The art of time management: Say goodbye to your to-do list

In our fast-paced world, the quest for productivity is a constant battle. We juggle endless tasks, deadlines, and commitments, often feeling overwhelmed and drained. We often return to the same systems to manage these tasks, outdated and proven broken. Yet, we expect a different outcome.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever encountered someone who diligently relies on a to-do list and miraculously accomplishes every task they set out to do. Chances are, you’re still waiting for that hand to go up, and I am too!

The truth is, to-do lists, those seemingly innocent compilations of daily tasks, often lead to mounting stress, personal disappointment, and a never-ending cycle of unfulfilled promises. The very tool we’ve trusted to boost our productivity has become a source of frustration and overwhelm. As we check off 1 item, 2 more appear. It just never ever ends!

I’d argue it’s high time we regain control of our lives and supercharge our productivity, and it all starts by bidding farewell to the ever-elusive to-do list.

In running multiple businesses and serving as a leader there’s never a shortage of things to do. At any point in time, either a client, a team member, or my family need my full attention. You can very easily spend 12 hours plus every day running from one fire to another.

It’s of course not sustainable.

To-do lists, ostensibly designed to keep us on track, often lead us astray. They can become a breeding ground for distraction because with an endless list of non categorised items, we unintentionally gravitate to the simple or most urgent, instead of the most important and strategic. We run full speed checking a constant box but in fact end up running in circles.

So what’s the solution? How do we still achieve some measure of success against the mountains of tasks we need to deliver?

My secret hack to peak productivity all starts with my calendar. I schedule every single to-do list into my week.

Whether that be the gym, reading, family time, emails, proposals, client work, strategic planning, content, returning calls. All of it. It’s right there in my calendar.

This time-boxed nature of my calendar not only allows for a managed system but also for full focus on what’s before me. I turn off all other tasks or notifications at that moment. At the end of the scheduled time, 15 minutes, 30, or an hour; I move on; task complete or not. If I need to schedule more time later or tomorrow, rather that.

This approach also helps me lead my team. They know that during that slot I’m fully invested and have turned off to the endless pings and interruptions. Of course sometimes a priority client or family crisis arises but the framework wins 9 times out of 10.

The best part of this timeboxed calendar is it lets me build up an unshakeable routine. I have set and dedicated days and times to be working on specific tasks that actually move the dial forward. Research, content, my next book, business development.

Apparently, we all have the “same 24 hours.” However, productivity is solely about maximising and leveraging the most out of your day in your own way. Rather than depending on a checklist to dictate our day, the onus is on you to create something that actually works which is also aligned to your nature. After years of trying multiple applications for task management, to-do lists and project management I realised that simply time-boxing my diary was the most efficient method. The only rule is: If it’s not in my calendar it doesn’t get done. It usually doesn’t get remembered either, hehe. The simpler you make that process the better it’ll be for you and you’ll start to see the results come shining through!

A schedule also liberates us from the constant burden of feeling like we should be doing something else. Beyond work, when we allocate specific time for life (read leisure and fun) we can fully immerse ourselves in those moments without guilt. My time with my family can be my time with my family fully. When I take a much deserved break it’s because I’ve scheduled that pause just as importantly as I’ve scheduled time for a client proposal.

In a world where productivity feels like a never-ending pursuit, it’s time to bid farewell to the old and ineffective to-do lists. By establishing a time-boxed calendar we regain control of our lives and supercharge our productivity.

Wave goodbye once and for all to this source of stress and disappointment. Instead embrace and unlock the true potential of our days and make each moment count!