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How to complete a large project with to-do lists
How to complete a large project with to-do lists
Anonim

To achieve your goals stress-free, use weekly to-do lists alongside your daily ones.

How to complete a large project with to-do lists
How to complete a large project with to-do lists

What is the essence of the system

Professional long distance runners take tempo control very seriously. They know that if they start running at maximum speed, they will very soon be exhausted and will not make it to the finish line.

The same goes for working on large projects: if you try to complete all tasks at once, you will burn out long before the work is finished. Everything needs to be done gradually, and one of the best ways to do this is through a system of weekly and daily to-do lists.

Its concept is very simple. At the end of each week, you create a list of all the things you want to do next. And at the end of each day, you pick from the weekly list the tasks you want to tackle tomorrow.

After you've finished your day, stop and rest. And if you complete tasks a week in advance, then don't sit down to work until next Monday.

What are its benefits

This system has several advantages over the “do as much as possible every day” approach that most people take.

Energy saving

The main resource that is available to us is our energy. Weekly and daily to-do lists save money. The work is broken down into small blocks that are easy to complete. There is no need to try to be in time as much as possible - it is enough to master the planned.

Reducing procrastination

When we take on a huge project, it is difficult to resist procrastination, because we know very well how much work remains to be done. Daily to-do lists solve this problem by creating a clear framework for the number of things to do each day. And if we know that there is not much to do, then the fear decreases and it is easier to get started.

Maintaining the big picture

It happens that due to a tight schedule, we forget to carry out some important, but non-urgent tasks for several weeks or even months. For example, going to the gym or learning a new language. This is where weekly lists come in. When you need to collect all the tasks that you would like to complete in 5-6 days, it is easy to remember such goals. Then all that remains is to add them to one of the daily lists.

Burnout prevention

Burnout happens when we take on too much and don't allow ourselves to rest properly until the job is done. This is because we focus on the total number of tasks in the project instead of the tasks that are worth completing in a day.

Weekly and daily to-do lists separate work into smaller chunks so you don't have to worry about the tasks ahead and you can regain strength.

How to use the system more efficiently

Concentrate on daily lists

The weekly list is the starting point for the daily. When you finish all the tasks for the day, do not think about the rest of the tasks for the week. Pretend they don't exist. Worry less about the upcoming work and do not try to think about the entire volume of work at once - this will reduce the stress.

Choose a few important goals for the month

In order not to forget about any long-term or non-urgent things to be done, you need to write them down every month. Then keep those goals in mind when making your weekly lists so you don't miss out on anything important.

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