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Episode 260 – How to get things done with a list

How do we get things done? That’s the million dollar question, right? In this podcast we are going to talk about making a list, prioritising the list, executing on the list, evaluating the list and then starting the cycle all over again.

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Transcript of this podcast episode

00:00
How do we get things done? That is the million dollar question right? In today's podcast, we're going to talk about making a list, prioritizing that list, executing on that list, evaluating the list, and then starting the cycle all over again.

00:27
You're listening to the declutter Apple podcast, bringing you tried and tested no nonsense tips and advice from the leading experts in decluttering, and organizing your home. Now, here are your hosts, Ingrid Jansen, and Lesley Spellman,

00:50
Hello, and welcome, listeners. I'm Ingrid. And I'm Lesley. If you're new to the declutter hub podcast, you're so welcome. What you'll find is that we try and find a fun factor in the serious business of decluttering. And if you've been here for a while, you know exactly what we mean. So thank you so much for listening. If you'd like to get involved in conversations related to this podcast, it all takes place in our Facebook group. So come and join our lovely, warm, supportive community. To find the Facebook group go to declutter hub.com, forward slash group to find out more, or you can search for the declutter hub community on Facebook. Hi, Lesley, I am excited to be here to talk about lists and everything else. But before we do that, we're gonna have a lovely review come in, right? Yeah. Oh, nice. Want to read that out? I was like, yes, you love to read our review? Don't I do I do that you do that you kind of felt as if you're gonna let me do it. But I wouldn't like to steal that little part of your roll away. Exactly. Because we got a review from a lovely lady who said, I just wanted to make contact. I love your podcast and your content. I just listened to your episode about legacy. And it made me cry. I have huge sentimental attachment to my grandparents who almost brought me up. And I have some silly things that remind me of them. And also my grans daily diaries of 30 years with mundane stuff about doing the laundry, and my granddad been in the pub too long. And it makes me so happy to read them. And I also wanted to let you know that your podcast also helps a great deal with our mental health. I have MS and severe panic. And when I had to leave the house the other day, I could feel the panic rising. I put a podcast on and it made me so much better. Just a year you two jetting along and joking. So a massive thank you, as you make my life better in so much more ways than I can tell you. I'm just about to cry, sleep. How lovely is that? I know, there's so much in there that I love so much.

03:04
That makes me so happy. Because it's hard, right? Life can be hard for a lot of people. And some people get many more things thrown at them than other people do not mean, life's hard for everybody. But some people are really going through the mail. And, you know, we're delighted. And thank you so much for sharing that with us that a little bit of kind of Ingrid and Lesley in your ear stops the panic from rising and makes you feel a little bit calmer. And so that's everything that we want to do, even if nobody learns a thing about decluttering, which we hope that you do. And it just makes us really happy that we can kind of calm you down. That's what it's all about. And also, you know, talking about that podcast about legacy, it was creating your lasting legacy, I believe I can't remember in which you need to dig out what number that was. But it was a lovely podcast where we talked about, you know, things from the past and what you should do to prepare for when you're not here anymore, and things like that. And honestly, those kinds of things, those diaries, those things that people are talking about are really what makes life very special. And if you've got those kinds of things, and you can share those and you have those and you know the stories behind those before that person passes away, it makes them so much more special. And that's what that podcast is all about. And it really resonated with a lot of people that podcast isn't didn't Ingrid. So, yeah, if you haven't listened to that, go along and take a listen and see whether it resonates with you. But for now, thank you so much. It makes us really happy that you took the time to write in and tell us how our podcast is affecting you and making you a little bit calmer in your day to day life. So thank you. You've made our day. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Now, Lesley, I mean, they'll just come along just talk about that lovely. Yeah. Instead of doing the podcast Oh, no, I know. My it's a lot more dry. What we're going to talk about

04:50
I know if this this lady listens to this podcast, it's not gonna make you it's gonna make a panic more and more.

04:57
Oh God, this is not good. But anyway,

05:00
I know because we've got like a hard podcast like, like talking about getting things done and to do lists and prioritization and all of the serious business. Because we all have a lot to do in our lives. Let's be honest, we all have a lot to get through, whether you're by yourself live as a student, or are downsized. So your kids have fled the nest, or you still got a load tickets broken around. There's always so much to do. And I think for us, I think having a list really helps. But other people might just think you know what, I'm not sure about this whole list situation. So we're going to talk about how a list helps us to get things done. Right. The deal like D like the idea of having loads of things to do, let's take it right back down to basics. Do you like having things to do? Or not? I think I do.

