By Moonisah Ali, Account Coordinator
Sometimes our to-do lists can feel like those unnecessarily long receipts you get at Walgreens after buying a pack of gum: overwhelming and you just don’t know where to start.
Agency life (or just general work life) can throw you for a loop thanks to the variety of clients that come your way. Different projects, variating deadlines, and different tasks all at once can easily become daunting. Luckily, there are a few simple ways to make sure you strategically get through your task list!
- Purge. Review the week, and write down everything you know you need to do. This might make you a little anxious, but trust the process! You’ll have a clearer view of everything that’s on your plate.
- Learn how you work. Tailor your organizational style to you. If you are a tactile person (like me) and need a physical pen and paper to write down what you need to complete – do it! If an electronic list on your phone makes the most sense to you – use it!
- Where to start? Conquer the easily accomplished tasks first. Now that you’ve got your neatly organized to-do list that makes the most sense to you, it’s time to get started. Choose three tasks that you can conquer quickly and easily. Look at this as a “warm-up” to your more time-consuming tasks.
- Keep it simple. You might want to invest in programs that help keep you organized and that’s okay! But keeping it simple (like a pen and dedicated notebook) may be the best way to prevent multiple to-do lists in multiple places and feeling like you don’t know what’s going on.
- Set calendar reminders. Schedule reminders for your “hard deadline” to-dos. As much as we would all like to have a photographic memory and never forget all of the important details around us – we don’t. But we do have our phones fully equipped with a calendar app!
- Take breaks. If you feel like you are hitting a wall while getting through a task, take a breath, take a walk, or take a stretch! If you’re typically in an office setting and sitting 80% of the time, physical aches can become mental blocks. Getting a breath of fresh air, stretching stagnant muscles, and moving around helps increase blood flow and can get you back into your mental flow.
Taking the time to organize your to-do list and create a plan of action makes it all the easier to get through your task list. Happy accomplishing!