bout 100 years ago, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik noticed the human brain’s obsession with urgent tasks. She concluded that we remember what we haven’t done better than what we have done, and described the effect that bears her name.
Later, scientists discovered that even just writing down tasks makes us more efficient. This means that even if the task is not yet finished, but we have a specific plan, working on it goes much better.
To-do lists are a great invention. They reduce anxiety, give us a plan of action, and serve as evidence of what we have accomplished in a day, week, or month. But to reap the benefits of such lists, you have to know how to make them.
Here are 9 lists that will help organize your life and improve your productivity.
9 Types of Lists That Will Organize the Chaos in Your Life and Work
#1. The “To Do” List
This method is described in Donald Ross's book "Don't Read This Book: Time Management for Creative People". It helps you focus on the most important tasks in your work plan and understand which of them are really important and which can be postponed.
All tasks should be divided into three lists: to-do tasks list of georgia cell phone numbers completed tasks, and undone tasks.
You can only put three items on the first list. The remaining tasks go to the un-done list. When you complete a task, the corresponding item moves to the completed list, giving you the pleasant feeling of having completed a task. In its place, you can move a new task from the un-done list.
For example, you have scheduled a monthly report, pick up your parents from the train, and pay for the internet for a given day. These are urgent tasks that cannot be postponed and must be completed today. As such, they go on the to-do list. Paying other bills, responding to emails, and completing other work tasks are not priorities for today, so they go on the to-do list. For example, if you have already paid for the internet in the morning, this task is moved to the completed tasks list, and the to-do list is replaced by responding to emails.
Lifehack: If you like to help yourself with technology, there’s an iOS app that follows this method, ToDon't . At the time of publication, it costs $0.99.
#2. 90 Day Goal List
Some performance experts believe that goals should be set for the next three months, rather than the year, as many people do. This way, you have a better chance of staying motivated and achieving the desired results.
Plan your tasks for the next 90 days in detail and keep this list handy so you don't forget what's important to you, where you're going, and what you want to achieve.
#3. Individual planner – list of current tasks
This method will be useful for those who like to create to-do lists manually. The current to-do list allows you to see all the tasks, plans and goals you have set for the week on one spread of the planner. The system is very flexible.
How to create a personalized planner:
Take a sheet of paper and divide the page into two columns in landscape orientation. The first will contain the days of the week, the second – the tasks. At the intersection of the task and the day of the week on which the task is to be completed, draw an empty square. If the task has been completed, color the square.
If a task is moved – draw an arrow in the square and draw a new square on the day the task is due.
If a task has become obsolete, mark it with a cross.
If the task is only partially completed, color half of the square.
#4. List of things done
We tend to cross out completed tasks and forget about them. By collecting them in a separate list, you will see how much you are actually doing, which will motivate you to continue.
You can also keep a list of books read, films watched, events visited, countries visited, etc.
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#5. Benjamin Franklin's Productivity Pyramid
At the age of 20, the future US president developed a time management system that he used throughout his life. Today, we call it the "Franklin pyramid."
At the base of the pyramid are the values of life . These are moral guidelines for solving any task, which Franklin called virtues. For himself, he identified 13 of them: moderation, silence, love of order, decisiveness, frugality, diligence, sincerity, justice, moderation, purity, peace, chastity, and gentleness.
The next level of Franklin’s pyramid is the global goal . It’s based on life principles and answers the question, “What do I want to achieve by X years?” For example, launching my own startup.
Franklin always kept to a schedule and literally wrote out every step. That's why his pyramid is further along:
Master Plan – Step-by-step instructions for achieving the global goal
long term plan – goals for the next 3-5 years
short-term plan – tasks for the next year and month
weekly and daily planning
All levels of the pyramid are arranged in a specific order – each subsequent one builds on the previous one. Franklin’s method is not a typical productivity list, but rather a general vision of one’s life with a maximum level of detail.
Just write down your tasks for the day? We have a better idea. Nine, to be exact.
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