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."

to-do list tuesday

you guys! i'm going to hawaii in september. man alive do i need to get into fantastic shape. but my billy ocean chalkboard wall just wasn't motivation enough for me to get my butt into gear. so i'm taking a page out of my friend jeremy's to-do list for inspiration. each week, he notes what days he works out (trying to fill the page). for him, empty space on the page=bad. i'm doing something similar. each time i work out, i put a strike next to the item (with hopes that the chalkboard will be full by the end of each week). and i'll need to meditate to get me through all this working out...

to-do list tuesday

this to-do list is from one of my favorite bloggers, meredith (of penelope loves lists fame). she crafts honest and inspiring entries and hits the nail on the head every time. the topics are relatable and often have me saying, "oh yeah, i went through that--thanks for sharing and making me feel normal!"  you can tell meredith really loves filling the big shoes over at penelope--and she's created quite a lovely community of folks over there. so without further ado, here is meredith's to-do list with tips and all!

One thing that works: the highlight system. 

I list my 5 or so items for the day with highlight on those that absolutely HAVE to get done that day or are time-sensitive within the day. I focus on those first.

One thing that is a challenge: limiting myself to putting just 5 or so items on my list.

It's tough, there's always SO much to do. But, I find if I limit myself to the 5 or so most important items, I can focus on them and get them done, without getting distracted by the overwhelming weight of my overall task list. I wrote about this in more detail here.

to-do list tuesday

there are a couple of things on my to-do list that are always on there (things like "exercise" and "blog today" or "meditate"). you'd be surprised at how easily i can forget to do something if it isn't written down. but i've found a few links recently that make some items on my to-do list a little easier to tackle. 

meditation

for the past 6 months, i've tried meditating on a regular basis to no avail. to me, the benefits are apparent immediately but because it's self guided, i usually write it off. although i find that if i meditate exactly when it crosses my mind to do so (instead of putting it off til later in the day) it usually gets done. then a friend forwarded me this very helpful link for guided meditations. i find that the taped meditations offer a hint of accountability because of the pre-determined time length and the soothing voice leading the way.

yoga

almost 3 years ago, i ran my first marathon. the training was super intense and by the end of the marathon i was like, "i never have to do that again." i pretty much quit exercising and chilled out for a while. fast forward to now and you can find me sporadically attending classes at all about you wellness boot camp and still yoga (while rotating in a long run for good measure). unfortunately, when i get super busy with work, i hate leaving the house to exercise. i calculate the time it takes to look presentable, add up the minutes for the drive to and from the class and determine that i'm wasting time (even though exercise helps keep me sane). and then 2 weeks ago, my friend ric told me about yogaglo. for only $18/month, you can stream yoga classes into the comfort of your own home. yesterday, when i was at ric's house (borrowing her internet) she did a yoga class in her living room. the cool thing is, you can pick classes based on level, teacher, what part of the body you'd like to work on... and the classes are continually being updated so nothing gets stale. and while i don't think yogaglo will replace my yoga classes in silver lake, they're a great addition to my exercise routine.

image; pauldeveto

to-do list tuesday

ok. i'm super ashamed to admit it but as of yesterday, i had something on my to-do list for almost 8 months (yikes)! the check engine light (and 2 other ones that were always questionable) started randomly going on and off for the last year. it caused me concern initially but my mechanic said it was probably just a rogue sensor and he could reset it (but in the near future i should bring the car in and he'll take a look at it). so of course i went in for my car's routine maintenance a few months back and totally forgot to have him look at it. at the time, the light wasn't on and i plum forgot (damn).

fast forward to yesterday. my parents are coming into town this weekend (which entails me driving us around) and i didn't want the check engine light going on and off. so i made an appointment to take my scion xb in today. to make a really long story short, the cam shaft gear had malfunctioned (apparently the model of my car is known to do this). and it needed to be replaced (double damn). at the tune of $600--and that was just for the part and did not include labor (we're going straight to quadruple damn). anywhoodle, my uh-mazing mechanic (seriously love this guy) decides to call the dealership to see if my car is still under warranty for this part (which i totally didn't think to do--partly because it's almost 5 years old). turns out, it is! the kicker? it's a 60,000 mile warranty. wanna know what my odometer read this morning?! 59,943!!!!! um, yeah. basically if i had not taken my car in today, i would be $1,000 out of pocket. huge lesson learned. do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

to-do list tuesday

To-Do List

maureen and i met by happenstance. she uploaded some uh-mazing pics of her organized home to one of the flickr group pools i often frequent. from there i went to her blog, notes on a visual life (inspiration galore) and decided to follow her blog. turns out--we're from the same place in sc (well almost the same place). we decided to meet up for coffee in the big city of LA since we're both transplants and the rest is history. maureen graciously shared her to-do list with us, which will be history as soon as she crosses stuff off (i couldn't help myself)!

