I've always been a to-do list lover! Whether it be scribbled on the back of a receipt, printed neatly in my planner, or (horror of horrors) scrawled haphazardly on my arm in ballpoint; I usually have at least three going at a time. The problem is I like making the to-do lists far more than I actually like doing the things I put on the list. It's like I get all those delicious feelings of accomplishment from writing out my plans, but then I have to actually do them and I end up overwhelmed and unmotivated. For years I would spend hours crafting really elaborate to-do lists over and over, but all of that effort in planning rarely led to action.
And then, last year, I figured out a few things that completely changed my relationship with to-dos and motivation in general. I'm going to break down the five tips I have for better to-dos in a minute but first I wanted to share this month's Secret Society freebie: A FREE PRINTABLE TO-DO LIST, designed with my personal to-do list method in mind.
This to-do list freebie is designed to fit two per page on letter sized paper, featuring darling hand drawn illustrations of snails and tomatoes with a gentle reminder I think we all could use.
Wondering how you can get your hands on these darling print-ables? The only thing you need to do is be a member of the Fennec Secret Society; our little newsletter club that serves you all kinds of cool goodies like these freebies, special discounts, and other sorts of fun exclusive and behind the scenes stuff! (You can click here to learn more about signing up)
How do you access the to-do list file if you are a member? First; make sure you are logged in to the account associated with the email you used to sign up for the newsletter (you won't be able to access the Secret Society Portal without it). Then head up to the Secret Society section at the top of our home page. Click the Button that says "Enter The Clubhouse." Inside you'll find a section marked Freebies where you can add the cards (and other fun free stuff in our growing archive) to your cart.
To access the files simply check out with the free stuff of your choosing and it will be delivered to your inbox for download shortly after. You can add regular stuff to your cart at the same time if you'd like, but there's no requirement to do so! We like making fun free stuff and there's no expectation beyond your enjoyment of the gift!
Now you might be thinking that's not a lot of space, and I've got way more than that to do, but I've actually made these small on purpose! Read my list making tips below to learn why:
Joelle's Top Five List Making Tips
1) KEEP IT SHORT You only have so many hours in the day, and as tempting as it may be to write every single thing you can imagine accomplishing down; you are setting yourself up for failure in advance. I aim for no more than 3 large tasks in a day (for me, that's anything that takes over an hour) because truthfully your brain really can't handle much more. Neuroscience has shown that the average person only has about four hours of intense mental focus to use on deep work each day, so aim for what you can reasonably accomplish in that much time or less.
2) PLAN FOR THE WORST This might sound strange, but there's a real upside to planning for the worst when it comes to your to-dos. When we create our plans around the best version of ourselves, there's a high likelihood that that version of you isn't going to show up. It's far better to plan around a scattered brained, an unexpected distraction, or an under motivated mood. Now you are ready no matter what comes your way! Remember: you can always add more if you are really crushing it, but it can become demoralizing if you set the bar at an unreasonable height.
3) THE BIG HOUR Once a day I set aside what I like to call the big hour. I jot down all of those tiny five to ten minute tasks that I've been putting off, and then I set a timer for an hour. I recommend treating it like a fun little game: see how many you can check off before the timer runs out! You might be surprised how quickly some of those things you've been putting off can be tackled (I'm looking at you email I put off for two weeks that ended up taking six minutes to write).
4) KILL THE LOOP You know that thing that you keep putting off? That appointment you need to schedule, that friend you've been meaning to call, that part you need to order to fix that thing? It's like you know exactly what you should do but you keep putting it off; and they keep popping up over and over like a cognitive game of whack-a-mole. These are your loops and they are major drain on your mental energy. The act of repeatedly remembering and forgetting and remembering and feeling shame...that's a lot of work for your brain to be doing just to not actually do anything at all. I recommend including at least one loop from your backlog on your list, and attempting to cross it off early. You'll free up space in your noggin for more important things like daydreaming or memorizing the names of birds, plus the dopamine from crossing a loop off your list is extra juicy!
5) BREAK IT DOWN Some tasks can be really, really hard to self motivate around because they so easily overwhelm us emotionally. If you are feeling unmotivated, uncertain, or just plain stuck; use this easy trick to overcome the block. Ask yourself "What is the smallest possible step I could take?" and then write only that mini-step down on your list. For example: Maybe you want to go to a walk-in class at your gym today but you've put it off over and over. Add put on my work-out clothes to the list rather than go to the gym. Often all it takes is one small step in the direction of the bigger thing and your motivation magically revs up. But even if you are still feeling stuck, you can break it down again and again. I've done major work projects in tiny five minute chunks before, sometimes you just gotta baby step your way through it! Remember one small step after the other still gets you there in the end.
I hope these tips help, they've definitely made a big difference for me! Whether you use the free to-list I drew up or use the notes app on your phone, I think a few tweaks can make your to-do list an incredible tool for big change rather than a source of guilt.
I hope your enjoying the warm weather and that your to-do list includes a little bit of outdoor fun too!
Joelle
So very cute!!! Cant wait to utilize this