05:55
I don't know what to do with myself. Nothing? Oh, oh, what do you mean? No, but it needs me once again, don't need to do anything. I mean, I can do that on holiday, like like the pool would just relax. But when I'm at home, I'm like, Alright, what's the next thing? What's the next thing? Because I'm just a doer, I think I think it's really interesting, actually. Because recently, a lot of my friends, husbands or friends things like that. Are the starting to retire. Okay, so retirement is that very much on the agenda? And so people are starting to the call it they've got a term for it, right? Which to get the college to go like, when are you going to go? It seems to be like the the term that people use for retirement, which is like, slightly strange. Oh, when are you going? Like, is that actually a new phrase I have not heard about but anyway, it obviously is. And so but I think as people are starting to retire, I kind of look and you know, I'm certainly not ready to go.

06:52
At this moment in time. I definitely know that much. But I can understand why people are, you know, people, you know, many, you know, Steve and a lot of other, you know, particularly people who've not had any break at all, like, often as women of our age, we've had some kind of a break from it. At some point, even if you've worked all your life, you might have had even six or eight weeks off, if you have if you've had a baby or pregnancy or something like many people have had a little break from it along the way, a little bit of respite along the way. But some people literally started working when they were like 18 years old and have never stopped and then our sixth day, and so I can understand why the thought of not doing nothing, but not having a full kind of quota of things that you need to get done every day is very appealing. Well, just to dispel any myths, Lesley, you're not going anywhere.

07:45
I cannot run the declutter hub without you.

07:49
For the foreseeable future. All right.

07:53
I'm still gonna be when I'm like 82, or something still kind of up and trying to laugh about getting things done? I'll definitely be gone by that. But I don't know. I think it's an interesting thing. Because I think some people are, you know, some people have got energy, and some people love and thrive on getting things done. And I think you and I fall into that category. It makes us tick to get things done. And sometimes I do think about, you know, as it's led, you know, up against you every time I think, what would I What would I like do?

08:24
What do you do all day? I'm never sure you do, because you just got to blend into a different way of working by, but you'd have less less things to do. Maybe you make those things last a little bit longer. You take your time over them. It's not quite as frantic. I don't know. I'd love to know from people who are retired, how that transition from having a very kind of busy working life with lots of things to get done to maybe it's just you on your own or you and a partner and you've been able to slow right down and sort of tune into a different way of work. And I think that's really an interesting concept for me. And I'm not ready to go there yet. I guess is that is the point. But I admire it because people have lovely lives without less things to do in that you know, like, it's not you can do nice things right?

09:14
You make now you're making it sound like you don't want to be with me here every day.

09:20
Exactly. Well, no, no, no, exactly. No, exactly. No, you're okay for a little while longer. I'll give you I'll give you a couple more years, at least anyway. You and I like to do things but we have a lot of things to do. And in order to get ourselves through life, whether that's when we've been really busy when we've been less busy. Busy, busy, busy. I've always needed a list without a list. I would be floundering around in life. So how do we get our lists to work for us? I agree. Like you. I've had a list for my personal life. I've had a list for my business or when I was at work. I had a list you know, I always had different lists.

10:00
For me, it's free, it's crucial for me to stay on track. You know, for a while I even had a, I still have a places that I want to visit with the kids list or things that I want to do, you know, a list of TV shows you tell me all the time, but with TV shows that I need to watch, there are a whole list. But I'm not obsessively checking the all of the list every day, you know, but I've got it in. So but I don't have to hold on to all the information because I know it's in a list somewhere. So in terms of list, so you talked to already then about, you've got a list of TV shows, you've got a list of places you want to visit. So you have got aspirational lists, right? Want to do in life, so I've not got anything on a list, that is things that I want to do. Okay, I have no aspiration, maybe I've got no aspirations.

