When you work remotely, or have flexible hours, you have a great deal of control over your schedule. That’s the good news. It’s also the cause of stress and lost productivity. How can you create a “to-do” list that is thoughtful and effective?
Too often, we confuse productivity with task completion. If that seems paradoxical, you’re not wrong. How can you be less productive but have all those lovely checkmarks beside all the tasks you got done?
The answer is not all tasks are created equal. “Call Bob” and “Finish that report” both need to be done. The trap is one can be accomplished quickly and move on to checking off another box. It’s likely that finishing the report is more important to the team’s success, but you can check three phone calls off your list in the time it takes to proofread a document. If you make those calls, but never get to the report, it can look like you were productive. But were you?
One of the hardest things to assess when you are working alone is which tasks are truly productive. That requires a working definition of productivity. From our book, The Long-Distance Leader:
Productivity is getting the right work done, in the right amount of time, to the correct standard.
Where we often need help is in defining “the right work.”
Creating Your Preliminary To-Do List
Next time you create a to-do or task list, try this process. (I suggest doing it old-school, with paper and pen/pencil until you get good at it.)
- Brainstorm all the tasks you can think of that await you. This is no time for judgment. Just get them all down.
- Go through that list and identify everything with firm deadlines. This includes meetings that you must attend. (Be careful how you define those.) How many things need to be done today or leave you no time before they need to be completed? Put a star beside those.
- Identify tasks that impact your team or teammates. Are people waiting on you? Is the team’s work being delayed? Mark those with an X
- Identify those tasks that will take longer or are going to take place over multiple days. This can include writing reports or doing analysis. You’re probably used to thinking of them as, “important but not urgent.” Put a checkmark beside those.
- If you can’t decide if they are truly important, or you can’t prioritize one task over another put a question mark there. You’ll likely need help prioritizing these.
Organizing Your To-Do List
Now that you have all your tasks listed in one place, the next step is to organize them.
- Start with the items you’ve put a star beside. List the items that MUST be done today. Also, take a realistic guess at how long they’ll take to complete. Be honest with yourself.
- Next, check out the items with an X. Are these tasks time-sensitive for other people? Great teammates take the team and others into account. Add those to the list, along with the time involved.
- Now move on to the checkmark tasks. Take one of those important items and add it to the list, along with a time estimate. This is where it gets tricky. We often look at something that will take hours to do, add it to the time we’ve already blocked out and decide there’s no way to do all that in one day. You’re probably right. Look at that important task and ask yourself: “Is there a piece of this that would help me make progress and can be done in the time I have?” Maybe you can’t finish the report. However, you might have enough time to gather all the research or do the first page/section. Completing one or two pieces of it today makes that task less daunting tomorrow. Whittle it down into manageable, performable tasks.
- If you have items with question marks, don’t be shy about confirming priorities. Your manager might have assigned you several tasks. Do you know which ones are most important to them? After all, if you’re spending time on things your internal customer doesn’t find valuable, are you really being productive?
Prioritizing Your Final To-Do List
Look at your day. If you have meetings or specific deadlines that day, put those in your calendar with a realistic time estimate. These include the things you owe other people.
Take a larger item and give yourself 30-40 minutes to complete as much of it as you can. Block that time and set your do not disturb when working on them.
Group the “easily accomplished items” and put them in 45-minute blocks (if you can.) Break the blocks up so you’re not spending all morning on these tasks. It’s amazing how many of those little tasks can be checked off in a hurry. When you feel like you’ve accomplished a lot, your brain gives you permission to work on those things that take longer. When you’ve made progress on those larger items, give yourself a break and knock out some more of those little items.
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments
At the end of the day, be honest about what you’ve accomplished. Too many of us create long lists of tasks, then fall into natural tendencies to tackle the things that are easiest first. Things we like to do get priority over what needs to be done immediately. By taking the time to analyze your day, you can make smarter choices about how to spend it.
Claim the power over your time. It will mean you truly get the benefit of flexible work while providing greater value for your manager and your organization.
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