Why do lists do not work and how to fix it

Savvy time management involves getting great results in less time. A popular blogger and entrepreneur Thomas Oppong saysHow to make plans to achieve only hinder productivity are goals and why a simple task lists.

Why ordinary lists do not help

In a simple to-do-list, you do not reflect how long it will take the implementation of a task. And most of all, start with a small and simple, that require no more than five minutes.

Gradually you come to that repeatedly takes only the simplest of things, but the important and laborious constantly postponed. As a result, major projects are not budge. And the majority of points of the plan have not been fulfilled, because you continue to add to them, without having any control system.

Here it triggered Zeigarnik effect, according to which people remember uncompleted or interrupted actions better than executed. This means that the thought of the unfinished task from the list of cases to be spinning in your head until you do not follow. You will pursue feeling of compulsion, because of which will be difficult to concentrate on work. As a result, this can lead to stress and insomnia.

How to plan effectively

Describe your perfect day

Jason Womack, executive-coach, speaker and author on productivity, recommends that its approach to the organization of the process to achieve the goal. It offers a perfect day to write a script to navigate to it. The realization that the ideal for you, motivated to work.

To create a script answer the following questions.

• How do you want to spend the day?
• What tasks need to be completed today exactly?
• At what time are you most productive?

Based on the answers, you will be able to divide the working time into segments, each of which will contain certain tasks from your to-do-sheet.

This method will help to more effectively work with a list of cases and timely cope with urgent and important matters with.

Plan everything in the calendar

To-do lists are the most effective for you, do not make simple plans without deadlines and deadlines, and learn how to correctly use the calendar.

Please describe in detail in it coming a day or a week. Celebrate all your business on your calendar and stay on the created schedule. This will help you to decide for which project to undertake in the first place and whether you can add more tasks.

Instead of the usual prioritization configure points of the plan with the date and exact time - especially in the most important tasks. This will give a sense of urgency, and you have to finish them to a certain point.

Evaluate each task

If you do not analyze how to spend his every day, chances are you spend most of it is wasted.

One of the important rules of productivity - not to allow the task to take longer than it requires.

For effective time management is not enough just to know what needs to be done. You need to consider how long it will take. Better to say, "Today I have only 40 minutes to do it", rather than to plan things in a simple order of importance without a specific timeframe.

Add to your list of tasks an assessment of how long it will take a performance of each item. Try to plan out every minute from 8 am to 5 pm. Determine in advance, when they take breaks. Make a schedule for checks notifications, e-mail and social networks.

It may seem that this activity only takes time. But in fact, it sets the bar, where you are trying to match. And in the end you will see that your concentration is improved.

Keep track how much time you spend on tasks, - it can be for you a real discovery. So you define the style of its work and will be able to improve it. Yet it helps to understand what time of day you are more or less effective.

Dimension - is the first step that is required to monitor and ultimately improve performance. If you can not measure something - you can not understand it. If you can not understand anything - you can not control it. And if you can not control it - you certainly can not afford to improve it.

James Harrington, owner, process management specialist

Analyze the time, and then you will be able to distribute it properly.

Provide the dates

Open your calendar, or application to schedule and complete the list of tasks due. Assign a priority level to each.

And to understand what it is necessary to devote more time, answer yourself a few questions:

• What tasks will take less than 20 minutes?
• What things need more than an hour?
• What better to do in the morning when most energy?

Now, instead of "Complete the design project" write "Complete design project for two hours." Even if you finish it, you do not have time, then at least move from the dead point, without spending a whole day.

If you do not have the goal to complete the task on a specific date, still plan to spend on it some time. And then move on to other important things. So gradually you will be able to settle accounts with major challenges.

Fraction big tasks into small

Some cases may take hours or even days. If you have to work on a big project, take a few minutes to think about it. What parts it consists of? What efforts should be made and how long it will take? Write it down.

Next, divide the project into several tasks with clear deadlines and solve them one by one until its completion. The greater the will of small actions, the more they will seem feasible.

When impregnable amount of work becomes something little, the brain focuses on what you need to do right now - on a specific task and a small target. Therefore it is better to arrange sprints for 40-60 minutes with short breaks.

Work on one task at a time

Give her all his attention, and then you will be able to be as effective as possible.

Mark Murphy of Forbes explains"When people can avoid breaks in operation, with a probability of 67% of them remains the impression that" today was a very productive day. ' "

To work for an hour on one task without being distracted really it makes sense. But this can be tricky, especially if you are constantly receiving notifications or have to answer the questions of colleagues.

Focus on the work, such as machinery Pomodoro. It involves a 25-minute working sprints with short five-minute breaks. After a few such approaches can rest.

This method is not universal: span and work style are different. Therefore try different management techniques time and stick with the one that works for you personally.

For example, if you are more productive in the morning, then transfer at this time tasks that require more time. So you become more organized and be able to achieve more.