You’re busy, mama. You’ve got dinner to make, laundry to fold, diapers to change, plus a biz to grow.
Let’s face it, that mile-long to do list is the last thing you want to look at once the littles are in bed, and who can blame you? To-do lists suck!
It feels like to-do lists are the only way to make sure it all gets done, right? Nope, there’s a better way, a way that will actually get you pumped to get a chance to sit down and work on your biz after a long day of mom-ing.
Top 5 Reasons To-Do Lists Suck
#5 Reason To-Do Lists Suck: No Order
Ever sit down to work and notice that things on your to-do list are all over the place?
That’s probably because you write them down as you remember them, amiright?
And please, tell me I’m not alone – have you ever found the same thing listed multiple times on your to-do list?
That would happen to me all.the.time.
I think we can agree that to-do lists are a hot mess.
#4 Reason To-Do Lists Suck: Adding as You Go
To-do lists with no order, make it so easy to just add more items as you go, and thinking “oh, now that I’ve done this, I need to do that“
Ever feel like you cross one thing off, just to add the next step of that process to the end of the list?
Isn’t that the worst? It means your list will never be completed!
#3 Reason To-Do Lists Suck: Never Ending
Because your adding things as you go, and probably adding somethings multiple times, to-do lists can easily turn into never-ending mile-long lists that are just too overwhelming to even look at.
And you know what that means – feeling defeated before you’ve even begun.
If you have to decide between looking over your crazy-long to-do list, or lounging on the couch binge-watching Friends, I think we know which you’re gonna decide…
RELATED POST: The One Thing That Will Make You Instantly More Productive
#2 Reason To-Do Lists Suck: Deciding at the Moment
What about when you do find the time to work?
How do you ever decide what the heck to actually do when you look at your
I bet that you just find the easiest, or fastest thing to knock out right, so that you can actually start crossing things off your mile-long list, right?
And ‘ya know what that means, the important stuff, the things that take focus, the things that will grow your biz, those get pushed back for as long as possible because you’re too busy with all the easy, short things.
#1 Reason To-Do Lists Suck: Feeling like “I’ll Put It On My To-Do List” is Good Enough
Ever have a great idea? Or a big dream?
What did you do about it?
Did you just write your end-goal on your to-do list & think “yeah, I’ll get around to that when I’m ready.”
But since we already know that to-do lists make use just wanna do the easy stuff, those big dreams, they don’t sound so easy, do they?
So we probably put them off, convincing ourselves that we aren’t ready to do that yet anyway.
What You Can Do About It
Goals
Instead of letting your to-do list rule the day, figure out your biz goals.
Make a clear path for yourself on how the heck you’re gonna get there in simple, daily steps.
I like to stick with just two simple goals a day.
Imagine sitting down to work and instead of drowning in a to-do list of a bunch of tasks you have been putting off forever,
You choose one to work on first, and you know how much getting it done will affect your biz.
You’re so into the flow that you don’t even realize time is passing, until you hear your little one wake up from their nap two hours later…
Wanna have an experience like that every day?
All you gotta do is know your goals & break ’em down. You can always grab a biz planner to help you out.
RELATED POST: How To Make The Most Out Of Your Day As A Mamapreneur With Goals
Priority
If there’s something you want to do that day doesn’t directly relate to achieving your goals, get it done after you knock out your daily goals.
Set your intentions each day to push your biz forward in the small amounts of time that you have.
Focus on tasks that will get you to your goals first, then worry about the rest.
Yes, I am talking about that extra tab you have open on
High Value Actions
Use your daily goals & your priorities to help you focus your efforts on High-Value Actions.
These are the actions that will push your biz closer to your dreams.
The actions that will grow your biz, without making you crazy or meaning you have to work 24/7.
By focusing on High-Value Actions, I actually cut my work time in half.
I am more productive and get more total work done in 4 hours during naptimes & after bed, than I ever did working 8-hour days.
And that’s all thanks to determining the underlying value of what needs get done, as opposed to the effort or time that needs to be put in.
Brain Dump
When other things pop into your brain, instead of writing them on a to-do list, jot them down into your Brain Dump.
Putting them into a Brain Dump means that your brain can stop nagging you, because it knows they are somewhere safe.
As you think of more details to add, you can come back to that Brain Dump page, and know that your details and thoughts are safe there for when you are ready to start working on it.
But for now, your Brain Dump will hold on to it until this idea is ready to turn into a goal.