How To Get Your To-Do List Done

It's no secret that I'm a fan of to-do lists.

I just find that I'm more productive and focused when I've got a to-do list to keep me on track. Looking back over the last couple of years, when I've neglected my to-do list, I seem to start drifting aimlessly and tend to waste a lot of precious time.

I've worked out a little system that ensures my to-do list is helping me work towards my goals, and doesn't become yet another bit of paper lying around.

Here's what works for me:

1. Set regular time aside to create your list. I usually work off a weekly to-do list. I tried daily to-do lists but usually over-estimated what I could achieve in a day, and ended up losing motivation. Any longer than a week and motivation also flags, since long deadlines seem to encourage procrastination and lack of focus.

Sunday evenings are my time to reflect on my life, my goals and what I hope to get done in the next week. I really look forward to this time, when I can focus on where my life is heading, what I want to achieve and be in this life, and most importantly, how I can get there.

I start out by jotting down all the things I already have planned or organized for the week, such as "Judah's birthday on Wednesday" or "School interview 9am Tues etc, then I figure out what I can reasonably expect to get done during that week.

2. Write it down properly. I keep a big A4 notebook. In the front, it has inspiring quotes and thoughts to uplift me. Each week, I write a to-do list on one page (it doesn't usually take up a whole page), and the opposite page I gradually fill in with ideas or bits of information that I want to remember, such as phone numbers or products and prices. 

I've never been able to get excited about computerized or internet to-do lists. Call me old-fashioned, but I just like the immediacy and accessibility of pen on paper.

3. Check it often. I check my to-to list daily, to make sure I'm on track and remind myself to keep aiming for my goals.

4. Break big tasks down into smaller steps. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I tick another item off my to-do list. It motivates me to stay on track and keep working towards what I want. Bearing this in mine, I give myself plenty chances to experience that feeling!

For example, rather than putting "Finish writing e-book" on my to-do list, I write "Finish Chapter 3 of e-book". Yes, I learned that one from experience! "Finish writing e-book" got rolled over onto next week's list about 3 times before I realized it might never happen if I didn't change something.

5 Remember what's important and what is the most effective use of your time. A to-do list should reflect our values and our goals. Keeping a to-do list for the sake of being busy is really a form of procrastination. Do what matters and choose effective over efficient.

6. Mix it up. This one may not work for everyone, but it works for me. I tend to mix it up a bit when I'm making a to-do list. Some items on there are quick and easy and may only take 15 minutes to complete (like checking ticket prices or paying a bill) while others are more time-consuming and have to be broken down into steps.

On any given day, I might aim to tick off 1-3 items from my list, depending on what they are. The trick is not to choose all the quick easy ones first and put off the more tiring or annoying ones until the last day of the week, because they'll probably just turn up again on next week's list!

I also add items from different areas of my life, it's not all business! My to-do list might range from "Follow up kit-home leads" to "Wax legs". I can glance at my to-do list and choose what's going to work in with other things that are happening on that day. I realize this may not work for everyone, but it's how I like to do it.

7. Know when "good" is good enough. Okay, I admit it. I've now edited this article three times since I hit "Publish". I'm not a perfectionist, really I'm not! Anybody who has watched me cook with joyful abandon and a distinct lack of measuring devices already knows this. I just seem to have this inbuilt tendency to accept nothing but my very best at all times.

Which is all wonderful, but we must remember not to make perfect the enemy of the good. In the words of Neale Donald Walsh (Or was it God's words? I can't remember): Perfection is the obstacle of creation and enemy of achievement. At some point you've got to say "This is good. And this is enough". If you cannot do this, you will never get anything done - and that is the opposite of what you want, is it not?

PS. In other exciting news, my e-book "The 7 Habits of Someone Who Never Gets Sick" will be available by the end of the week. I'm super excited to share some of my most cherished health secrets with you and hear how it transforms your life!

You Might Also Like:
How To Turn Your Big Crazy Idea Into Reality (Part 1)
There Is No Magic Pill...And That's a Good Thing
The One Simple Habit That Changed My Life

How To Accept Your Self and Your Life...."As Is"

I've always been a fairly "ambitious" person - it seems to come with the territory of being a Capricornian.

Not that being ambitious is a bad thing, per se, but ambition seems to come with an inherent sense of dissatisfaction. Ambition says I want more. I want better. I want bigger...

It's something I've struggled with - how to strike that balance between aiming high and dreaming big, while accepting and being grateful for where I am right now.

