I’ve had several conversations lately with women of all different ages and seasons who are feeling overwhelmed with all the things they need to do and all the things on their minds. And I’m right there with you. I could barely keep track of everything on my endless to-do list before I started using a special tool.
Today I’m going to share with you my secret for emptying my brain of all tasks and thoughts so I can sort through them and stay sane. My secret is….wait for it…. a brain dump. It doesn’t sound very glamorous, I know, but it does work.
List Everything
Whether you use paper, an app or a spreadsheet like this one, the key is to list out everything you have to remember– things to buy, things to research, errands to make, calls to make, home tasks, etc.
Categorize Your To-Dos
Organize your tasks into categories so your list is easier to read, and so you can do similar tasks in the same block of time. (Read this post on time blocking to learn more.)
Choose Each Day’s Tasks
Look at the list each morning and select the 3 most important tasks you need to tackle that day.
Sounds pretty easy, huh?
I can’t promise that you’ll ever get all the tasks marked off your endless to-do list, but at least this will keep you from forgetting what you need to do, and all your to-dos will be located in one place.
I use a spreadsheet to list all of my to-dos, and I’m sharing the template for you to download here. I also include a spot for my yearly goals and monthly goals because I want to make sure the important things I want to accomplish aren’t getting lost in the everyday chores. Feel free to take my format and make it your own.
If you have another way of organizing your to-do list, I would love to hear about it. How do you keep track of all your tasks?