392: 3 ways to improve your to-do list

Today's episode is a practical one and we're diving into ways to make your to-do list more compassionate and work for YOU!

Episode transcript:

Good morning daily peppers and a very happy Wednesday to you. We are in the middle of the week, and if your to do list is still feeling pretty damn long and you feel like you're not gonna get through it all, this one is for you. When it comes to all the things we have to do, I think we're really good at creating a false sense of urgency around everything. It's so easy to look at our to do list, and everything feels like it's equally weighted simply by the fact that it's on the list already. So today, I thought it would be helpful just to have a quick look at your to do list together and have a look at what is genuinely urgent, what you're putting off because it feels like it's too big a job, and how we can break that down. So if you haven't got a kind of list of priorities for the week, first of all, I want you to think of what are the things that absolutely have to get done. What are some things, we're gonna call them added bonuses, that it would be great to get done but isn't vital? And as essential as the urgent things, what can you do for yourself along the way? Now if you've got your to do list already, I want you to take a quick look at it and see what you can let go of. I know for me, I love stationery.

I love writing, and that results in me writing super long to do lists because it also makes me feel really damn productive. And it's almost like in the moment of writing the to do list, I forget that I've actually gotta do the stuff. So let's start by just scrapping anything or delaying until next week anything that absolutely doesn't have to be done. Are there things that have been rolling over on your to do list for weeks that really you can let go of, or are there any things that is probably just a bit unrealistic for you to get done? Now when we've scrapped those things, have a look if there's anything on there which isn't really yours to do or you could delegate to somebody else. Is there anything that you've said yes to which just isn't feasible for you right now that you can go back and renegotiate? And, also, is there anything on there that you don't really have to do, but maybe last week you wanted to that just doesn't feel that good anymore? And maybe you want to replace it with something else or maybe let's just scrap that one too. And lastly, is there anything that is missing off your to do list? Any little jobs that really do need doing that you just keep telling yourself that you're a member because you need to do them or are so small that you don't think it's worth putting on the list? Well, let's get it all on there because these are the things that take up so much mental space and the things that often come to bite us in the bum at the end of the week because naturally we've forgotten them. Here's the thing about to do lists. They can be really helpful in getting us to do things in a more compassionate way if we just take a bit of time to do them rather than just jotting down everything that comes to mind.

If we can get more intentional about whether we actually need to do the thing or whether the small things are on the list too and we've allocated time for them, then I think we can make them a whole lot more realistic. And, also, we don't get us set into doing things that are mainly just busy work that are pretty unimportant and take us away from the things we actually need to be doing. So review your to do list, see if there's anything that can come off, see if there's any small but important things that you've missed off, and see if you can add at least one nice thing for yourself on there. It doesn't have to be huge. It can be really, really small, but remember to put yourself on your to do list. So happy hump day. We are over halfway through the week, and keep going. I'll see you tomorrow.

Episode transcript produced automatically by Castmagic.io

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The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own dreamshitter, this is the podcast for you.

Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines

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