During the last 12 months, a recurring theme running through my experiences, has been the need to accept what is.

Accept my life as it is right now (and not for what it may be in the future).

Accept myself as I am right now (and not for who I'll be one day...).

Accept people as they are (and not for who I wish them to be.)

I've done a lot of thinking and soul-searching on this issue, and though I still have a ways to go, I wanted to share some of the epiphanies and realizations that have been helpful to me, in learning how to simply accept what is.

1. The realization that everything that happens to me is a gift.

This is just as true for the experiences that we might label as "problems", as it is for the experiences we enjoy and strive for. 

Struggle, disappointment, sorrow...these are gifts that allow us to fully experience and appreciate their opposites. We cannot fully experience (let alone appreciate) happiness if we have never experienced sadness. There is no such thing as abundance, if there is no lack. One gives meaning to the other.

2. The knowledge that, on a soul level, I chose this experience.

I attracted this! Our conscious mind might never have chosen disappointments or sadness or loss (in fact, we would probably avoid it at all costs), but our soul (our true self) attracts and manifests the very situation we need, in order to learn and grow and become the person we were meant to be. 

I just finished reading "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah" by Richard Bach, and among the many quotes I loved, was this little gem:

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in it's hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."

Our thoughts create our reality, so if my circumstances are not to my liking, there is no point in railing against God/the economy/the government/the people who annoy me/the weather/the "elites"...etc, etc, because I, and I alone, am responsible for my thoughts and the way I perceive and react and experience this life.

This is both sobering and liberating, all at once.

3. Remembering that we cannot change the past, but we also cannot change the present.

It is what it is. Sure, we get to influence what happens next, but we simply cannot change what is right now. It is futile and draining to even try.

For so much of my life, I have struggled (in vain, I might add) against what is. I have railed and resisted, not realising that you strengthen that which you resist (kind of like being a sparring partner for a champion boxer. Each round we resist him only strengthens him and allows him to perfect his technique further...). What a relief to finally stop resisting and start going with the flow!

4. Reminding myself that nothing - that's NO THING (or NO BODY, for that matter) - can affect me or control me...unless I choose to allow it.

I can choose to struggle against or I can choose to accept. 

Either way, the choice is always mine.

It's called free will. It's the most powerful - and most under-utilized - choice in the Universe. The power to choose our own thoughts. Too bad that so many of us unthinkingly concede that power to people and circumstances outside of ourselves. "He made me so mad..." (Nobody has the power to "make" you feel anything. Only you can do that!) and "She left me with no choice..." (Stop right there. You ALWAYS have choices. Even Nelson Mandela, inside his prison cell for 27 years, had choices. He was free to choose forgiveness or hatred. Anger or peace. And the moment he realized this, he became free-er than many people who have never seen the inside of a jail-cell...)

5. Realizing that I may not be perfect...but I'm perfectly where I should be.

The beauty of life and humanity and nature, is that it is constantly evolving, ever changing...such is the way of things. I am not the same as I was yesterday, or last week or last year.

I, too, am changing and evolving with the great cycle of life.

Rather than always looking ahead at how far I've still got to go, it's okay to sometimes look back and see how far I've come....and know that everything is perfectly as it should be. 

I am a work-in-progress, perfectly imperfect, beautifully flawed...

Trust the journey.

40 Things I Want To Do, Before I Turn 40.

I know I've said this before...but I really love that time between Christmas and New Year. I love reflecting on the year that was, reminding myself of lessons learned...and looking towards the year ahead, setting my goals and intentions.

This time happened to be busier than ever, since I was holidaying with family and we seemed to be either coming or going or entertaining visitors...all day, every day! (It was wonderful, though!) But I did get started on re-writing a list of things I really wanted to do in my life (a revised and updated version of my original "Bucket List"), and I'm aiming to complete the list by the time I turn 40.

I just turned 32, so that gives me 8 years.

I've tried to be really honest, and ask myself "Do I really want this for my life...or do I just think I should want it?" and I've really tried to delve inward for the answer that sits right with me. Therefore, a few of the items on my original list haven't made it onto this one.

#1. Perform a traditional Polynesian dance

#2. Record my own music

#3. Get paid to do public-speaking

#4. Write my memoirs

#5. Learn to play guitar (well enough to play "Hotel California")

#6. Become a mentor

#7. Visit Thailand

#8. Go to Africa

#9. Make a "Life Story" scrapbook for each of my children

#10. Do a 7-day fast

#11. Meet a Native American medicine-man

#12. Spend a year travelling, as a family, with no plan and no destination. Just exploring...