10:48
I do not believe that one bit, Lesley, they're all in my head, they're in my head, the nice things are all in my head, the things that I keep lists for are work related. Both legs that will be like 98% of the list would be work related. And then I would probably have small lists, too, that are to do with domestic things that need doing things that need doing around the house, that list might get bigger, if I'm doing in the middle of a big project. Of course, I'm doing like some kind of refurbishment or a room or whatever. But generally, I would have a handful of things that need to get done around the house that I would have on a list. But other than that, it's all completely work related, even domestic things Oh, no, no, actually, I have got some like a life admin list as well. So as well as like projects and kind of paint this room or fix this thing. I've also got haven't got like things that pay this bill. But I would have something that was had a little bit more of a timescale on it. So life admin things, if it's something that I keep procrastinating on the things that would go on my list. Yeah. Because I think, you know, we I think if we've got a lot in our heads, it's like, how do you then get things done? Because how do you get from the all the things that you have to do? How do you prioritize, right? Because exactly what you're saying, when it's really overwhelming all this stuff in your head, it can feel really overwhelming, and then you can procrastinate about doing stuff. Yeah, definitely, I think overwhelm is a big part. I mean, for me, certainly one of the big things about doing things is writing a list. So you and I will buffer and we will do things, we'll see things, we'll do training courses, and then we have to spend the time after that with all of their kind of airy fairy ideas that we've got to write them down so that at some point, there's a chance of them getting executed on right. So we have to take that information to the next stage. And I think that's where a lot of people don't do that they they listened to I think that's a brilliant idea. They you know, pull out a recipe from a magazine, bookmark something that they've read on the internet, but don't take it to that next level, where it's something that we'll get something done with it at some point, it might be two years down the line that something gets done. But it's written, recorded digitally, or you know, or written somewhere on a list. And I think that's really important to actually get it on a list. Because if it's not on a list in my head with everything that's got to go out, and then it's never getting done. Yeah. Yeah, unless it's going on holiday to Hawaii, which is in my head and has definitely will go there without.

13:26
So, we've been talking a lot about before we recorded this podcast, right? Like, how do you how do you do this? How do I do it. And what we both agreed upon is that it's really important if you have a lot of things whirling around in your head to do a brain dump, because I think just having it somewhere on a digital list, or having an old paper list will really help you the next steps forward. Because if everything is crammed to your edge, how do you see the wood for the trees if you can't, because that's when people say, Oh, I've got so much to do, and I don't even know where to start, and I'm feeling so overwhelmed. And I'm like struck down with procrastination because I don't even know where like, just do a brain dump. Right? Write it all down. And then sweet that list, you start to categorize. And you know what, Ingrid, in order to facilitate that brain dump, you might need to categorize before you do the brain dump. So, you know, like, there's things that need doing in the house, sometimes I will go, I need to walk around the house. And I need to look at each room individually to write a list because it's only when I go into that room that my memory will be jogged about the things that need to be done in that room. And perhaps if I'm sitting down in my office, I might not remember that. And so I think sometimes you need to kind of almost compartmentalize that list making in your head. So go Okay, so now I'm going to think about this individual projects or this individual room if it's a decluttering project, or I'm going to think about all the banking things that needs to be done, or I'm going to think

15:00
about all the things that needs to be done with my kids or with school or with work or with because if you're feeling quite chaotic and overwhelmed, you can't just suddenly gather together a list of 300 things in your life that needs to do. And so you might need to start to think about them one category at a time, before you even do your brain dump. I think it's really important as well and good to, to know how your mind works. And so I know for a lot of people, some of their best ideas, you know, these might be ideas that come up, or, oh, I need to do that I need to do that you can't sleep because all these things crazy things are wearing around in your mind at four o'clock in the morning. So for a lot of people, they will have an opportunity to write a list next to their bed. But you need to make sure it goes from that piece of paper next to your bed onto something that's a little bit more concrete and a little bit more categorized and Organised, don't you? So, but for me, the first step is actually brain dumping all of the things that need to be done. Or if you have got several lists everywhere, but a piece of paper here notebooks there, gather them all together into one place, right? Absolutely. Let's see. So you need to think about what kind of list works for you? And also how you're going to capture this list, right? Is this going to be something that you're going to write down on pieces of paper? Are you behind your computer a lot? Or on your phone? A lot? And do you want to make open a note stop on your phone? So you can keep track there? Or do you want to go to a more almost like an app? Or do you want to like we use Asana for for our work? Do you want to take it to the next level and even maybe get a free version of of an of an Asana kind of task kind of project holder thing? Or how are you going to lock the information and retrieve it and work with it. You think that Asana like that assessment

16:54
of lists may

16:57
be working for them.

