

I will go more into this next week when I talk about making “writing it down” work for you.

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on YouTube. Or join the conversation in my free FB group here.

Text: Two quick secrets about to-do lists

Two quick secrets about to-do lists

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

To-do lists get a bad rap as bringing stress and overwhelm and taking SO MUCH TIME.

Here are two super quick secrets about to-do lists.

Secret 1: It’s just another name for goal and project management.
To-do lists are your system for keeping your business and life running smoothly and staying focused on what matters.

Secret 2: A well-crafted to-do list gives you time back.
It does! Because it’s tied to your goals and gives you permission to not worry about everything else. 

When you’re to-do list is crafted the right way, it does feel like everything is easier.

So, does your to-do list keep your business running smoothly? Does it give you time back? Or does it bring you stress and overwhelm?

Let me know if you want help creating a to-do list that keeps things running smoothly, gives you time back, and allows you to work less while accomplishing more.

Text "What's the magic pill to make your project/task management effortless?"

What’s the magic pill to make your project/task management effortless?

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

A question I often get is, “what project/task management app do you use or recommend?”

Often the real question is, “What’s the magic pill to make my project/task management effortless?”

I don’t use a project/task management app.

And I generally won’t recommend someone start there to get organized.

If you don’t know how to effectively project/task manage, then adding the complexity of learning new software will make your project/task management that much harder.

You probably are busy and have many things happening in your business and life if you’re looking at adding this kind of management app to your business. But it won’t build the foundation for you.

If you:

  • don’t know what your projects and tasks are
  • don’t have your processes and systems set up

Then how can you expect an app to manage them for you?

If you’re moving into a house, you have to decide what goes into each room, closet, cabinet, or drawer before you put things in them.

You can’t effectively use the app if you don’t know what your projects and tasks are or you don’t know your processes and systems.

So, what’s the magic pill to make your project/task management effortless?

Take the time to lay out your projects and tasks and set up your processes and systems.

If you need help with this, reach out and we can have a chat!