Comments on: My Tip for Productivity: Tear Up the To-Do List

By: Len

Len — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:42:33 +0000

To-do lists are important when you really have A LOT to do, especially to those who easily forget things. I always have a lot on my plate and I certainly would be less productive (some things will surely be missed out) without keeping a list.

By: Ray Johnson | Make money on the internet

Ray Johnson | Make money on the internet — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:00:32 +0000

To-do lists never worked for me. All they ever did was make me worry about how much work there is. I just try and do whatever seems more important. Works for me.

By: Shweta Shetye

Shweta Shetye — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:16:36 +0000

Hi Tom,

I am replying after a long time and so I don’t expect you to remember me . All the things said (and the saga done with), To do list always works for me.

As far as work in related, as soon as I reach work I open my diary and list the things I have pending since yesterday, most important things today, and things out of today which can be pushed to tomorrow. I know too complicated ..lol…well the whole reason to do all this is to STRIKE OUT.

Yes…striking out things which I have already completed gives me the most amazing pleasure. It makes me feel that I have been able to take care of something in my unmanageable life (imagine this state without kids).

As far as personal goals are related, well I don’t have many since loving the people important to me is the most important To-do for me everyday .

Thanks,
Shweta

By: Karol

Karol — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:36:40 +0000

Thanks Tom!
I try to mix different time management styles and techniques, as none of them utterly suits me. I find setting deadlines helpful. To-do lists, yes but only as alerts and reminders…can’t leave without them (though can be troublesome if overused and distracting). There is something else, which can ruin even the best masterminded plan – multitasking or should say – switchtasking. Although this is a subject for another discussion – I found it interesting: Multitasking is a Myth
http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Multitasking-Doing-Gets-Nothing/dp/0470372257

By: Bozoette Mary

Bozoette Mary — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:09:40 +0000

I’ve begun writing myself post-it notes and sticking them on the calendar right beside my screen. I only do one at a time, and it always starts out with the phrase “Why don’t you…” or “You really ought to…” and then the top two things I need to get done.

I see it every time I glance away from the screen. And I seem to do the two — maybe three — things on the list.

It’s a gentle reminder rather than a TO DO. When I read it, I say, “Oh, okay!” and I do it.

Or maybe I’m just nuts.

By: motorlu panjur

motorlu panjur — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:33:08 +0000

thanks

By: erica

erica — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:39:37 +0000

@Tammy You made me smile Yes it can be too methodical. I don’t follow Covey’s approach or GTD as strictly as I could. For one thing, I don’t feel I have the time to learn how to do it exactly as Allen describes at length. I still find a huge benefit from just taking some of the principles of each – ie. the idea of dumping to a notebook then transferring to a trusted source regularly. Otherwise I was scribbling notes wherever and marking appointments in a print calendar, Google calendar, Outlook calendar… then forgetting things because duh, I couldn’t trust one source to have it all. Now my moleskine has it all, and I transfer out of it.

@Chris Thanks for the recommendation, I’m going to check that out myself. I was also thinking about Sandy – the online “digital assistant” at iwantsandy.com – I never did set it up properly, but it might help with a lot of to do list and reminder items. Being web-based its accessible anywhere from my Treo or library computer etc. But I’m going to check My Life Organized out as well. Outlook just doesn’t cut it for me.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:40:36 +0000

Having test driven several ways to get organized, the best for me was My Life Organized software, based on the GTD concepts. The key with using a list is to go back and review it. You can put things off if not critical, but don’t not go back and see where the tasks you want to get done fit in.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:51:58 +0000

Stephen Covey’s approach is too methodical.

Sometimes the brain and the body cannot be as methodical as we’d like.

Nevertheless, my dog-eared copy of his book showed how methodically I studied his ideas!

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:48:20 +0000

I feel like a fraud! Whitney has ‘shouted out’ to me about my productivity, but this week it’s taking a hammering. I just don’t feel like doing very much at all. My ‘to do’ list on Toodledo is long, but nothing is urgent, and my brain just isn’t focused. I don’t have many weeks like this, but this is one of them.

So what happens when I get into a slump like this? I do something else, well away from the computer and the communications gadgetry. I don’t have kids or pets, so I’ll spend some time in the garden (pruning and pulling weeds by hand is very therapeutic), or I’ll do some quilting or cooking, or we’ll go for a walk or a drive to a nearby town.

Sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and from work…

(That didn’t answer the main question Tom asked, but as I’m not very focused at the moment, it’ll have to do!)