We all know setting goals, organizing our projects and making to-do lists is a time-saving (and brain-saving) practice. There are lots of tips and tricks out there to help make the structure, but your projects change, the tech you use changes, and your habits change. So, how often are those to-do lists revamped and how do you make your system more, “you?”

Here are some pointers to run through on how to keep your to-do lists up to date:

1. Take a look at your current organizational system.

• What kinds of lists, charts and spreadsheets do you have?
• Where are these found?
• Are there some you don’t use anymore and could be archived or deleted?
• Does it take some brain power to find some of these because they’re not all in one easy to find spot?

2. Assess what works for you and what doesn’t.

Task management is not a one-size-fits-all situation, and that’s totally fine! Instead of thinking about what, “should,” work, think about what does work for you specifically.

If there are softwares, apps or certain kinds of lists that just don’t flow with you, make a note of them. Once you have a list of the stuff that doesn’t work for you, see if there are any common factors so you’ll know what to stay away from and what to aim towards.

Some questions to ask yourself if you’re unsure whether something works for you or not:

• Are there certain tasks I avoid?
• Does this cause any confusion or negativity?
• Would changing how this is laid out make the task feel more or less overwhelming?

3. List 3 pains, and 3 gains.

To help direct your planning, try naming 3 pains and 3 gains. 

Pains are anything that you are not loving, the bits that cost you more time than you’d like or the stuff that creates confusion. 

Gains are what you’re wanting to see happen, things that would make your life easier and smoother.

4. Schedule a regular revamp.

Get in the swing of checking in on your organization strategies! Set a date in your calendar every quarter to invest some time into saving your task managing energy.

Now that there is a better understanding of what the situation is, here are a few ideas on how to restructure your to-do lists and project management:

• Keep everything in one spot, whether that’s one app or one folder full of spreadsheets.
• Build a directory page that allows you to quickly find links to your projects, lists and files.
• Take a look at habit trackers and builders. It takes a few weeks of consistent effort to build a habit, these resources can help keep you on track (Especially if you’re a visual person!)
• For any goal that you have, break it down into manageable pieces and then set metrics. Metrics are ways of measuring how a goal is going and whether they’re meeting requirements which makes them really helpful when figuring out what processes are working.

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