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5: 7 Tips to Make a Better To Do List

5: 7 Tips to Make a Better To Do List

Episode 05: 7 tips to making a better to do list (or maybe 8 steps)

1. Verb it. Make it an action list. –

2. Time it.

  • Guestimate the amount of time it will take.

  • Wearing a watch with a timer function is highly recommended.

3. Schedule it

  • Make it an appointment on your calendar.

4. Draw it.

  • Picture it. Add icons

5. Capture everything.

  •  BUT only focus on 2-3 tasks per day
  • If you think it, capture it then.
  • If you tell yourself you will remember that, YOU’RE LYING TO YOURSELF!
  • Add all details needed for that item to the list
  • Brain Dump
    • Mind Mapping simple mind+
    • Use voice input with Location based reminders – Siri & Google Now

6. Tasks take less then 30 minutes. If it’s more than 30 minutes it’s a project.

  • Things that are NOT to do items
    • Paint the House, Buy a car, Clean the House, Write a report, CreatePresentation
  • Things that ARE to do items
    • Purchase the Paint, Create a list of cars I want to look at, Clean the upstairs bathroom,
      • Break it down more – Scrub Toilets, Clean Bath, Clean Shower, Clean Mirror, Clean Counter)
    • Shameless self-promotinal example: Go to iTunes give ADHD reWired a reView and a 5 star rating.
    • Apps: Check Mark and Todoist have subtasks Text Editor
    • The text editor I mentioned: WriteRoom

7. Mix it up- Develop a toolbox of to do systems.

  • Uses Just one, then rotate it when you’ve noticed you have not been using it.
  • Make it shiny again
  • Change the alarm sounds (App Alarmed)
  • Do something to increase novelty

8. Set Reminders to look at your reminders –

  • Set alarms to visit the list several times a day
  • New reminder system? Set reminders about the new system

Other thoughts…

  • It’s not just ADHD, Nobody ever gets through their to do list.
  • Give yourself permission to occasionally purge items from your list of it has been there for way too long.
  • Brian King Podcast“You don’t want to be normal to, you want to be effective.”
  • You can do anything, but not everything – David Allen

Recommended Apps

Writeroom – Mac (Distraction Free) Text Editor

Alarmed

Todoist 

Check Mark

simple mind+ Iphone Simple MInd+ iPad   Simple Mind+ Mac

Books Mentioned on this episode

ADD Friendly Ways to Organize your life by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau, PhD.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity

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2 thoughts on “5: 7 Tips to Make a Better To Do List”

  1. This is a super interesting collection of tips – I hadn’t realized that what works well for people with ADHD is also pretty much recommended for everyone! What you wrote sounds a lot like the GTD method. I actually wrote a pretty comprehensive guide to it a while ago, if you’d like to take a look!

    Reply

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