T0P 10:
How To GSD (Get Shit Done) – To-Do List PART 2!
written by Cameron Brtnik
Here we go again…
It’s Wednesday…
You’ve still got a million things left to get done, and already half the week is over…. You glance at your increasingly-looming To Do List: buy fish oil (need more vit d!), drop off kids at practice, email clients back, pickup dry cleaning, take laptop to get fixed, call sister back, watch ep 6 of The Crown… You start panicking: “I’ll never get all this stuff done, why did I take on so much? How am I ever gonna finish this damn to to list!” Through further research, trying out new methods, and more trial and error, I’ve created more of my own techniques on being efficient and compiled them here in Part 2 of “How To Get Shit Done On Your To Do List” or the easy to memorize acronym “HTGSDOYTDL!” Check it out!
Now let’s Get Shit Done on that To-Do list!
1. Note To Future Self – You can see the future – Write a note to your future self (or friend, partner, or even dog for that matter) informing them: “I have finally finished {insert task}!” eg. “My first week of yoga class,” “Painting the bedroom pink” or “The second chapter of my book!” Writing this note your “future self” will help you to see the task completed in your mind, and motivate you to follow through! I mean, how could it exist if you never completed it in the first place?
2. Feeling Bloated – If your To Do List has grown too big (which it undoubtedly will), it can be frustrating and feel like you’re barely getting ahead. At that point, I move any “Non-Urgent” tasks to the bottom of the list. As I only assign numbers to the top 6 things on my list, they become the “Urgent” tasks to complete . By the end of the week if you haven’t gotten get around to these ignored errands, DELETE them. After all they can’t be that important can they? Option 2: If you can’t bear to delete them, start a “Master To-do List” where you can copy & paste these pesky tasks to collect digital dust.
3. For Ever-note – I know I mentioned this in my first “Top 10 on To-Do Lists, so do yourself a favour and start using the Evernote app. You can organize your Notes into folders, shortcuts and tags so you’ll never misplace your Notes (like those cursed car keys!). This leads us into our next two items on our list…
4. Labeling Theory – Have some fun with labeling your Notes! (I know, my life is sad.) Try labeling your Note with a unique title so you can easily search for it later, then ‘tag’ it with categories like “Job Search” or “Social Media Posts.” If it’s a Note you refer to often, add it to your ‘shortcuts’ folder. Now go ahead and have fun scrolling through your Notes! *Cheering ensues*
5. Find a Due Date – When making my To Do Lists, I often label them by time or date (I really do have no life). For example: “February Goals, Complete this Week, Today’s Tasks;” by setting a self-imposed due date you subconsciously push yourself to complete those tasks in a shorter amount of time. Remember: whatever helps you to Get Shit Done!
6. Living Large – CAPS LOCK THE TEXT FONT. This subconsciously works by making the task seem “bigger,” and therefore more important, than the rest. JUST DON’T KEEP IT ON WHEN YOU’RE COMMENTING ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS! Thank you.
7. Re-Adjust – Try changing seating positions. Go from sitting in your chair to kneeling on the floor, or sitting on the edge of your bed to standing up. It not only helps to regulate blood to your extremities (pins and needles be gone!), but helps “shake things up” so you don’t get too comfortable, or uncomfortable. Now try standing on your head.
8. Make Your Bed – I started doing this even before Jordan Peterson was a household name (and my personal “self-improvement guru”). I just realized one day that if, upon waking up, you immediately make your bed it programs your brain to be productive and puts you in that “success mindset.” Besides being a good habit, it will also make you less likely to crawl back into it after a long day of eating breakfast.
9. Just Begin – If you’re having trouble starting on even one of your To Do List assignments, just start a random project: it doesn’t even have to be on your list! Even if it’s “change the lightbulb” or “return library book,” you’ll be surprised how much one action snowballs into another. Keeping oneself busy creates momentum that transfers over to other things, like stuff you actually have to get done. So start cleaning out the fridge and you may just end up finishing the end of your brother-in-law’s weeding speech.
10. Change Spaces – If you’re struggling to Get Shit Done at home or from the office, try changing your environment: like specifically going to the actual place on your list. For example, I hate looking at my bank statements so I do my banking from the bank! Somehow being in the “real life” location helps me completely focus, and it does seem like the “natural setting” to be viewing bank statements – until security kicks you out for looking suspicious.
Want more ways to Get Shit Done? Read this: https://cambrtnik.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/top-10-list-how-to-get-shit-done/
***To my (three) readers: If you have any advice for how you “Get Shit Done” please leave a comment below or email me at cbrtnik@gmail.com and I’ll feature it my next Top Ten segment!
Cameron is a freelance writer and promoter of “Getting Shit Done” cbrtnik.com
c brtnik 