Cut Your To-Do List in Half

Simple. Get a piece of paper half the size.

Now, stay with me. This is not click-bait nor is it meant to be snarky or clever. I actually do use old-fashioned pen and paper for my weekly planning and to-do lists (here’s why). Recently, I downsized from 8 ½ x 11 paper to 5 ½ x 8 ½.

Why?

I’m always in the pursuit of working more effectively and efficiently. This includes a smaller desk, smaller equipment, making sure everything is in the cloud, and traveling lightly. This allows me to work anytime from anywhere with anyone. It seemed reasonable that the paper I captured my to-dos on would be the next target of efficiency. That’s why I moved from a bulky padfolio to a sleeker half-sized version.

In doing so, I became more judicious and critical of what made it on the list. Was this something that really needed to be done? If not, it would be Eliminated. Is this something that somebody else could do better? If so, it would be Delegated. Is this something that was repetitive and mindless? If it was, it would be Automated.

“Physically reducing the amount of space available to write your to-do list is the equivalent of time-boxing a task that needs to get done.”

Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Kopp’s Observation (which is not a law yet) states that “to-do lists expand to fill the size of the paper available to record them.” Physically reducing the amount of space available to write your to-do list is the equivalent of time-boxing a task that needs to get done. Less time, faster completion. Less room, fewer items. That is, after you go through the process of Elimination, Delegation, and Automation.

I can now cross writing this article off of my half-sized to-do list and move on to my next task!