Tuesday, October 26, 2010

to-do list tuesday

that's marcia with blond hair on the left!

this to-do list comes from the computer of one marcia prentice. in addition to being a fellow apartment therapy blogger, she can be currently seen on the hgtv show, design school. (in my head, i always say 'design school' in tim gunn's voice).

"In my early teens, I started creating to-do lists and relying on a planner to get me though my day. I am the type who has to have everything organized and planned ahead of time. Throughout the years, I developed some tips to getting my tasks done more efficiently. Because I am on my computer most of the day, I decided to start putting my lists and schedule on Apple's electronic Stickies. To visually distinguish each day or different to-do list, I change the color of each Sticky note. I keep an overall to-do list for my personal life and for my Apartment Therapy posts. From my overall to-do lists I create a schedule and list for the next few days."

click to see larger

Overall To-Do Lists
Prioritize items with numbers
List every task no matter how small
Cross off item when finished

Daily Schedule/To-Do Lists
Keep the tasks to a reasonable amount
Schedule time for breaks and meals
Allot time slots for larger tasks
Leave an open time slot to complete many smaller tasks
Schedule e-mails and phone calls either first thing in the morning or in the evening
Update/Adjust to-do lists at the end of every day

"As we all know, we have the best intentions to cross off every item on our list. It is easy to get sidetracked with internet browsing, phone calls, and unexpected disruptions. My biggest challenge is to stay focused and not jump from task to task. I also want to complete the more enjoyable and easy items first; however, they may not be the highest priority. What helps me to stay focused is to schedule breaks; therefore, I have something to look forward to when I have to stay focused for hours. Staying efficient is very important to me and I am always looking for new and better ways to work."

1 comment:

  1. When I got my iPhone I thought it would be so much easier to organize my daily, monthly and weekly to do but everything is so much more complicated now. I am sticking to plain and simple paper to do lists from now on. So much more efficient.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin