“To Do” Lists Can Help You Be Your Best You
You can like them or hate them, but the truth of the matter is having a daily “to do” list can be a great benefit when it comes to making sure you are getting the most out of your time.
It has been pointed out that time is one commodity we all need to be mindful of, not to waste. It is something you can never get back and its true. What is harder to understand is where you should spend it.
Before we jump into the “to do” list, lets talk about figuring out where you spend your time.
If you break it down, most of us spend time on three different kinds of things. There are the things we do to stay alive; eat, drink, sleep, etc. These are pretty basic and simply, if you don’t take time to do them you won’t survive, and at that point time will no longer be an issue
The second group are the things you do, to support those things. In other words, you spend time either working at a job to make the money you need to buy food or your might spend time planting a garden to grow food. You spend time setting up a tent to provide you shelter to sleep in or again you work to earn a wage that allows you to buy a house. It is time spent doing the activities you require to make sure you have the things you need to live.
The third group is where things get a bit more unclear for most people. This is where you get to spend time, doing the things that make you who you are. While it is full of opportunity, it is also where most of us get confused about where we ought to spend our time, because it comes down to our own choices. Think about it this way, if every waking minute you had was focused on simply finding enough food, water and shelter to keep you alive, then everyday you would get up and know exactly what to do. Fortunately for you, this is likely not the case and therefore you are now faced with making choices.
So, what should you choose?
I am not sure anyone can answer that for you, but here is why having personal goals are so important. The goals you choose, whether big or small, are what differentiate you from the people around you and it helps you to define where to put your time. When you don’t have your own personal goals, it is easy to feel out of control, doing what everyone else wants and never getting what you want. Too much of this in your life, can result in you feeling overwhelmed and unsatisfied.
When you look out a year from now, what would you like to be different? Maybe you would like to take on a new job or start a business? Maybe you would like to own something different? Maybe you would like your bank account to look different? Maybe you would like to reconnect with an old friend? It doesn’t have to be big, but it should be something you really, really want.
So now back to the “to do” list. What is the number one tip?
Do something everyday and I mean everyday, to get you to that goal and put it at the top of your list. Commit to making sure that regardless of what else is going on, you will make the time to do that one thing, regardless of how busy you think you are. If you made that the most important thing, I can guarantee a year from now, you will know exactly why creating a daily to do list is so important.