17:00
To get it out of my head, Lesley.

17:04
So for anybody that doesn't know what a sauna is, it's a digital to do list and task management system, Project thing, whatever.

17:14
But basically, it's quite a comprehensive list making system which allows you to work either independently, or as part of a team with deadlines, priorities, notes, attachments, all of those kinds of things. And it works quite seamlessly together, there is absolutely a free version of it. If what you're doing at the moment doesn't work, it may be time for a change. And so don't be put off by something digital, because people who create digital systems typically think of everything, they think of deadlines, priorities, sharing, attachments, voice notes, all of those kinds of things that maybe are something that you might work within, and you think, Oh, that wouldn't work for me, maybe to go something where you need to where you can be a little bit more reactive, where it sends you a reminder and says, Oh, by the way, Lesley, you need to do this today. Because you said that four weeks ago that you wanted to do that, maybe being a little bit more reactive to something would work better, rather than you having to do all of the thinking all the time. So if something isn't working for you, it might be your opportunity to move over to think about doing something different don't go all in. So, you know, try, let's see how it goes. See how a digital system works. Many, many of my clients who have been doing they're kind of writing things down on the back of envelopes, creating multiple notebooks with different kinds of lists that have sat there that are still there. Three years later, I've managed to convince them move over to Asana or something very similar to that. And it's worked really well. But like any system, you have to commit to it right in grid, you have to go, yes, you can trial it, but you kind of need to commit to that small trial to give it a chance of working, you know, you need to be open minded enough to give it a chance. And so, you know, don't be put off by digital if you've always been paper, because some people and just think about all the digital things on your phone that worked really well for you. You can take that to that next level. But this is not really all about pushing Asana, for example. And there are many others, Asana Trello. To do this, there's loads of different version of that versions of that, that all work quite seamlessly with sort of very clever people putting them together. So I think that you know, really, at this stage, you need to evaluate what kind of system you've been using. If it has been a system. Can you call it a system if it's just on scraps of paper, here, there and everywhere? And think about whether or not it's working and whether you're not you need to make a change. So think about what that system is going to look like for you. Yeah, absolutely. And I think because also then once you've got your lists, then you can start to prioritize as well right? Because then you can go okay, actually have the all the things you need to do. These are the two or three things that are the most important of all of them. When everything's rolling in your head. How can you then decide

20:00
ate what you could what you really should do now or what you actually could do next week. Exactly. And there are different versions of that Ingress. So somebody if we talk about something like Asana, you can assign a deadline to something. But just because the deadline is two weeks from now, doesn't mean to say that today is not the day for you to do that task. And so there are two very different things. One is a sort of deadline, and one is a priority. And you have to look at both of those things in conjunction together and decide what you're going to do today. But know why you are deciding to do that today and evaluate whether that's the right thing to do today, you know, suffer May, when it comes to a Friday, for example, there might be things that I kind of need to get done. But I know that I don't work my best because I start to lose interest by a Friday afternoon. And so I will typically do things like training and all those kinds of things that don't require deep work on a Friday afternoon, because I know that my mind starts to wander anywhere definitely knows that my mind starts to wander on a Friday afternoon. And so I will put things in knowing that that's when I'm not going to be at my best. And your version of that might be, I'm not at my best first thing in the morning, when I've just got out of bed, my best time is in an afternoon or so that's when I'm going to do my deep work, my kind of important work, my phone calls my difficult work, it might be my challenging work, whatever that may be. And so really evaluate when the right time is for you. I think that's so important, isn't it? Ingrid? Yeah, I think you have to look at your own energy levels and your own, what's your best time of the day. But also, of course, you need to keep in mind timings of other people. I mean, it might be nice if you think I'm at my best at nine o'clock in the evening. But if you can't ring anybody, because all the shops are closed, it's not going to help. So you have to really think that through and kind of also look at, when is it good time for me to do this task when I can reach other people when I can contact a helpline or ask for us to expect a reply from a support inbox or chat bot or whatever to Okay, now when I need to read something, or maybe focus, I need to be more quiet. I can't do that when the kids have come back from school. And they all want to play and run around and do stuff I need to do that in the morning when I've just dropped him off in the house is nice and quiet. So I think you have there's a lot of things to take into consideration what the best time is for you, and in the environment that you're in. So let's go for a break. And then after the break, we will continue our quest to how to get things done. Hi, everyone, welcome back after your break. Oh, we're just talking about lists. And that kind of makes me happy. But it made me realize as well as the how much we do.

22:40
While we're sitting here talking about less, we're not doing ticking anything off our list. We are ticking off our list, record Episode 260, which is on our list. Yes, exactly. So we are taking something off our list. Yes, we talked about making a list. And what we want to talk about is prioritizing that list. And so I think I alluded to it a little bit where we talked about there's a difference between what you want to do today, and what a deadline is, and you need to understand the difference between those two things. So how do we prioritize a listing grid? At its most basic level, I think what you need to do is look at each task and go okay, if that's that's something that is a high priority, it needs to be done. Now, it needs to be done today. Crucial. Otherwise, things go badly wrong. It has to be done now, or is the main medium priority? Yes, it's important, but it doesn't have to be done today. I can do it tomorrow or the day after? Or is actually a low priority. Not super important. But yeah, it still has to be done. Or why is this thing on my list? No priority at all. I need to outsource this to somebody else, or delegate it or get it off my list? Or give it to somebody else preferably? Or actually do I need to do this at all. I don't want to even have this on my list. This is not important. Not important, gone. So you have to think because if you just see a whole list and you don't prioritize everything either seems important, or not important, and you're still not moving any further. So I think you have to really go Okay, which of these things need to be done now? Yeah, I think realism plays a big part in your evaluation of what high priority, medium priority, low priority and not a priority? Yes. So I think you need to understand, and a new shiny object syndrome. So for example, I fall foul of that quite a lot. So if something's new and shiny and looks really interesting, I'll perhaps sometimes assign a higher priority to that, because it's an interesting thing to do, rather than something that has been sitting on the list. It's actually really important that's been sitting there for months not getting done. And so I think it's about it's the time to get real about where are these priorities being assigned.

25:00
and from other being assigned with the right rationale sitting behind them did not to me because I think that's a problem for a lot of people isn't it was like, I want to do that today I need to get that done today. And that might be somebody else's pushing you for that information. You know what I mean? But you know, you need to assign your own priorities right, and assign your own task list and understand your own kind of procrastination or getting distracted or focusing on the wrong things, or procrastinating on something because you think it's going to be really difficult. Those kinds of things, there's so many things with writing a list, like the way that we go about our day to day chores is really interesting, isn't it? Because how many times have people said, I've literally not done that task, I've left it on my list for five months. And then when it got round to it actually took me five minutes, but it sits there looming larger view for all that time doesn't matter. And I think as well, it becomes bigger in your head, the longer you think about it, and the longer you leave it. And I think that doesn't help either like, because I think it really eats up a lot of our energy, I think it kind of sucks the energy from your body, because you know, you've got to do it. But you can then you're like, oh, and it's like, the less you feel energized to do something. And then when you finally do, it's like, wow, this was actually a 20 minute job. And I'm so happy. And it can give you a tremendous boost as well. But I think it's also important, Lesley, that you have to really also you talked about relation there. If I look at it from an decluttering perspective, for example, right, a lot of people feel overwhelmed by that clutter. But then they can really like almost hyper focus on something very, very small. Now, of course, doing something small is very good, because it can kind of kickstart you into doing a little bit longer a little bit more. A good example is I was working with a client, it's a while back, but she's like, Oh my gosh, Ingrid, I really want to do my jewelry. And I went, that's fantastic. But we haven't done your clothes and your shoes. So let's do that first because jewelry is very small, but also very fiddly. And I know how long it takes to do jewelry, if even if there's not loads, but still jewelry can be very, very time consuming. So it's sometimes better to do bigger and bulkier items first, to create space. And then once you kind of get the hang, you've got the basics down, then you can kind of focus on more in depth decluttering. So it's the same with I think with a to do list, it can be very, like, Oh, I'm gonna do this small thing. But if you just do a couple of small things, you're never gonna get time to do the big rocks, right? It's like this, you've got these glass jars, where they put the sand in first and the small stones, and then there's nowhere for the big stones to go. But if you put the big stones are first and do them first and then put into small stones and the sand, everything suddenly fits. Because nice little imagery there Ingrid, I know. But it's like tempting to kind of do, I'm just gonna do something small. But you know, I'm just going to do the one phone call here. And one thing then and one thing that one thing there. But the big thing that's been on your list for like this is really important, like not seeing it or not hearing it, and I want to do it, and then it never gets done. And you know, the interest, there's a flip side to that as well, what I was thinking about your kind of examples as well. And this shows why it's a personal evaluation of things because so something like you know, to go with your example of jewelry, for example, if what sits behind that if somebody's not done the shoes or not done the clothes. And so the realistic sensible thing from your perspective would be would do the shoes and the clothes first, for good reason to motivate you follow blah, blah, blah, because jewelry is going to take wages and it's fiddly. But if for example, somebody has lost the diamond ring, and knows that it's somewhere in there, and that's eating away at them. Yeah. And then they've got this kind of yearning to do that. And that's going to then allow them to break free of that and then to focus on the bigger things later, then that's the right thing to do for them. That's all about being realistic about what your motivation is for doing that. And your why what is your why? What is what's going to motivate you forward and drive you forward. So this, you know, we talk all the time about the fact that, you know, decluttering is a very, very personal journey. Yeah. Making a to do list is a very personal journey. The same things. You know, we've got people who write lists, who write them in notebooks. We've got people who do bullet journals, we've got people who live by a list, we've got people who never have a list we've got, you know, but you need to work out what is working for you. If you've got a system that's working for you, and you're getting through your chores, and you're getting through your list and it works. Don't change anything. But we've got so many people who come to us and go I've literally got a list all the time and it never works. I never gets to vote

30:00
With my list, we've got a lot of people at the moment talking about doing a done list, right and good as well. So a lot of people are motivated by achievement. And so what they're doing as well as possibly there must have been a to do list at some point. But they're also writing a done list to try and beat themselves up about, this is what I've done. This is what I've achieved this week. And I love that as a sense of motivation. If that's what's gonna motivate you forward, keep that in there. If you've got an Asana less like us digitally, and you've got the option to CC for me, I need to see the complete things gone, because I don't want them to muddy the waters. But there's an option for you to show what you've done and what you've not done. Yeah. And if you're motivated, you can flip between those two. And so I think it's really important for you to understand what is the thing that drives you forward? You know, Luke was on the podcast a few months ago, talking about the way that he works with to do lists, again, he has to score out with a talks about dealing with like a Sharpie, or a big marker pen. So he can't see those tasks that he's done. So he completely scores it out. So you can't even see it, because it's just too distracting for him, which is really interesting. And so I think that you've got to work out what's working for you, and try and find a different way for somebody it's not working. I think it's fair to say most people who come to us Ingrid's their list making and prioritization isn't working, as well as they would like, right? Yeah, absolutely. And also, I think it really helps. What we do all the time is we talk about how we can break tasks down into small manageable chunks. How do you do that? How do you set your goals? are the goals not too big? make them smaller? What can you reasonably achieve? How are you going to look at time? Do you need to block time in your diary? Do you want to use the Pomodoro Technique of setting a timer for 10 or 20 minutes? And do it like that? Do you want a countdown timer on screen where you that you can use to work on something for everybody something different works like some people are very visual and want to see their labels and see that boxes and other people are like, No, I don't want to see it. I want to have it behind doors. As long as when I open a door, I can see it. We're all different creatures. We're all different people that different things work for. I think one of the really important things Ingrid, is that you are constantly evaluating and revising lists as well. So you know, you and I use a digital to do list. That's where everything is recorded. So everything that we've ever thought about any point is in there somewhere. Yeah, it's very well categorized. It's very well prioritized in terms of deadlines. We've even got things in there that we call nice to haves that have got no deadline or no priority on them. They're just things that we've thought about at some point that we don't want to lose that thought about. But what we do before and we work with, you know, Ingrid works more Ingrid's run work is more reactive, I think, for the most part, isn't it? And he was doing a lot of like weekly things and a lot of kind of constant recurring tasks. Mine's a little bit more forward planning a little bit more, isn't it English, so I would work a few weeks ahead. So we work in very different ways. But we're still working from the same list. And so Ingrid would work within my tasks, which is like, what am I doing today? What am I doing tomorrow? What am I doing next week, that kind of thing. You know, I would work more on a project by project basis and look at the whole project and go, What can I lump together in this, this sort of project work that I'm doing, but then I might work in my tasks as well, once it starts to get, you know, kind of closer to the time just to make sure that I've not missed anything. And so I think it's you know, it's nice to be able to that's where a digital to do list comes in. Because it allows you to filter in different ways as well. It allows you to, you know, so when we're having every quarter, we have like a sort of meeting, don't wait to evaluate to go over what we have done, what needs what's coming in the next quarter and things like that. That's when we typically will go through everything in our list and go, what's priority now? Are we going to change the priority on that? Are we going to ditch it. And a lot of times when we get to that? Well, like we thought about that six months ago, we've gotten we've not done anything with it. There's a reason why we've not done anything with it. And that can just go and we're never going to do that. And so I think there's got to be a constant kind of evaluation of that list as well, to make sure that it's something that is sensible to you, right, yeah. Yeah. And I think that the same goes for people at home, you know, you reprioritize and you might have thought, Okay, I want to now focus on my kitchen. But then something happens. I think it was one of our members whose wrote a while back saying we I suddenly had a couple of hours that I could but that we didn't have the kids around my husband and I were by ourselves at home. And we then decided let's do something together in the garage. Let's do some decluttering let's go through some stuff, because we needed to have the manpower with the two of us. And it really made me happen. I know the garage isn't finished, but we've made a really good bend with the two of us. And now I'm going to continue working on the kitchen so you have to be able to kind of change as and when needed.

