Most of us have clutter and “getting organized” problems in some area of our life. For many folks, paper is a big one and a close second is To Do List or Action List management. If you end up with multiple to do lists, whether its several half finished notebooks, a few legal pads or dozens of little sticky notes, it is a burden. One of my clients even said of his many pads of notes, that they “kind of tyrannize me!”
According to Merriam-Webster:
tyr·an·nize verb ˈtir-ə-ˌnīz
1: to exercise arbitrary oppressive power or severity
2: to treat tyrannically : oppress <a regime that tyrannizes its citizens>
Maybe it’s worth taking the time up front to consolidate the lists and get disciplined about tracking them in the future. I am a big fan of David Allen (Getting Things Done) for time management stuff, who highly recommends having a compatible workflow system for getting things done. He asserts doing so in order to capture all the things that need to get done into a logical, trusted system outside of your head and OFF YOUR MIND. Thus, you free up your mind to recieve new information, to be present in the moment, to improve your performance …it’s all good!
So choose a source – paper, electronic, notebooks – wisely considering convenience and accessibility. When you get to the task of consolidating:
- Set a timer – for example, for 20 minutes – and just do the consolidating and getting things done until you hear the buzzer.
- If an item on the list will take 2 minutes or less, get it done immediately. Quick phone calls, emails and fast tasks.
- If an item has been on a list for a long time or has been transferred from list to list, it is likely not something you really need, want or have as a priority, so remove it from the list completely. Remember, be brutal about your list to be kind to yourself. You are a unique, important and busy person so be arrogant about what gets to stay on your list. Is it worthy of your time? Does it fit into one of your top 5 life goals? If no, buh bye.
Carry on, man. Fight the to do list regime of tyranny!