Revamp Your To-Do List: A Hands-On Approach to Organizing Your Priorities
Tired of feeling overwhelmed and unproductive with your to-do list? Does it just turn into more of a list of guilt because you keep bouncing between tasks? In this journal entry, we’re exploring a unique approach to organizing your priorities and leading you toward taking aligned action. Whether you're a busy professional, a student, or a busy parent, this method is designed to help you boost your confidence in taking action and navigating your life journey with purpose.
Not sure if you saw this post on Instagram , where I showed a sneak peek at how I've learned my mind works best when organizing my ideas.
And BOY DO I NEED TO!
When I have a lot of ideas, my attention and energy gets pulled in so many directions and I don’t have the capacity to do them all at once.
And nothing gets done.
And I feel bitterness that none of my ideas are going anywhere.
I've reached a frustration point in things not happening like I envision because I let my mind bounce around like a Plinko puck.
Actual footage of my untamed idea excitement
I get so excited about ALL THE THINGS that I dream up!
But I get stuck in moving any of them to that NEW CAR slot. And I can’t seem to win all of the cash and prizes that I feel are almost within my reach.
The usual (boring) goal planning and process mapping doesn't work for me, like priority lists and flow charts, especially when I am deep in the swirl.
When I'm ready to start putting my ideas into motion, I need a game-planning method that moves and helps me make connections.
One that lets me capture nuance, buckets and spatial relationships so I can feel good about the path forward that emerges.
It's like interior design for the mind. (Fun fact, I'm actually a certified Interior Designer... but always worked on the managing side of things)
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”
Know Yourself
Through knowing myself better, I’ve learned to recognize when I need an intervention to regroup, reorient and stop the Plinko way of operating.
You can use these same tips to notice things in your life and help you get to know yourself better.
What are the signs that you need to take a break in the action and come up with a game plan?
How would you describe the not-self feeling? (again, naming helps to tame)
Swirl. Overwhelm. Hurricane. Drowning. Trapped. Dead Weight. Scrambled Eggs. Mud. Quicksand.
Do you know the signs-
When you need a plan of action?
When you are swirling/doing overwhelm/scramble egging it to nowhere?
When the overwhelm starts to set in?
Then ask yourself- What helps you organize your thoughts?
Do you know what methods help you most when you are needing to organize your thoughts?
Map it Out
I’m an incredibly visual and tangible person when it comes to taming my mind and I need to get things out where I can see them.
Maybe you can relate. I did a similar process tackling all of my day-to-day to-do list things that were swirling in my head. You can read that here.
This is incredibly helpful to me when I'm trying to map out big picture priorities. Then taking aligned action from there.
This is a snapshot into my method:
What you’ll need-
Printer paper or index cards, cut into approximately 2” x 3” pieces (as fun as different colors are, a single color helps at this stage)
Writing utensil that feels fun to write with (pen, marker, colored pencil)
Previous lists or reference materials/resources to refer to for making a complete list
Large area to work on (may prefer grabbing a piece of poster board so that you can move it while it’s a work in progress)
Method to document your results (paper, presentation program, Canva doc)
To help the process go a little smoother, do some pre-work and start a list of things that you want to map out and organize. When I did this for my business goals and offers, I had to double check I had all of the ideas, current opt-ins, and known “holes” in my offers. Letting things bubble up over a few days helped me dive into mapping things out faster (aka the fun part!)
Once you have these gathered together, it’s time to get started. Put on some music that peps you up or helps you get in the zone. Sometimes I like my dance party mix and other times I like to go deep with some binaural beats.
On separate, individual pieces of paper, write out the main ideas/tasks/to-do's (basically mind dump of ALL THE THINGS so you have a clear head)
Name the buckets they fall into and sort the papers accordingly, adding more or editing as needed
Set aside any that aren't true priorities, are full of shoulds or won't alleviate your core grievances
Physically play with arranging them until a sense of order settles in
Set it aside for a day (or 2 weeks in my case) and adjust if needed
Create your action plan based on the map you've created (this is where lists turn into my friend)
Having the physical elements to hold is key in this method. It let's me pause and contemplate where they could go. And the moment it takes to move them around helps slow my mind down just enough to stay present in the process. It feels like my inner and outer self are working together on something, rather than it being completely one-sided from my mind.
Then I can create an aligned action plan for the way forward, feeling more confident that I know where I’m going again.
It's like a map for me to follow.
No more swirl! No more Plinko!
Go Inward
What swirl are you needing to tame today?
Our deep desires and inspired energy is magical. Don't let your inspired ideas get stuck in the swirl.
Use this prompt to help you start to notice more about how you navigate your life and the journey of living a life that lights you up.
This isn't about conquering your to-do list. This is about finding a way through the unique journey of your life that makes you feel like the best version of you, doing what matters most to you.
Have fun getting your mind cleared out and seeing where you stand with things. Get excited about taking inspired action that aligns with where you want to go.
Happy trails to you my friend!
Looking for direction on where you even want to go? Check out this journal entry and learn how to collect the dots.
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Stephanie Rose is a mom, wife, business owner and a forever student in finding ways to know herself better. She acts as guide for your own journey, sharing insights, tools and practices to help you remember your magic and live a life that lights you up. Sign up for her newsletter and check out her free resources.
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