Creating a To Do list to Stay Focused

 

I have implemented a new addition to my life and I am loving it!   I have reinstitute a to do list in my life.  I know...that seems a bit overkill doesn’t it?  But it’s working for me!!!

The impetus behind a To Do list

Last week I talked about my goals for the month of November. And while I am confident that I can meet those goals, I wanted to have something in place to make sure that I meet and even exceed those goals!  But I know myself.  I start strong and then I fade away for a week or two and then I get all bold and string again.  There is a total lack of consistency and it shows in my weight loss efforts, my productivity, my dollhouses, my life.  I needed something to draw me in and give me structure!

I also wrote last week about the having a bucket list of things that I want to do and accomplish in life.  I created that list and I’m excited about it!   In that post I talked about how I have to decide if I really want to do it or if I just want to dream about those things. But how could I make sure that I actually work on the list?

The to do list idea came around quite naturally.  On Monday of last week I was in the shower and thinking about everything I wanted and needed to do that day.  I had a YouTube video to film.  I had one video to edit.  I had a blog post to write.  I had some household chores and oh yeah, I had to squeeze in my yoga session. Afterall, it is Yogvember!    I didn’t want to spend all evening on that stuff.  I like my evenings to be spent with Jason.  I’m in a relationship with him because I like spending time with him, not because I want to always be doing my own thing on my end of the couch!   So I decided to write down my stuff that I needed to do so that I could work on it!!  Not only did I write my list, I took great pleasure in crossing off completed items!   That simple act made me remember my old to do list!

For years I kept a running to do list.   It was just one large long list of things that I wanted to do.   Some things were put on the list and crossed off quickly while other things sat and languished on the list for months.   I would cross off completed items and whenever I had to turn the page I would move all the unfinished things to the new page and start a new list.  It worked for me and I work well with that small reward of seeing crossed off items on my list!   I loved the memory and I wanted to turn that into something awesome for my current life! 

Breakdown of my To Do List 

I am not creating one long list. I am creating a daily to do list.  There are some things that I am putting on the list each and every day.  Some of those items are :  track my food, cardio workout, yoga, devotions, etc.   of course there are things that are just a one day event...one day I had a note to order vitamin drink packets from Amazon.     The daily list is working great!  I don’t beat myself up if something doesn’t get done (most most days everything does get done because I take great glee in crossing items off). BUt if something doesn’t get done I just move it to the next day and carry on.

 On the weekends I don’t have such a strict daily list of things to do.  I have the weekend lumped into one page.         I am simply marking down those items that we randomly say through the week but then forget when the weekend comes.   As you can see, I do have the yoga and food tracking listed there for each day of the weekend because they are things that I really want to continue through the weekend!

I have also included and created a weekly to do list.  This includes the posting schedule for my blogs and my YouTube channels.  It is also where I am placing those long term to do items.  If I have time to work on those things, awesome!  If not I will just move it to the next week!

I am amazed at how productive this had made me this week!  I have managed to get so much done!  I have completed projects and tasks that get pushed aside and/or forgotten.   I feel in top of things and not stressed out.  And I feel so full of pride when I cross an item off the list because it is completed!  I decided that I want the life that I dream about and that I will do whatever it takes to get it!   For me, a to do list keeps me focused on working on my goals each and every day!