35:00
as well and have that flexibility in yourself, you know, a list doesn't have to be rigorous or prescriptive, or this is the only way. And I think that's the one of the things that is so important with us within the declutter hub, we would never say this is the only way you can do something we both are very aligned with how we teach decluttering and organizing, but we always give different options that people can try out, because we want to offer that to our members. And to be able for them to go, the only thing we want is for you to move forward with your decluttering. And to have that success and to feel that positive impact that decluttering has, and, and making a list or having a list, in our opinion, can really help with that. Definitely. So just to kind of summarize, Ingrid, because what we talked about right at the beginning was that we were going to talk about making a list, prioritizing the list, executing on that list and evaluating the list and then starting the cycle all over again. So our lists change all the time, because I kind of something I take some things right, some less than a day to day basis in written format as well.

36:08
So I think first things first, you need to get that information out of your mind, or off all of those disparate lists, I think, bring them all together, categorize them and put them into a usable format, then you need to prioritize that list and really dig down deep into that realism and go, am I being honest about how much of a priority this thing is? Or am I just putting it as a high priority, because it's something that I really want to do, rather than something that I really need to do. So really think and dig deep, and take yourself out of your comfort zone, and the way that you've done things before and really evaluate your own behavior and how you execute on tasks. Or you're procrastinating on things that you shouldn't be, you know, really think that through, I think, executed on that list? How are you going to do that? What were your energy levels, we talked about breaking things down into small manageable chunks, you know, think about pulling things together that are similar, you know, do certain number of smaller tasks together in an hour, if you've got an hour, if an hour is too too much for you break it down into 50 minutes or go, You know what, I'm having a cup of tea, now I'm gonna sit down, and in between this cover to my next cup of tea, I'm gonna make sure that I do this to take this task off my list. So really think about that as well. And then of course, we have to evaluate the way our list making and prioritization and all of that kind of stuff is working and constantly tweak and change. So, so important that you've got that cycle. And so that's really what we wanted to talk about today. Because it works for us, doesn't it? And we see it working. Once people think you know what, the way that I'm doing less making at the moment. It's just not working for me. Let me seek out another solution really works for people doesn't angle Yeah, absolutely. So I would love to hear from you listeners. Has this podcast inspired you to think about your to do list and your current systems. And have we given you food for thought? And do you maybe want to try out some of the suggestions that we've given to you? We'd love to know. So share with us in the comments. Tell it to us in the Facebook group. Send us an email if you want. If you have an opinion about this podcast. Let us know we would love to hear from you. And yeah, we appreciate you listening in week in week out to thank you so much for being here. And we'll see you next time.

