Is Your To-Do List Ruining Your Life? A Daily Strategy For Getting More Done

There is always something more we could be doing to reach our goals -- or at least that's what we're taught to think. Our culture promotes hyper-productivity, but the reality is that pushing ourselves to the brink of burnout isn't the best way to accomplish anything.

Learn how to amp up your productivity with practical tips from holistic life coach Maytal Phillips of The Consciousness Edit. Set a schedule, commit to an intention and watch your work flourish...

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done -- wise words by Bruce Lee. Who knew Bruce Lee was so in-tune with productivity? The truth is we all have way more to do than ever and seemingly much less time to do so. As a business clarity coach, productivity is the number two topic people request coaching for, and number one is money, of course!

How To Get More Done + Have Fun Doing It...

Here’s the deal: Most people I speak to are surviving life with a balance of reactivity, overwhelm and a cluster of a to-do list. So, how do you get more done and have some fun while doing it? Below are four tips on how to get more done and also have some fun while doing it:

Clarify those intentions | Be clear on your commitments. If you’re like me, you have a day job, a fun job, a volunteer job, family, friends — it’s a Gemini problem, I swear — so I really have to ask myself, what is the one thing that needs to move today? What are the most important things in my life right now? This is where you get to be brutally honest with yourself and create a foundation of being able to create your day and life — and not just survive. You get more done by first committing to what’s incredibly important.

smarter to-do lists | This is the fun part. Create your new and improved list of items that must be done for the day and another list of what needs to be done for the week. Assign a length of time to each task — this is a skill you need to practice and hone. Instead of noting work on website project, write spend 30 minutes on website project. Even better, break items down in simple to manage steps. For example: Spend 15 minutes updating logo and 15 minutes creating an Instagram post. The more specific you are the less work your brain has to do.

honor your own time | Once you determine approximate times for each task, prioritize which items need to happen today and assign actual times to each. For example: Spend 15 minutes on logo from 12:45 pm-1 pm and 15 minutes creating an Instagram post from 1 pm-1:15 pm. This is an exercise in honoring your day and what needs to get done. It also keeps you focused and provides you with parameters instead of spending longer on tasks that may only take a few minutes, especially if you’re not looking at your phone, grabbing something to eat and taking four bathroom breaks (speaking from experience here!). If there is an overage of tasks and it seems like the items won’t be completed until midnight, delegate and decide what is really important for the day. What will move your life and work forward? The rest of your to-do list can move to the following day. Swallow an honesty pill here and make sure you’re not using overwhelm as a tool to keep being that busy damsel in distress.

Take breaks - and put the phone down | Equally as important is scheduling breaks for lunch and stretching, and not packing your day with back-to-back tasks. And this is where fun comes in! You can actually schedule time with your partner, friends, yourself. Your productivity only feels as good as the payoff you have by spending more time with loved ones and having time for hobbies, rest, food, exercise or whatever makes your heart sing.

When you’re not overwhelmed, you can be present with what you’re doing. And when you’re present you can connect to the intention you create, which should be fun. Remember, the intention is the lens by which to see your day. When you create an intention you’re excited about, your day shifts. You’ll create the space you need to just be instead of do.

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