I’ve always thought of myself as very organized. I tend to make to do lists to help me keep track of both home and work responsibilities, but lately the lists, especially my home list, just keep growing and growing and have turned into a complete mess. I look at the lists and think ok what needs to get done first? What is most pressing? Everything seems important and urgent, especially putting away those summer clothes still hanging in my closet.
Recently, a couple of people have sent me Vanessa Tornblom’s article “My Best Neuroscience Based Strategies for Getting Things Done”. The article reviews tips to improve your time management skills like making lists, setting aside time in your day for certain tasks but most importantly “finding your inner Yoda”. Being stressed about your to do lists won’t make them get done any quicker and taking microbreaks or meditating can help increase productivity.
Now saying you’re not going to stress about your to do lists is easier said than done. To help me I’ve also taken several courses offered by the Learning and Organizational Development team. Every course I’ve taken has been great, from helping to determine the importance and urgency of items on my list by plotting them out on an urgency matrix to when I should complete certain tasks based on my energy levels throughout the day. For instance, I’m not a morning person and maybe I shouldn’t plan a bunch of errands for Saturday morning.
I’m slowly crossing items off my lists. Instead of rushing to get all my errands done, I’m taking some time for meditation and hopefully will finally put away all my summer clothes soon.