A simple method for getting MORE done without the overwhelm.

I read the book, Getting Things Done, by David Allen in high school. I literally saw it on my aunt’s book shelf one day (thank you Aunt Jackie) and started reading it while my cousins were watching TV or playing video games. While that particular system ultimately didn’t work for me, I started becoming obsessed with productivity and systems for accomplishing the things that matter.

At first, the whole purpose of my productivity was for more productivity,so I could get more and more things done on a crazy human hamster wheel. But eventually, I realized that the purpose of productivity is to get things done so you can STOP getting things done and enjoy your life.

I also think going through medical school and having an insane amount of work and studying to do for 4 years straight motivated me to create systems so I could be hyper-productive. I didn’t realize this was a gift of mine until recently talking to one of the girls in my coach training program. She seemed amazed by the sheer volume of things I was able to get done for my coaching business all while working a full time job, adjusting to life in a foreign country, having a robust social life, traveling and hiking and exploring my island home.

Additionally, I realized that most of the other teachers here on the island- wanted to pursue a side hustle as well, but were either unable to make the same type of progress that I was making or were feeling stressed out about it.

I decided that I needed to figure out WHAT I was doing that was allowing me to use my time so wisely. The first thing I realized was that I had a fairly airtight system for getting things done. In this post, I want to share with you the 3 crucial components of my system and how you can use these components to devise your own system that works for you.

Why you need a system

The whole purpose of a system is to eliminate your frenetic overwhelm, so you can feel good about what you ARE doing and what you are NOT doing. Once you get your system up and running, the process of getting things done will become easier and more effortless.

It is honestly shocking to me how many people move through their days with no planner, to-do list, calender, etc. But let me tell you, your brain will feel infinitely more free and calm if you have a system for capturing all your to-do’s, appointments, ideas, and then subsequently implementing those pieces throughout your day.

My system right now is pretty simple and involves 3 major components. It’s not perfect (and NO system will be perfect- you will always be working out kinks and coming up with better ways to do things) but it is super functional for me. Your system needs 3 components, or rather 3 types of to-do lists.

Let’s dig in.

Component #1: An incoming to-do list to capture all the ideas and to-dos that come up each day.

This part of the system needs to be portable (you need to have it with you at all times), flexible (no particular format like a blank piece of paper), easy to access- you need to be able to pull it up and add to it quickly and easily essentially like a blank piece of paper you carry around with you all the time. Since its 2019 and all of us have smart phones, I find that the most logical thing to do is to use your smart phone.

I keep two separate notes in the notes app of my iphone for the purpose of capturing things on the go. One titled “content ideas” and one titled “things to do”. This is how I keep track of everything that pops into my mind or comes up during the day.

If you don’t have a way to capture everything that comes up, any productivity system will be incomplete. I honestly cannot think a better and more simple way to keep up with these to do’s then keeping these notes on my phone.

I’ve tried downloading productivity apps, using evernote or one note, bullet journaling- and all of those modalities just end up being too complicated and overwhelming for me. I am honestly pretty lazy when it comes to creating a system- so the one I’ve created is really the bare minimum necessary for capturing all of my to-do’s.

If you already have a system in place for capturing to-dos that is working for you- keep it up. But if you are running around, feeling constantly frazzled and overwhelmed- then you need a system and I recommend starting with this.

Create two notes in your phone one for “ideas” and one for “things to do”.

The ideas note is where you add anything that pops into your head that might be fun to do at some point- but doesn’t necessarily need to be executed anytime soon. You may not be in the content creation space, but if you are a human being even slightly in touch with your creativity you will be a fountain of ideas. These ideas might be things that sound fun to try, skills you’d like to learn, ways to improve various parts of your life, even inventions you dream up.

The things to do note will include more practical things that you actually need to complete. Errands you need to run, things you need to pick up, people you need to talk to about various things, flights you need to book, tasks you need to finish etc. 

These notes will likely be unorganized and messy. Thats ok and actually that means you are doing it right. Their purpose is essentially just to capture everything down on “paper” so it is out of your head. This frees up your mind in such a beautiful way.

Component #2: A master task list for holding all the someday, maybe to-do’s

This part of my system is specifically for my business because my personal life doesn’t really require that much admin. Most of the tasks for my personal life go directly from my “things to do” note into my planner. But if you have a family, significant other, or generally more complex personal life you may need to make two master tasks lists: one for your business (side hustle, work, career, etc.) and one for your personal life.

