The Foolproof Way to Tackle Your To-Do List in the New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! 🎉 I can’t believe another new year is upon us.

Many of us reflect and come up with New Year’s resolutions since the new year gives us the opportunity to hit the reset button and start over. But if you’re thinking…

“I’ve already got a million things on my To-Do list, and now I need to add my New Year’s resolutions on top of that? How am I going to get it all done?!”

…then, I’ve got a few tips for you below. It’s my foolproof way to tackling your To-Do list this year and feeling great about getting things done.

Do a Weekly Brain Dump of All Your To-Do’s, and Prioritize Them.

Get a notepad, and take 5-10 minutes to write down every single thing you need to do. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I’ve personally made it a habit to do this (and the tip below) every Sunday night. It’s so important to write out these tasks on paper so they’re not floating around in your brain all week, interrupting and constantly reminding you that they need to be done.

Then, read through the list, and put a star next to each task that needs to get done this week (like “Code Red and an immediate evacuation is necessary” kind of priority).

Schedule Each Task and When to Complete it.

Your calendar is about to become your new best friend! Take each starred task, and schedule them on your calendar, either on paper or digitally. Block out time and batch tasks together, like only checking your email twice a day at noon and 3pm (versus each time you hear your email notification) or doing the dishes while listening to a podcast. Also, remember to block out time for yourself and with your family, and add buffer time to each task so that you’re not in a bind if things take longer than usual or if emergencies come up.

One major part of getting tasks done is understanding what time of day works best for you. If you know that working out in the morning energizes you for the rest of the day, schedule your workouts in the morning. If you’ve noticed that it’s better for you to turn your phone on airplane mode and focus solely on getting a work project done, then schedule a time to check emails or social media in the middle of the day. Are Wednesday nights always busy with your daughter’s basketball games? Plan to cook meals earlier in the week, and freeze them so they’re ready to go on Wednesdays. Whether it’s making sure you work out five times a week or finally organizing your closet, each task on your To-Do list will have its place on your calendar.

Don’t Break the Promises You Made to Yourself.

Do you ever feel like sometimes, it’s so easy to stay committed to things you’ve promised to other people but not to yourself? Put this one on the New Year’s Resolution list: don’t break the promises you made to yourself. The process of scheduling your tasks might be new to you so tweak it as you go, and be realistic about how much you can accomplish in a given week. You don’t want to overload yourself so much that it stresses you out even more! As you get each scheduled task done, it will feel so good and reinforce you to keep checking things off.

So there you have it! Now, let’s get to tackling your To-Do list, and share this post with a friend who needs these tips to kick start the New Year!