by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Sometimes I go through patches where I feel as though I can barely catch my breath. I’ll be wrapping up one book, trying to promote another, answering emails, and still trying to keep up with everything at home.
I’m a huge fan of lists and I make at least two lists a day, prioritizing what I need to work on next. I think I’m a good list-maker: I do take large tasks and break them down into smaller, more manageable bits. I make sure that I don’t put too much on my list for one day.
But somehow, it can seem so overwhelming that I can complete a full day’s work and still feel as though I haven’t really made any inroads.
That’s when I review all the items that I’ve checked off my to-do list. Since I use a digital list (on Notepad, which comes built-into Windows), instead of deleting tasks off my list, I put an asterisk by them to indicate that I’ve completed them. Then I can easily see how much I was able to knock out.
I’d first read about keeping a ‘done list’ four years ago in a post by Janet Choi for 99U: “The Art of the Done List: Harnessing the Power of Progress.” At the time, I’d been deleting completed tasks off the list. I was only looking at work that faced me, not work that I’d finished.
In the article, Choi recommends going even farther and maintaining a completely separate list full of ‘wins’, no matter how small, that took place during the day.
Choi states:
“What did you get done today? Simply look back at your day through the lens of accomplishment. Answering this question becomes a quiet act of affirmation and celebration.
What did I make progress on today? Even on frustrating, seemingly unproductive days, you can almost always find one thing that you moved forward.
Your done list acts as a signpost, a manifestation of all that day’s hard work.”
You can even take it a bit farther, again, and be more analytical about it, suggests Choi, asking yourself what factors played into your progress and considering how any setbacks can translate into progress the next day.
I don’t go that in-depth, I’ll admit. It’s enough for me to look at what I’ve accomplished and feel less overwhelmed. More about my list making in this post from December.
Do you ever get overwhelmed with upcoming tasks? How do you handle it?
Keeping Track of Accomplishments with a 'Done List': Share on XPhoto on Visualhunt
My to-do lists are on paper. When I finish something I cross it off. Then I can see how much I’ve gotten done on any given list. Sometimes a list will take me days, but as long as I’m still crossing stuff off, that’s okay. Sometimes I’ll do stuff that wasn’t on the list and then put it on the list just to cross it off if I need that extra feeling of accomplishment. Mostly, though, my lists are in my head (a bad place to keep them, but there it is) and only end up on paper if I’m feeling like I’m not getting anything done. It’s my way of kicking myself in the butt and then showing myself that I am, in fact, accomplishing something.
Ha!! I do the same thing…do extra tasks, add them to the list, cross them off. :) But hey, whatever keeps us motivated!
I get overwhelmed, I just call it a day and go watch some RiffTrax or something.
That is a good idea to keep a list of what was accomplished each day.
I really need to see some of those again, for comic relief. The last time I watched I was maybe in college? Or early 90s?
This is a really good idea, Elizabeth. Not only does it help in keeping everything together, but there’s also the sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing what one’s done. And that can lead to confidence about getting on with the rest of the list. Something interesting I ought to consider trying…
I’ve found that it’s especially helpful those days where there are lots and lots of small tasks. Otherwise, I have a hard time accounting for my day at the end (even though it was very busy).
I use a notebook and cross out each thing as I finish it, so I can go back and see what I got done. If I do something that wasn’t on the list, I write it down and then immediately cross it out, just so my accomplishments look better.
That’s so funny! That’s exactly what I do (and what B.E. was saying, below). I thought I was the only one. :)
I use a bullet journal. Saves my butt every time!
I hear good things about bullet journals!
Hi Elizabeth – I have to get my life in order here … as it’s not exactly my own and I’m out of my own space … list making is interesting. But I’m getting there. I’ll keep a book as Diane does of things to do and done … and keep it up – the important bit. I’ve been back and looked at your Christmas list post too … cheers Hilary
I hope things start looking up soon, Hilary! Lists can help with the overwhelm. Good luck!