The master task list is a holding place where I keep an ongoing list of all the projects and things I want to do for my business. It is essentially my “someday” list, but not someday far in the future…. someday soon. It includes the online courses I want to take, skills I want to develop, systems I want to build and automate, mini projects I want to start, etc.

For me, a master task list is different than a to-do list because the master list includes all the projects I’ve ever thought about completing. It is a comprehensive list of everything in my conscious awareness that I would like to get done at some point in my business.

I have my master task list all typed up in a google doc. In this google doc, I also have included all of the tasks I need to complete on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) to keep my business afloat.

Daily tasks include all the engaging on social media, checking my email, etc. Weekly tasks include all of the content I need to push out (publishing a blog post, creating pinterest images, composing IG and FB posts and stories), and other admin tasks such as checking my tailwind queue, checking in with my “client tracking spreadsheet” and sending out emails. 

Component # 3: A weekly to-do list to actually work from

 The third component of this system is what I reference on a regular basis to actually get things done. My weekly to do list is a highly curated group of tasks I intend to complete that week. It is a thoughtfully selected, manageable number of tasks. It includes ONLY what I am prioritizing for that week.

It is NOT an anxiety provoking brain dump. It is not an impossible to accomplish set of tasks that leaves me feeling discouraged before I even start.

The energy behind carefully selecting your to-do’s is so important and bleeds over into how you feel for the entire rest of the week.

This is also why creating a master task list is so amazing and essential for the functioning of this whole system. All of the big picture stuff is there and accounted for on my master task list so I don’t have to write every single thing out in my weekly to do list. I get to pick and choose what is actually important to me for that week.

In order to create my weekly to do list, I follow this general process.

First, I look at my upcoming calendar (appointments, client calls, group coaching calls for the programs I am a part of, etc.) and using that I identify my top 3 priorities for the week. Those priorities aren’t necessarily tasks, but usually bigger projects to focus on or specific areas of my business I want to zero in on.

Last week, for example one of my priorities was “content creation” since I was dedicating a full day to batch writing. Sometimes I am heavily focused on reaching out to new clients so “prospecting” will be one of my focuses. Other times there is a long 3 day weekend so traveling/ relaxing is one of my top priorities.

It depends on what I already have scheduled and what I think is important to start working on next. Some weeks, I just automatically know what my priorities are by looking at my calendar. Other times, I check in with my master task list and see what projects I could get started on from there. One other thing to note- my priorities are usually the things I want to focus on in ADDITION to the routine tasks I do every week to keep my business running.

After I know my top three priorities, I then create my actual weekly task list breaking down the to-do’s that fit into those priorities. I think this is best illustrated with an example so I will use my to-do list from last week.

Top 3 Priorities:
1. Content Creation
2. Client Calls
3. Instagram

Weekly To-do list:
– Brainstorm a list of blog posts to write
– Batch write 4-5 blog posts on Thursday
– Watch CAU Module 4 videos on Content Creation
– Create a content schedule
– Create new freebie/ opt-in
– Implement a system for re-purposing content across platforms
– Plan insta content for the week: mini training mondays, 2-3 posts, polls
– Show up and engage on insta for 20 min daily
– Review client forms and sales script for discovery call
– Show up for 4 client calls

Hopefully this illustrates to you how my priorities are not tasks themselves but serve to inform which tasks go into my weekly to-do list.

Then I add in all the weekly tasks I do on a routine basis.

Regular weekly tasks:
– Review client tracking spreadsheet and send out emails
– Check tailwind queue and add pins
– Plan insta content (already added that above)
– Publish blog post
– Email list about blog post
– Create and pin 2 images for blog post

And that is how I create my weekly to- do list. When you are just starting this practice- play around with it and see how much you are able to get done in a week. The point is to be super realistic about what you put on your list. Most of the time I am accomplish 90-100% of what I put into my list- and that is because over time I have learned how much I can actually get done in a week.

At first, it is honestly best to low-ball yourself so that you don’t end up feeling defeated and discouraged every week.

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And that is basically it. That sums up how I use my 3 different to-do lists to create a seamless productivity system that feels effortless and lacks all of the overwhelm. Hopefully walking through my process will help you to apply this to your own life so you can get more things done with less stress.