Do you ever feel like you have so many ideas you don’t know where to start or which ones are more important? Is your weekly to do list system failing you? Or do you ever find yourself setting goals for yourself at the beginning of the year or the beginning of a season never to actually follow through with them?
I used to be the SAME WAY! That is, until I found a system of to do lists that worked for me. Today I want to share my system with you so that you can find freedom and get more done!
My to do list system is inspired by Matt Perman in his book, What’s Best Next. I highly recommend that book if you want to learn how to do effective work!
This is my exact system that I use to stay on track!
My List System for Getting Stuff Done
I keep four main lists. I will define each one as we go.
- Master Action List – this is the list of things I want to accomplish within the next 3 months. I define an action as something that will take less than 2 steps to accomplish. For example, send an email to a client, or write a blog post. Even though it takes longer to write a blog post than it does to send an email, I still consider it an action because it’s not part of a larger project, which brings me to my next list.
- Master Projects List – These are the projects I want to complete on within the next 3 months. I define a project as anything that is longer than 2 steps. For example, it may be launch a podcast, create a family photo book for the year, or start an email list. These are things that will take a little bit more planning and work, but they are still things I want to accomplish as soon as possible.
- Backburner List – This is anything that I have ideas for and want to accomplish but I don’t want to focus on it in the next 3 months. I still want to keep them somewhere so that I don’t forget about them and so that I can ensure they will eventually get done. I am constantly evaluating this list and moving things from the backburner list to the master projects or actions list as I complete things on those lists.
- Weekly Planning List – This is anything from my master projects list or master action list that I want to accomplish in the next week. I’ll also add any other things I think of here and there that need to get done that week so that I have a place to put them for the week and I make sure they get done. I’ve found that I work much better off of a weekly planning list rather than a daily to-do list. For daily lists, I often plan way more than I can actually accomplish, or sometimes something will throw me off or come up unexpectedly where I’m not able to accomplish what I wanted for that day. Having a weekly list keeps me from feeling like a failure at the end of the day if I don’t complete everything, but it still allows me to plan for the week and make sure I’m working on the most important tasks.
Where I Keep the Lists
I have used both Trello and Google Keep for my list system. I will share how I’ve used each one, and you can also try your own system!
As of now, I’m using Google Keep for my lists. This is simple because I like the way I can have a widget right on my phone, so it’s always in front of me. With Trello, it takes a few taps before I get into the app and see what I need, which can sometimes be a barrier for me to actually get work done.
The benefit of Trello though is that you can create cards for each individual item and move the cards around to the different lists instead of having to type them out again or anything like that. It’s also super helpful for project plans, because you can view the project plan right there just by clicking on the card. In Google Keep, I have to search for the project plan. You can also search by labels, so for projects I try to have them tagged with the label “projects” so I can find them more easily.
Other Tools for List Systems
There are also other systems for lists like Airtable or Asana. I’ve heard really awesome things about Asana and that it’s a lot more powerful than Trello. But, to get more out of it than Trello you do have to pay! For me, I am already using Trello for other parts of my business, and I still use it for my content calendar, so I didn’t want to have to switch to a brand new system. Ultimately, the tool you use doesn’t matter so much as long as you are actually using it! That’s the key – you want to stick with the tool that you actually use. And for me that’s Google Keep, even though it’s actually the least powerful of all 3 tools I mentioned!
Project Plans
For projects on my master projects list, I try to keep project plans. They are helpful to keep all the info for a project in one place and to define why it’s important and what my purpose is in completing the project. For each project, I write an overall purpose for the project. Then I write down some principles to keep in mind while I’m working on the project that will guide me in making sure I stay on track. Then, I have a space for all the actions for the project. This is where I brainstorm and write down everything I can think of that I’ll have to do for the project. I can always add to it later. Then, at the bottom I have a section called “info,” which is where I make any notes I have on the project, contact information for people working with me on the proejct, and other applicable information.
In a future post, I will share how I practically use my to do list system on a day to day, weekly, and quarterly basis. I will also share how I use it to combat feelings of overwhelm. But for now I just wanted to share with you how to get it all set up to give you some ideas for yourself and your own list! Stay tuned. If you missed my other posts on productivity, browse some of the links below!
My Journey to Productivity and Effectiveness
Setting Up Your Work from Home Schedule
