Spring Clean Your Workload
To-do lists and hints that really work (because we use them!) and includes downloadable template too!
Bogged down in the same-old/same-old routine and fed up with feeling like you never really achieve anything? With the coming of spring, take the time to spring clean your to-do list with these practical tips.
As I write this, snow is falling outside the window. The UK, according to the Met Office, has an average of 23 days of snow or sleet a year but where we are on the coast of north Wales, it is rare to have any snow of any quality or quantity. And so today, with wet, slushy snow gliding down the office windows, it doesn’t seem like the right day to talk of spring cleaning.
But there are just times in your day or week when your to-do list becomes so long, that it threatens to overwhelm you. What doesn’t help is when we assign every task as being ‘on fire’. Only the other day, I commented to a client that when we are fighting small fires all day every day, it can quickly become an inferno.
Being overwhelmed with must-do-important-this-is-a-priority tasks can result in unmanageable stress. Or, in my case, procrastination. In other words, I can sometimes feel I have so much to do, that I don’t do anything at all.
When it becomes clear that the avalanche of work and must-do tasks are threatening to overwhelm you, it is time to spring clean your workload.
If You Keeping Doing the Same Thing…
… you’ll keep getting the same results. And with this ringing in my ears, I went on the hunt for some way of working smarter. And I found it in the depths of an online project management course.
You may have come across this tool before - and it isn’t a Prontus invention - but it is my go-to tool for when the “list of phone calls to make and things to chase but I have all this to do” mindset sets in.
Our downloadable version is really handy too and when we find that we have a cacophony of daily tasks for clients that we need to complete, this format really helps us as a team to decide not only what tasks are on a tie crunch, but what could also be blocking them from being achieved.
Other handy organising your workload tips
#1 Reduce the burden on your memory
You may have a superb memory but every now and then, something will slip and then someone asks the fateful question ‘have you done…?’.
Even if you do nothing else, write down everything you need to get done - just getting out of your brain and onto paper is a great step forward.
Of course, you don’t have to use pen and paper - although I am a great lover of the humble notebook and mechanical pencil - you could try notepad and jotter apps on your smartphone or tablet, as well as organisation tools such as Trello and Asana, all great ideas for when you are ready to organise the to-do list into prioritised areas.
#2 Put the doing word first
I’m a great believer in making things on my list actionable so instead of writing on my list LinkedIn posts, I’ll make a note to write LinkedIn posts. As soon as you add a doing word, it becomes actionable.
#3 Sketch a workflow
Tasks are very rarely standalone tasks. Just think about the task of making a cup of tea. On the face of it, that could be a standalone, one-off task in your morning’s work but, what if you have no milk? Who’s responsibility is it to buy milk? And the teabags? Understanding how, what, and who is blocking the completion of tasks reveals a whole new picture.
This is especially true for tasks that seem to just keep appearing over and over again on your to-do list. Something that was a task last week that is also now on the to-do list this week is blocked. By working out why, you can unjam it from your workload.
#4 Time crunches
Deadlines are your friend and worst enemy. On one hand, they can be the driver but also part of the problem if you are not adding realistic dates to when tasks need to be completed.
I am very time aware - I have to be in my line of work! - but here’s the thing: I occasionally slip up. What this usually means is I underestimate how much time I need to complete a task.
And I also procrastinate, putting something off until the very last minute. Most of the time, I hit the deadlines but sometimes, the perfect storm of mismanagement and underestimation catches me out. But we’re all human.
#5 Batch similar tasks
You probably already do this if you bake or cook: before you start putting your meal together, you’ll gather all your ingredients, fetching things from the fridge and then items from your cupboard. You may chop all your ingredients before you start cooking, gather all your spices and utensils, and then turn the gas on under the pan…
You get the drift. This is something we do at Prontus as part of our routine. We open all the email accounts first thing in the morning, deleting chunks, forwarding emails to relevant people, replying to some, flagging others for later when we need to access information and, if the role requires, we send emails too.
The beauty of to-do lists - and winning!
Making a to-do list is a simple tool for getting organised and, when used right, can be an effective and efficient way of managing your workload.