38:29
Thanks so much for listening to the declutter hop podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to us in your podcast player so you don't miss an episode. We'll see you next week.

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Home management and organising can sometimes feel like a daunting task, especially when you have a lot of things to do but don't know where to start. The secret to effective home management lies in organisation, and one of the best ways to stay organised is by creating a to-do list. In this post, we will guide you on how to get things done in the home with a list.

Why Do You Need a To-Do List?

A well-structured to-do list is more than just a compilation of tasks; it's an essential tool that helps you prioritise your work, manage your time better, and ultimately increase your productivity. It gives you a clear overview of what needs to be done and allows you to focus on each task without feeling overwhelmed.

Creating Your Home To-Do List

Creating an effective home to-do list involves more than just jotting down tasks. Here are some steps on how you can create an efficient list that will help you get things done at home.

1. Identify Tasks: Start by identifying all the tasks that need to be done around your home. These could range from daily chores like cleaning and cooking, weekly tasks like laundry or grocery shopping, and less frequent tasks like decluttering or deep cleaning certain areas of your house.

2. Prioritise Your Tasks: Once you have identified all the tasks, prioritise them based on their urgency and importance. Tasks that are both urgent and important should be at the top of your list.

3. Break Down Large Tasks: If there are large tasks that seem overwhelming, break them down into smaller manageable parts. For instance, instead of writing "clean house," break it down into "clean kitchen," "clean living room," etc.

4. Allocate Time: Assign an estimated time for each task on your list based on how long you think it will take to complete. This will help you manage your time better and prevent you from spending too much time on one task.

5. Review and Update: Your to-do list should not be static. Make sure to review and update it regularly to reflect any changes in your schedule or priorities.

Using Technology to Manage Your To-Do List

In today's digital age, there are numerous apps and tools available that can help you manage your to-do list more efficiently. These tools allow you to create, organise, prioritise, and even share your tasks with others. Some popular options include Google Keep, Todoist, Trello, and Evernote.

These apps also come with features like reminders and notifications that ensure you never forget a task. Plus, since they're on your phone or computer, they're always within reach.

Creating a to-do list for your home is an effective way of ensuring that all tasks are completed in a timely manner. It helps reduce stress by giving you a clear plan of action for each day. Remember that the goal of a to-do list is not just about getting things done but also about making life easier and more manageable.

By following these steps on how to get things done in the home with a list, you'll be well on your way towards achieving better organisation and productivity at home. So go ahead, and start creating your home to-do list today.

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Bethanie Branton says:

22 November 2023 at 3:10 AM

Lesley, i do not work because i have PTSD from getting robbed and stabbed at work. I’m can tell you from my dad and his best friend have worked all their life. Now they are retired for a couple years now, they tell me, “How did we have time to work?” So it seems you will still have plenty to do even after you retire.

Reply
Vickie Currigan says:

23 September 2023 at 5:50 PM

Ingrid & Lesley,

Perfect timing on this podcast! I had just done a brain dump and then pulled up your latest podcast so I could listen as I was ticking items off my list.

I've been doing brain dumps more frequently and have noticed that even though I accomplish many things using this method, there are items that just never seem to get done.

I learned from this episode that I may need to stop doing the easy things first. Ingrid's analogy with the rocks and sand makes so much sense!

I also leaned that maybe I need to categorize before I brain dump. Lesley, I have never thought about doing this before and am going to try this too.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us.

Best wishes to you all,

Reply
1. Ingrid Jansen says:
  
  25 September 2023 at 12:26 PM
  
  Hi Vickie, so lovely to hear from you and we're delighted the podcast has been helpful for you.
  
  Reply

Episode 260 – How to get things done with a list

Why Do You Need a To-Do List?

Creating Your Home To-Do List

Using Technology to Manage Your To-Do List

Episode 322 – How to avoid Black Friday shopping Don’t Buy Ask Why

Episode 321 – The secrets of organisation when you have ADHD with Ian Anderson Gray

Episode 320 – What is clutter blindness and how to fix it?

Episode 319 – Katie Mortram from Good Housekeeping chats all things clutter

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