Q. How do I know if I am assigning enough tasks to get done for the day? I struggle with knowing how much time writing tasks take (some writing tasks/projects go quicker than others) so I am constantly adjusting my calendar which is taking up valuable time each day. I can’t seem to set appropriate personal deadlines either; they just come and go.

If you are like 99% of people – you are planning too many tasks for each day.  That happens for two reasons.

1. Humans are not too great at estimating how long things are going to take.  If you doubled your estimate, you’d be closer to correct.  We will be talking about that in the Hat Trick Program so stay tuned!
2. When we’re estimating our time and our tasks, we also aren’t thinking about and taking into consideration all the “stuff” and interruptions that are just part of life.  Phones ring, people drop in, the toner runs out and we have to stop and replace it (after we find it), we need to go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee, the internet goes down right when we were going to start looking for citations for an article, a baby wakes up, etc.  So, what many experts recommend is that we actually plan for ½ the discretionary time we believe we have – and then it might fit.  Some jobs allow you to plan for more than 50% but some jobs allow for less.

Q. How do I short-circuit the thinking that one should have a long to-do list to coincide with one’s ambition?

Try dividing up your “to-do” list. Have a to-do list and a “someday/maybe” list (that’s what David Allen calls it), a “grasscatcher list” (that’s what the guy who started Day-Timers called it, or a “Not Now List” (that’s what I call it). I have projects and to-do’s that I can think about now and others that will just freak me out if I am staring at them every day. I shift things to my “Not Now” list and then later can shift them back.

Q. I also am on maternity leave, so simple tasks like paying non-recurring bills or answering emails become a day-long project (especially if they require information gathering). It’s kind of depressing to constantly confront how little I get done every day.

The reason you’re on maternity leave is to get your baby settled into this world and to let your body and mind heal and rest from the incredible ordeal of pregnancy and childbirth. THAT is what you’re getting done. This isn’t like a 4 month leave or a 4 month sabbatical or a 4 month vacation. And I think what happens is that when any of us are off because of maternity or surgery or something like that, we treat it as if we’re just “off” so we should be getting stuff done.

One more suggestion…what if you had someone come in and take care of your baby a few hours each day (even 2) to give you a chance to rest or do something that you want to do – without constantly watching out for or worrying about your little one. Is that possible? Is there someone you could ask?

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Consider these questions and response in the context of your situation.  What can you do to help yourself be more productive?

1. Keri Pommerening: As a principal I try to make sure I spend an equal amount of time in classrooms by scheduling 3 office days alternating with 2 classroom days. On classroom days I don’t even go in the office until the school day is over. By planning ahead, I can fill my tickle file with my office days & leave it empty on class days. 

2. Judith Ann Kirk: What keeps my day sane and sensibly scheduled is MSOutlook, which is always open and easily accessible. I couldn’t function without it because of the integrative process between email Inboxes, Contacts, Calendar, Flags, Reminders, Task List, Journal, and Notes, as well as all of the Microsoft Office programs.  

3. Molly Baker: I often post (set as “free”, not “busy” with 1-hour reminder setting) tasks in my Outlook calendar at key junctures so that I plan ahead appropriately. I often do this way ahead for upcoming important tasks. This prompts Outlook to send me popup reminders, which I can respond to with “Dismiss” or reset the time for later in the day or soon. I like this better than using the Outlook task area. For example, I may need to start planning all of my Fall professional development events/calendar for the TLC in late June and it is now March, so I post about June 15 a task reminder in my Outlook calendar something like “Start Employee Learning flyer now due to Marketing by July 15.”  This prompts me to get it on my to-do list that week. 

4. Cheryl L. Hecht:  I schedule my unplug times first and work around them. This is so much more pleasurable than in the past when I scheduled unplug time around my work time. Unplugged times are spent with my family, when I need to let my brain rest, exercise, or do house/yard work. I have to train my brain to let go of work type ideas that are continuing to float around because I want to be focused on the activities I am sharing with my family. 

5. Cyndy Ruszkowski: I think the most helpful thing I do is keep a “to do” pile/list on my desk just to the left of my computer. Any time someone requests something of me in person, on the phone, or by email, I IMMEDIATELY jot it down or copy it to go on the pile. If even a couple minutes passes, the request may be gone from my overloaded brain or lost in email forever. Each day I work through this pile as far as I can get, prioritizing it as needed. With so much always going on it’s easy to forget the details.
   

These five tips will help you make smart, sensible, and SANE choices about scheduling your work day.  Try just one of these to get started.  Then, to keep moving forward on your goals for more peaceful productivity – which include sane and sensible scheduling of your work day – join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly emails (and see what is available for download at no cost at the following websites):

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!

If you have any specific suggestions for resources related to keeping, managing, and using To Do lists, several people have also asked me for ideas in this area. Since this is one I struggle with, I haven’t been much help. Anything you can pass along would be great!

Anyway, here are some tips and resources (not in any particular order): 

1. Everyone must use some type of to-do list, either paper or electronic.
2. It needs to be updated daily rather than some GIANT to-do list which overwhelms us and makes it impossible to focus on what needs to be done now.
3. Paper: Either have a daily to-do list in your planner (like the Franklin planner, Day-Timer, Day-Runner or other type or carry around a notebook that is designated as your ‘list of things to do.’ Personally, I use the to-do list in my Franklin planner. I can have it available anytime, anywhere (on a plane, in bright sunlight, etc.) so it works for me.
4. Electronic: Oh, my…lots of options

• Apparently Gmail now offers a to-do list. I haven’t used it but notice it’s now there.
• Outlook offers a to-do list (as do most of the other standard email programs)
• http://www.tadalist.com/ which seems pretty nifty and now that I have an iPhone, I’m sort of tempted to give this a try.
• Gina Trapani’s website, www.LifeHacker.com has a bunch of articles that are useful, too.

People need to have a to-do list that they compile each day, based on what else is going on. And, they need to refer to it constantly to make sure they are staying on track rather than veering off into the urgent but not important activities. It’s part of why I like the paper because it’s staring at me all day. Although, with digital, you can set alarms, too.

And if people also want to know about a ‘not-to-do list,’ then they can click to get info on the not-to-do list.  

Hope these ideas help some…Feel free to send them along…