Hi! Welcome to another edition of Daanish Writes, the weekly newsletter where I share ideas about personal growth, life design and my thoughts.

This week we're talking about: 1) Organisation and 2) To-Do Lists

Do you ever find that there aren't enough hours in the day to do what you want to do?

Recently I was feeling this way, so I decided to get up and get my sh*t together. I put a lot of systems in place to ensure I get the endless list of tasks done every day but the glue that holds everything together is the To-Do list.

In a pandemic where we're free of the daily commute and getting ready every morning, you'd think it would be easier to get more done in the day. We're saving an hour or more per day from not having to travel and run the usual errands (besides food shopping).

So why is that not translating to getting more done? I think it's down to a multitude of factors, but mostly lack of organisation. It's really hard to get things done when you're stuck in the same routine and environment every day. The To-Do list can help with that and it's the perfect way to get organised.

It's what I've been using for the last few weeks, managing my university workload alongside cooking, cleaning, laundry, the gym, football, calling home while still finding the time to kick back and relax every night.

I'm sure everyone knows what a To-Do list is and you might even be using a to do list yourself, but are you doing it in the best way possible?

Have you ever made a To-Do list and finished the day with unchecked boxes? That long list of unfinished tasks drowns out the feeling of accomplishment you normally get from ticking off the completed tasks.

Have you ever made a To-Do list but had an overwhelming sense of what I call 'cba syndrome' when you realise you have to actually do stuff?

If so, you've come to the right place. This newsletter is all about the principles behind an effective To-Do list.

As usual I begin with my intentions: We all know what a To-Do list is, but very few of us are using them in the best way. I intend to show you a few principles that can help you get more out of every day.

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The Artist's Trap

Back in school when it came to exams, you always got that one student who would make the prettiest notes, spending all day using different colours, perfecting their handwriting - but they would spend so long doing the notes that they don't get enough time to actually revise.

What about that person who decides they're going to get into shape, so they get a gym membership, purchase a matching Gym Shark tracksuit and water bottle but they never actually get to the exercising part.

What about the person who makes a To-Do list but never completes it? Unchecked boxes collect dust in their notebook as their burst of motivation fizzles out.

These are all victims of what I call The Artist's Trap.

This is a common obstacle to getting things done that many people face. It's where you become so obsessed with the preparation of something, like making the To-Do list (the easy part) that you forget that those tasks actually need to get done.

Don't fall into this trap. If there's an ink smudge of a misspelling on your To-Do list, let it go. What's important is you get that thing done after.

Remember this ~ When you're making a To-Do list, more time and energy should be spent in doing the tasks than in writing them down.

For the remainder of this newsletter I'll share tips for making the best To-Do list which will hopefully get completed AND won't feel like a drag.

If you want to test how good your To-Do list writing is, make a little To-Do list right now for today/tomorrow, then after each of the following sections have a look how yours compares - we learn best by doing!

1. Make It Easy

I fall victim to this frequently. There's nothing worse than looking at the tasks that need doing and all of them being 1 hour+ tasks.

Break down each task into smaller chunks, until those chunks take less than 5 minutes to do. Now you have a list of really easy-to-do things which you are more likely to want to do.

Today I needed to write my newsletter. I had the following on my To-Do list:

• [X] Think of Newsletter title
• [X] Write newsletter outline
• [X] Take picture for newsletter
• [X] Newsletter insight

These are all super simple, 5 minute tasks. Compare them to 'Write newsletter'. Which of the 2 do you think I'm more likely to do?

2. Make it descriptive

I read a study about this somewhere, I can't remember where so just take my word for it. Our brains like description. If you write a task, try to be a little more descriptive.

Why?

Because, when you write it in a more descriptive way, your brain will be able to mentally see you doing the task, so it is more likely to do that thing.

Here are a few examples:

• [X] Go for a relaxing walk in nature
• [X] Write newsletter at your desk with coffee
• [X] Make a tasty breakfast
• [X] Blast your shoulders at the gym

Get creative with this, put smiley faces and silly lines in to motivate you for the task.

3. Add leisure activities

This was such a game changer for me. I used to only add the important work-related items to my To-Do list but that makes it boring and those lists never get completed. The list should contain everything that needs to get done that day. Take today for example, I had a lecture to do and I needed to go the gym, but I also wanted to watch a movie and eat lunch so I added that too!

It is a To-Do list so anything that needs doing goes on it! That includes Netflix, relaxing, eating and sleeping.

4. The 2 minute rule

Every day we have little tasks that take less than 2 minutes. David Allen (author of Getting Things Done) made this 2 minute rule, where if you have anything that takes less than 2 minutes, you should do that thing immediately.

In the Organised Mind Daniel Levitin suggests an add on to this rule which is to block out 30 minutes a day where you do all of the 2 minute or less tasks all at once. I suggest doing this in the morning, I think doing multiple things like this at the beginning of the day will give you a good bit of momentum to keep going.

Are there any mugs lying about in your room? What are you waiting for? (I literally have one next to me as I'm writing this...takes it to kitchen)

5. Lower the bar

Another huge problem people face with To-Do lists is we set the bar way too high. We don't factor in uncertainty and the unpredictability of life.

If you plan your day to the minute, chances are you won't get everything done because something will happen like an old friend randomly calling you or a bus being late.

Things like this happen every day - we set the bar too high then at the end of the day we feel defeated and inadequate because we couldn't even finish a simple To-Do list.

My solution is to lower the bar.

Set it so low that you look at your list and think 'I can get this completed by 3pm easily'. If you do this and you fully complete the list, you can just spend 5 minutes adding more things in the middle of the day - this system beats having a gigantic list which is impossible to complete in a day.

6. Batching

Something I've been recently trying is batching my day. If I wake up at 10am, I write a list of things I want to complete before 11am, then I write down where I think I'll be at 11am. Every hour I repeat the process and I work through the day by batching my tasks.

This sort of makes it feel like a game and adds an element of fun to getting things done because you're racing against the clock - be careful not to set the bar too high though!

Aaaaand that's all for today. Did I inspire you to make a To-Do list?

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. I appreciate it more than I can put into words :)

(Note: If you enjoy this email, please consider forwarding it to someone who would get a lot out of it. If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive it each Sunday evening. It’s free.)

✏️Insights of the week:

• 💬QUOTE OF THE WEEK: A special quote.

• 👁️INSIGHT: Your state of mind determines your experience of a situation. In the world there are people in the exact same situation yet their perceptions are complete polar opposites. The difference? State of mind.
• 🎙️PODCAST: This episode from Mindvalley: How To Live Completely Stress-Free - Srikumar Rao is incredible. I had no idea who Srikumar was before listening to this but I can tell you now, he is a wise man and his insights and stories are full of wisdom. Highly recommend, this is up there with one of my favourite ever podcast episodes!
• 📖CURRENTLY READING: The Organised Mind by Daniel Levitin​

About the Author:

That’s me! I’m Daanish, I’m a Biomedical Science Graduate and a first year Medic studying in Aberdeen.

I like reading, writing, exercising, anything mindfulness-related and coffee.

If you want to discuss something further, make a friend or just have a chat, please reach out! I love connecting with like-minded people.

You can find me on 📽️YouTube, 🐦Twitter, 📸Instagram and 🤓LinkedIn.

If you liked this post, consider sharing it with someone who might like it, I’d really appreciate it 😊

NEXT VIDEO: HOW TO STUDY DURING A PANDEMIC

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