#13. Do a 3-month raw food cleanse

#14. Build a new house

#15. Host a raw-food dinner

#16. Grow a lush herb and vegetable garden

#17. Learn to design and make my own clothes

#18. Speak fluent Tongan

#19. Speak fluent Spanish

#20. Visit South America

#21. Do a wellness/detox retreat

#22. Research and document my family tree

#23. Cut my hair really short, just to see what it looks like! TICK!!  (See here: My First Visit to a Hairdresser in Over 5 Years (With Before and After Photos)

#24. Build at least 5 passive income streams

#25. See the Grand Canyon

#26 Road-trip across America

#27. See the Canadian Rockies

#28. Repay my debts (a loan from my parents, and a VET-Fee study loan from government.)

#29. Build a successful, sustainable health-food business in Tonga that will flourish WITHOUT me

#30. Visit Vava'u during whale season

#31. Travel around Oz

#32. Buy myself flowers

#33. Make a cheesecake

#34. Compete in a 10k race

#35. Become a qualified kinesiologist

#36. Have my aura read

#37. Meet my mentor, the lovely Brandi Bates, in person (She now lives in Belize)

#38. Become adept at yoga

#39. Become "fluent" in wild foods and medicinal plants

#40. Undecided. Will fill in later...

I've already started the ball rolling towards several items on this list, and will post a blog entry for every item ticked off the list.

Have you got a 40 Before 40 (or a 30 Before 30) List? Or a bucket list? If so, leave a link in the comments section so I can check it out.

100 Things I Love...

1. Listening to the sounds of children playing in the street.

2. Hearing my 4yo son say grace

3. Seeing the garden burst into life, when Spring arrives.

4. A glorious Autumn day.

5. The smell of fresh-baked bread. (Darn that Subway, they get me every time...)

6. Curling up in bed with a book

7. Holding hands with my husband

8. Reminiscing with old friends

9. Eating peaches off the tree

10. The smell of woodsmoke

11. My Nanna's tomato sandwiches. Noboby in the world makes tomato sandwiches like my darling Nanna. Eighty-three years young, and still a girl at heart. One of my heroes :-)

12. Watching my children sleeping.

13. People leaving nice comments on my blog. Yes, you know who you are. Love youse all!!

14. Lying on the trampoline watching the clouds float by

15. When  my husband rings from work just to say I Love You.

16. Driving by myself with the music turned up.

17. Dancing around the lounge room with my sons.

18. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets

19. Walking in the fresh air.

20. Long hot showers.

21. The sound of birds chirping in the garden.

22. A back-rub

23. A good heart-to-heart conversation with my husband

24. Picking up my son from preschool. He runs at me, yelling "Mummy!!" at the top of his lungs. Despite having to apologise to all the kids he's knocked over in his excitement, and deafened with his yelling, it never fails to lift my spirits.

