How To: Manage Your Office To-Do List

If you’re like me, one to-do list is never enough. I have a list for things I must get to in the short term, and another list of things for the long-term. I have a list for things I must do at home, and a list for things to do at work. Each of these lists take on different forms, whether it be jotting down items in a pretty monthly planner or creating a beautifully written list with little boxes to check things off. Sometimes, I even send myself an email with a to-do item in the subject line so that a list builds in my inbox. Since I’m a zero inbox-er, I know that if there is something unread, there is something I must get to.

Certain tactics work for some things and not for others. For instance, at home I keep in my desk an index card with a list of things I plan on getting to eventually (such as reorganizing my folders on my computer or finishing that rug I started making three years ago). While the list isn’t outwardly displayed staring me in the face, when I do open the drawer for one reason or another I see the small list and it acts as a hushed reminder of things left undone.

While this method works perfectly for long-term items that have no due date, a list like this would never work for assignments that need to be completed during the workday. Office to-do lists differ from personal to-do lists in many ways, most drastically in how they grow more rapidly, which makes them difficult to master. If I start on Monday with a list of things I would like to accomplish by the end of the week, by the time Friday rolls around the list is twice as long. This makes it difficult to feel a sense of accomplishment, since there is always more to be done.

I have discovered a new strategy for tackling an office to-do list that works wonderfully for me. What I do is, instead of being confronted each day with an overwhelming list of 18 things I need to get to, I simply pick just one item to do each day. That’s right, just one. And it doesn't even have to be a heavy-lift item. Sometimes it's as simple as scheduling a meeting or attending an event. Sometimes it's something heftier, such as setting a strategy for the future of a project. Having just one task to accomplish each day allows me to feel calm and provides a great sense of direction when I walk into the office each morning, coffee in hand. Of course this isn’t to say that I limit myself to accomplishing one thing each day, but it does mean that when I leave the office later that afternoon I will have accomplished what I set out to do, and that in itself is extremely rewarding. Here is how I do it:

5 Simple Steps for Building a Manageable Office To-Do List

1. Print out a blank, one-page, one-month calendar (see photo above). Draw a slanted line through Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (days you know you won’t be working).

2. Start filling out the calendar by placing one to-do item on each day. Say I know I have to give a presentation in two Mondays from now. I may write down on the Monday before, “Research topic and develop bullet points,” and then on that Friday I may write “Practice presentation."

3. Plan ahead. Fill in as many days as you can with just one task. When I am planning far in advance, I sometimes leave a blank day because I know something will come up later on that will need to be done.

4. At the end of each day, cross off that day and the item you completed. If you ever fail to accomplish what you set out to do, don’t worry. Re-write the item on another day, but make sure it is again the only item on that day. This may take some maneuvering, which is why I always use pencil.

5. Feel the satisfaction that comes with having achieved what you set out to do and venture out to enjoy your evening.