I don't know where I would be without my to-list and neither does Andy Murray it would seem. For those of you who haven't read about it this week, a photographer got his hands on Andy Murray's to-do list which consisted of 10 motivational 'notes to self' for his game. This made me smile and made me happy that I have something in common with a sportsperson. That has never happened before and is perhaps the only time I will have something in common with a sportsperson.
I know you may be thinking this is a really boring topic for a blog post, but stay with me - I really feel that my weekly to-do list keeps me on the straight and narrow and helps me tick off each task I want, and need, to accomplish each week. It's a great motivation and once you get into the swing of it, it becomes a little ritual for a Sunday night, and the ticking off part is the best bit. I'm not afraid to admit that I sometimes realise I've done a task which I hadn't actually written on my list so I'll write it on my list so I can then tick it off. I know this is extremely sad but it's so satisfying. I know I'm not the only one who does this...!!
So what's on my to-do list? Well at the moment my spare time has to be planned very carefully and I have to make sure I'm not going off piste too often. The to-do list itself is from Lollipop which was given to me by one of my best friends who is also an organisation-aholic. I keep my list on the kitchen table, in sight, so I can tick off as I go along throughout the week. I divide my time into categories; my life-coaching (currently speaking to lots of volunteer clients each week), my wedding planning (currently planning my wedding), exercise (the bit I hate but just need to tick off what I manage to get round to doing so that I can give myself a pat on the back - if it wasn't on the list it wouldn't happen). Then there's the 'other' category which is everything else - contacting friends, making social plans, buying cards and gifts for people, doing the shopping, cleaning, washing etc etc.
I know from past experience from the dark days (AKA the pre to-do list days) that all the things I needed to get done could so easily end up going onto my mental to-do list for the next day, and then for the next week, and then just never getting done. It's the 'I'll do it tomorrow' feeling that we're all familiar with.
As I'm spending time each week with volunteer clients and researching plans for my eventual business I'm getting closer to my overall goal of running my own business. My to-do list keeps me focused, allows me the chance to evaluate where I'm at each week and what steps I need to prioritise.It's so easy to get overwhelmed with big tasks and this is certainly true of planning a wedding. As an example, when I first got engaged I wasn't sleeping well as my mind was buzzing with ideas and the sheer massiveness of the task ahead and all the things we'd need to do to make the wedding happen. After the initial hysteria (good hysteria I mean) eased I was able to sit down and, with the help of an Excel spread sheet, do my master to-do list. I revert back to this every week or so and see where I'm at and what can go for the wedding to-do list for that week. I find that if I have a big task in front of me, which has the potential to be overwhelming, the best approach is to break it down, prioritise and have a biro to hand at all times, to tick off as I go.
Boring or not, I wanted to do a little post on my trusty to-do list because it fits in really well with a philosophy I try to live my life by, which is that when we have a goal it's always good to break it down into little goals or steps and as we achieve each little step we are that bit closer to our overall end goal. Andy Murray puts "be good to yourself" at the top of his to-do list and I'm with him on this one - be good to yourself and celebrate your daily accomplishments, no matter how small, because you so easily could have not bothered to do that task, but you did and that has got you a little closer to your goal.
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