25. The smell of rain.

26. The feeling of being right with God.

27. My Mum's tuna mornay. Mmmmmm.

28. Watching my husband play with his sons.

29. The wallflowers in my garden. Even on the greyest Winter day, there they are, nodding their cheery little heads.

30. Putting on a funky pair of earrings.

31. Playing the piano. Especially making up my own music as I go along.

32. My grandparents old house. It's just so....homey.

33. Laying in bed listening to the rain.

34. Listening to Tongan's singing.

35. How Great Thou Art. My favourite hymn ever.

36. When a stranger does something nice

37. Old people's eyes. I love how they are lined and craggy and knowing.

38. Chubby little arms flung around my neck.

39. The handmade creations my son brings home from preschool.

40. Finding a bargain. (All those in favour say Aye....)

41. Stopping to smell the roses. Both literally and figuratively.

42. Long balmy Summer evenings

43. Daydreaming.

44. When my cooking actually turns out like it's supposed to. And my family actually like it...

45. Warm toast and hot chocolate on a Winter evening.

46. Learning something new.

47. Doing good deeds for others.

48. Expressing myself with words.

49. When the sun shines on the suncatcher in my window, and makes little rainbows all around the room.

50. Babies...

51. Picking vegetables out of my own garden.

52. When my sons come and climb into bed with me in the morning.

53. A vase of flowers.

54. My blanket. I cannot go to sleep without it, even on the hottest night.

55. The innocence of childhood, and the idealism of youth.

56. Poetry

57. Wild horses.

58. The books on my bookshelf. I love looking at them...

59. Op-shopping

60. Saying thank-you, every night, for all the good things in my life.

61. Cheesecake. Naughty, but oh so nice.

62. The things kids say...

63. Gazing up at the Milky Way, and remembering the awesomeness of God's creation.

64. The look on a groom's face, when his bride walks down the aisle. Pass the tissues, please...

65. Going to watch the local footie team.

66. A summer storm, and the rainbow at the end.

67. Lighthouses.

68. The first warm breezes of Summer.

69. A good night's sleep.

70. When both boys are in bed, asleep, by 7:30pm and I have a few delicious hours to myself.

71. Date nights with my husband. Though they be few and far between.

72. Salt-of-the-earth country folks. They're my people.

73. My dad's quiet, thoughtful manner.

74. Working in the garden. Not that you'd ever guess by looking at my garden...

75. The rowdiness that happens whenever all my aunties and uncles and cousins get together.

76. Hog's Breath curly fries and ranch dressing.

77. Singing at the top of my lungs.

78. Taking too many photos.

79. The ocean, and all her moods.

80. Making lists.

81. My new jeans.

82. Old cars, especially the old Ford GT.

83. The fact that I'm a descendant of convicts.

84. Sixties and seventies fashion. And music. And cars. What can I say? I was born in the wrong era...

85. My figure. Chasing kids around all day does wonders...

86. Leaders and revolutionaries who worked to make the world a better place. Like Ghandi. And Mother Teresa.

87. The Internet.

88. The farm I grew up on.

89. Elephants.

90. Other cultures and foods.

91. The smell of fresh-cut lawn. And running on it with bare feet.

92. Old things. Especially old houses, old pianos, and old violins. Oh, the stories they could tell.

93. Seeing old couples holding hands.

94. Any movie or book that can make me cry.

95. A sense of humour. And the ability to laugh at oneself. (Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be amused.)

96. Australia.

97. This adventure called life. With all her ups and downs, and the in-betweens, too.

98. Talking to myself. I have such interesting and entertaining conversations!

99. Surprises.

100. All the people in my life, both big and little, and near and far, who enrich it in so many ways.

8 Books I'd Actually Pay For...

stsIt's no secret that I'm a book-lover, and I like nothing more than to curl up with a good book.

Especially a good self-help book. The possibility of learning something that might change my life and my relationships is just irresistable to me...

But....I'm a real tightwad when it comes to buying books, because I can borrow them from the library for free.

However.

Occasionally I come across a book that is SO good, that the library just doesn't cut it. I want to keep it on my bookshelf, so that I can refer back to it, over and over again.

And admire how it looks on my bookshelf.

Gasp. Did I really write that?

Anyway, my latest discovery, is one of those books.

Mars and Venus Together Forever by John Gray, has completely changed the way I look at my husband. And his infuriating habit of coming home and plonking in front of the tv, and pushing up ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz's.

And I understand myself so much better too.

If you are in a relationship, or one your way out of one, please get hold of this book.

These are some other (self-help) books that are on my list of Books I'd Actually Pay For:

 - Life Beyond Limits by Rik Schabel. This book is powerful, and puts "The Secret" to shame...

 - The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. If you are in business, or thinking about it, I beg you to get hold of this book.

 - The Universal Heart by Stephanie Dowrick. This was the book that launched me onto my journey to discover my own happiness, and not rely on others to provide it for me.

 - The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. An absolutely eye-opening look at how the "other half" live.

  - Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. You can't go past this book for explaining the basics of money, and how to make it work for you. Work smarter, not harder.

Now, I'm not an expert on books, by any stretch of the imagination, so if you think there are others that should be on this list, please leave a comment below. I would love to check them out.

Obviously, different books will strike a chord with different people, depending on what our life situation is, but I feel sure you'll get great value out of all the books above. If you do read them, please leave me a comment to tell me what you think.

Whoops. Forgot to list this one: The Magic Of Thinking Big by David Schwarz. An oldie but a goodie. I need to re-read this one, for a big fat dose of motivation.

Also The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason. Another oldie but goodie. Thanks PointView. I was tossing up whether this should be on the list. Maybe because I don't own it at the moment, but I definately would, if I could get it at the right price.

Oh, dear. There's my inner tightwad coming out again.