My biggest challenge when it comes to my to-do's would be initial motivation. I can be a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to tasks where I haven't done a particular thing before or there is some chance that I'm going to fail. Those are the tasks I'll be most likely to put off for a long time (i.e. going to the DMV to get my CA license and registration).

If the tasks are home based (cleaning, organizing, computer-y, etc...) I will put on a favorite podcast for some funny background noise (The Ricky Gervais podcast is a go to!) and I will just keep thinking, "Do it now!" Once I'm up and moving, I'll be unstoppable. Also, another trick for when I CAN'T get in the mood to clean or organize: go to YouTube and watch a segment from the British show "How Clean Is Your House." If you're like me, you'll be in a cleaning frenzy in NO TIME. This may sound silly but if you find something that can help to motivate you visually, put it somewhere in your space! I found a lovely print that actually says "Do it Now." I framed it and put it in my kitchen and it does work for me as a good reminder. But it's true that the longer you wait to tackle something, the more psychologically difficult it becomes.

I am a list maker through and through so I always have a To-Do list on hand. If I'm feeling super motivated and fancy, I will categorize items by importance through ink color. I think it's best to avoid an overly ambitious to-do list as you'll probably never complete it (or it will take ages) and you won't get that rewarding sense of completion which may inspire you to tackle more of your to-do baggage. I try to keep mine realistic. It's also a good idea to make your entries singular and precise rather than one entry that includes LOADS of steps and tasks. But, everyone is different and as my dad would say, "If everyone liked vanilla they wouldn't make chocolate." Find whatever works for you and knock it out of the park.

to-do list tuesday and 300th post!!

old notebook... dunzo!

fresh, new notebook (love)!

when i started my own biz, i decided to go digital when it comes to my calendar (it.was.not.easy and i went kicking.and.screaming). but when it comes to my to-do list, paper is where it's at for me. like i said, i use one notebook and rewrite my list (almost) daily. i also transfer any client notes and important memos to my phone, calendar or computer. and when the notebook has no pages left, it's time to get a new shiny one--which kinda feels like i get to start over (in a good way).

to-do list tuesday

no. paper. needed (found here).

to-do list tuesday

laure is the creative head over at "at home at home." it's a blog that showcases her many talents (writing, photography, culinary delights) mainly, making the home a wonderful place to be. today, she has graciously shared her to-do list in all its glory.

the deets
Working freelance in three different capacities: photographer, writer and stylist, my to-do lists tend to be entirely unrealistic or I give up on them and keep them in my head (bad idea). When I'm good, I review my week on sunday night so that I make sure I know of any appointments that are coming up and then I make a list of all the things I want to get done. I add these to my iCal as I think of them so that I see the week as a whole. On paper, I write out my daily to-do's at the start of each day and I add an A, B, or C for priority, this way I can see quickly which things need to get done first. It might sound confusing, but this system works great for me since I'm easily sucked into perfectionism. This keeps me moving onto things that are important.

Important vs. Urgent
I took a Franklin Covey time management workshop when I worked for a small company years ago and the best thing I learned was discerning between those things that are Important and those things that are Urgent. Especially working freelance it can be too easy to fill my day with busy work: rearranging my desk, organizing my emails, etc. all in the name of efficiency and not get to the important things like refining my website or taking time to reach out to new clients (because I can always do it later) or even the importance of a day off lollygagging with friends in the sun. So before I get bogged down in the minutiae of the day, I try to identify 3 things I can do in the day that will move me forward on what's important to me in my life. Today it's:

1) talking to grace about moving my blog over to wordpress and vamping it up in time for some press I know will be coming out in November.

2) scheduling a day to go to the Westside to take care of returns, seeing my dad (remember Important not Urgent), picking up some plants I have at his place (so that I can use them for a terrarium building party I want to throw) and picking up a slide scanner so I can archive my grandmother's slides. (this is a classic item that I seem to never have time to do even though I am largely the master of my own schedule).

3) make sure that EJ and I talk about summer schedule so that I know what trips we want to do and when we want to do them so that I can plan my work schedule and budget for the next 3 months. As long as this is unfinished, I keep putting a bunch of decisions on the backburner, which drives me nuts.

One minute or Less
I think I got this from Gretchen at the Happiness Project, but if there's ever a task on my list or a task that presents itself throughout the day that would take a minute or less to take care of, I DO IT NOW. I don't put it off. Surprisingly there are a lot of tasks that take almost no time and yet I want to procrastinate: waiting on sending that pitch until it's perfect, not reloading the stapler or the ink cartridges because it seems like a pain, etc., not stopping to drink water or take a step outside to take a break, etc.