My Car Always Takes A Back Seat

BACK TO BASICS | by JANNA LUFKIN

SEEMS THAT ONCE I’VE MANAGED to get to all of my daily, weekly and monthly tasks, it’s time to start all over again. That’s how it goes for many of us. Try as we might to fit it all in, there will be things left undone.

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Often the tasks that are not finished are usually the ones that can fall to the bottom of the “to-do” list anyway. These are things that, while wonderful to have completed, might not impact the success of running your day-to-day life.

For me, that task is cleaning out my car. I love my car, I need my car and I do my best to take care of it. It gets its regular maintenance in a somewhat timely manner, but it’s not always the cleanest, most organized space I have.

My point? It’s OK. Learning to prioritize your list and focusing on what’s important is what matters most.

I’ve heard it’s best to have no more than seven items on a daily to-do list. I think that’s a good number. But plan to have one or more of your daily tasks left unfinished. It’s more important to have some wiggle room throughout your day than to over-schedule and over-do. The things that are important to you, like your family, some time for yourself or an impromptu lunch invite are the things that make your days meaningful and memorable.

One idea for setting up your daily list is to give your tasks a numbering system, starting with the one that is the most time-sensitive to accomplish. Or start with your easiest task at the top of your list and work your way to the toughest. That way you will accomplish something right from the start.

Remember; it’s not how much you accomplish, it’s how well you’ve accomplished it.