Turning your to-do list into a plan

So you’ve done a time audit and you’re not where you want to be. You know all the things you want to do, and they are starting to nag at you. Now what?

Now it’s time to plan.

Take a look at your to-do list, which might have 4 things on it or it might have 40. Remember that you don’t have to do any of it! Everything on this list is your choice to do.

Start out with a few of the items you want to accomplish. Maybe it’s to do your taxes, book your vacation, and schedule a haircut.

For each one, Be as specific as possible. If your to do list just says “taxes”, it’s a lot easier to put off doing week after week. Writing out each step, such as “gather tax documents from work, banks, and investments, fill out tax forms, send to accountant, edit if needed, send to IRS” makes it much more actionable.

Also think of the challenges and obstacles you might face in getting the task done. Do you have the passwords to access the accounts you need? Do you know the days the museums you want to visit during vacation are open? Do you know what your availability is to book the haircut?

Next, ask yourself what is the critical path to completion for each task? Do you want to confirm the dates you can travel before you book the airplane or train? Do you want to research hotel availability before deciding your itinerary (and compare each hotel’s sustainability profile)? Does a babysitter need to be schedule for the haircut?

Once you have taken these three steps, you’ve got a plan that is specific, actionable, and accounted for. Now that’s what I call adulting! Want an expert pair of eye on your plan to make sure it is actionable? I’d be happy to review it on a call together, you can book one here.