Declutter (and ditch) your ever-growing to-do list
In the previous blog post I showed you how you can create a schedule that works for you, and now that you have that structure in place, you can work towards ditching your to do list once and for all by always planning for your tasks into your schedule so they don’t become a massive list.
But before you can fully ditch your to do list, it’s best to start with decluttering it.
I used to have a notebook filled with lists, and I had to have an index at the start of that notebook to keep track of which lists were on which page.
Yeah. That was not a great way to keep track of what I needed to get done.
Firstly, it was just way too much stuff for one human to do. I was collecting ideas for what I needed to do for my business from *all the experts*, which meant I had multiple experts’ worth of tasks to do, plus all the ideas I had on my own.
Secondly, them just being a loooong list of things meant that there was no plan for how or when to get them done – I’d pick things from there to do while the lists just kept growing every week.
So one day I realized that what if I went through my to dos in the same way I’d go through my clothes or other items at home while decluttering? What if I applied some minimalist principles to what made its way onto my schedule?
I went through my notebook of tasks, with some basic questions in mind like “does this bring me joy?” or “is this actually useful to me?” or “does this fit my life or the way I wanna do business?”
I was able to cross out about 80-90% of the tasks. Then I scheduled out the rest of my tasks into the next few weeks – which is the best thing I’ve kept up with for my task management.
I have a feeling that we all have tasks on our plates that maybe don’t belong there anymore, and that’s why I don’t want to get you started off on a stuffed schedule either, which is why decluttering is such an important step in this process.
Even if you don’t have a notebook filled with tasks front-to-back, your brain can still get overwhelmed if you have a list of items…
that’s longer than what you can realistically do in a short period of time
that’s got a lot of “someday” items on it mixed with more urgent and important tasks
that’s got a bunch of shoulds on there that you’re not even sure about if you’re ever going to want to do.
that’s just all in your head (your brain has to do a lot of extra labor trying to remember it all)
Think of it this way – if you’d want to have a downsized, intentional, neat closet of clothes, you wouldn’t simply reorganize everything that you’ve got that you’re already feeling overwhelmed with. You’d declutter what you don’t want and need before you’d organize the rest into your closet or before you buy anything new – so that the items actually have room to breathe *and* it’s easier for you to manage them, and easier to see what’s missing.
So – let’s get started on the decluttering!
Step 1 – brain dump
List every single task or activity that you want to do or need to get done.
Also add in any commitments and events you might have coming up.
If you have a list already, search your brain for those things that you need to do, but are only carrying in your brain. Sometimes we don’t write everything down that’s on our mental checklist.
Step 2 – get curious and honest about this list
There are a lot of reasons that can be behind why you’re considering a task, so being more aware of those can help you cross out a bunch of tasks.
Here are some basic questions that you can ask yourself to help you declutter:
Will this bring me joy?
Is doing this actually going to be useful to me? (And useful is relevant – you might think for example that helping someone else will be useful to you because they’ll appreciate you and like you more, but if it comes at the cost of taking time away from something that you needed to do for yourself, it might not be worth it)
Does this fit my life, or the way I want to do things?
What is the energy behind this idea?
Did this pop up because of a sense of guilt or obligation?
Is this idea based in FOMO?
Maybe you’ve put that task on your list because some expert somewhere said it needs to be done, but it doesn’t feel right for you at all.
Or maybe you’re just trying to keep up with other people you see online?
Is this important or relevant to what you want to accomplish in life (Would it just be cool to do, but you don’t feel too much drive towards it?)
Is this something I’m just used to doing, but don’t want to anymore?
Do I actually WANT TO commit time and energy to this?
So let these Qs be your guide, and cross off everything that makes sense to let go of.
Step 3 – what about new ideas that pop up after this process?
Our brain is a machine at coming up with ideas, but it doesn’t mean that every idea is something to pursue. So as new ideas pop up, it’s good to stay alert and pay attention to what’s behind that idea, what’s the reason you’re considering it and will it be useful to you – before you put it into your schedule.
“Someday” tasks
I’m not a fan of someday lists – but if you really want to hold onto some things that you think “could be fun maybe someday”, but aren’t things you’re planning to do in the near future:
→ Write those down somewhere else, so that they’re not clogging up your mind when you need to focus on what is relevant right now.
In the next blog post we’re gonna dive into how you can plan your tasks into your schedule, so that you don’t go back to having endless to do lists again.