This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure here.
Want to try something simple to organize your to-do list? Do you ever have days where you feel like you aren’t getting things done? I really felt like I was all over the place with my ever-increasing to-do list: start my blog, copy the VHS tapes to DVDs, do something about the 30,000 pictures bogging down my mac, I could go on and on, but I think you get the drift.
Prioritize Your To-Do List
Even though I am retired, I still have very busy days, even more so than when I was working full time. I don’t know how I was able to get all of that done with kids, meals, etc. But getting my things done seems to fall to the lowest priority compared to everyone else’s needs around me. I thought that when I was retired, I would have so much time to do things. But, that is one thing that never changes – time – it is a constant, and trying to squeeze so many things into the short amount of time we have, seems almost impossible. But, somehow we manage to do it all.
Try a New Approach
I was sitting at my desk trying to figure it all out when I remembered something mind-blowing. My husband is a sales manager, with a team of seven. A few years ago, his company decided to try a process they called “Focus Days”. I am not really sure how well that worked out for them, but I thought this process might help me.
Go Back To Basics
So, what did I do? I went “old school” and created a monthly calendar with what I now, lovingly, refer to as my Focus Days Calendar. I assigned specific tasks to each weekday on my calendar. You can see my calendar below:
Categorize Your To-Do List
I basically tried to categorize my to-do list into 5-6 categories. As you can see, I currently have one day dedicated to my blog, but this will change in the fall when my grandson goes to daycare full time. Cleaning house is self-explanatory, and housekeeping is the task of dealing with financial matters, following up on various things I have ordered, grocery shopping, etc. I am currently alternating my days of working on ancestry and sewing, because – in my free time with my iPad, I work on ancestry. The big day is Fridays, which I plan to focus on getting the enormous list of home projects whittled down to a more manageable list consisting of maintenance and light repairs as they arise. Once that list is smaller, I will use that time toward my other hobbies.
Working Mothers Can Benefit Too
If you are a working mother, you can still adopt this to meet the demands of your schedule. Give it a try, you might find it works even better for you!
Be Productive and Enjoy It
My goal is to increase the time I work doing what I love, Ancestry, Sewing, Cooking, Blogging, and spending quality time with my family. I will keep you posted on how I progress with this plan going forward. My first week in May was very productive, but I knew I had to really focus on getting my blog launched, so my focus days will truly begin in June, and I am optimistic that it will be a very productive month.
Lose the Guilt
Some unexpected surprises I had from that first week of focus days was how nice it was to focus on a specific task, such as sewing, without the guilt of not doing other things. It made my sewing time so much more enjoyable and productive. The other thing is that when you finish your tasks for that day – you have free time to enjoy yourself. A win-win!
Please let me know if you try this out and how it worked out for you. I’d love to hear from you.
