How to Complete Your To-Do List

Some days my to-do list is so long that I feel like I'll never finish it in a decent amount of time. And when I see that I have a lot of stuff to do, it doesn't give me any motivation to do it. So, I've developed a system that helps me to crank out my to-do list, and it works really well!

one // set a reward

Setting a reward to get when you finish your to-do list is a great incentive to find motivation to get things done. The incentive that I always choose is going to the gym. My life is so busy that I usually have to carve in a certain time for me to go to the gym, even though I love going! By telling myself that I'll have enough time to go to the gym if I finish everything, it really makes me want to get everything done. Another great reward is watching a couple of episodes of whatever series you're currently watching on Netflix. I just started One Tree Hill on Netflix this past weekend (and almost done with the first season, sorry not sorry!), so having enough time to watch some of it during the week is relaxing and awesome.

two // stay focused

Sometimes when you have a lot of things to do, especially ones that bore you, it's easy to get distracted. I especially get distracted while on social media, so I try to stay away from that! Put away any devices that might make it easy for you to get distracted. Take a little break every hour or so in order to go back to your list feeling refreshed and motivated, but try not to take too long of a break because then it will be harder to go back!

three // write it down

I write down everything that I need to do. If I don't write it down, I'm guaranteed to forget about it. It's also super rewarding being able to physically cross out any completed task; it always motivates me to keep going and gives me an idea of how much I have left to do!

four // create a schedule

Create a schedule of certain time frames for each task. This helps me to stay focused. It also lets me know if I'm falling behind on time or if I'm getting through things quickly. Finishing tasks before the allotted time is done also motivates me because it lets me know that I'll have even more time to spend on my reward, or going to the gym!

How do you stay focused?