How to get more done
Writing lists is a great way to keep yourself accountable for the things you need to do.
The challenge is that a long list can make you feel overwhelmed.
So is there a clever way to encourage yourself to complete more of the tasks?
In his excellent book The Rules of Thinking: A personal code to think yourself smarter, wiser and happier, Richard Templar shares a great tip from a relative.
They said that a good list should begin with the following items:
Something quick
Something you enjoy
Something you’ve done before
This is a great way of getting you past the procrastination phase that we all experience before we begin anything.
Incidentally, the word procrastination comes from the Latin for forward (pro) and tomorrow (crastinus).
The easier we make the start, the less likely we are to put off tackling the list altogether.
Once you’ve begun, you’ll find that completing one task spurs you on to the next. Momentum has taken hold.
Try it for yourself and see how much of a difference it makes.
