Putting The "TO DO" In Your To-Do List

In my last blog post, I wrote about overcoming The Procrastination Hurdle. I introduced steps you can take to get you and your child off to a running START. The first step was to "set interim goals". In order to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed by a task, you can break a large task into a list of smaller tasks and set goals for their completion. The purpose of this blog post is to provide you with a way to teach your learner how to prioritize and manage a task list.

A task list is a group of actions that need to be done in order to complete a project, job, or an assignment . A task list can be complex or simple depending upon the size of the project, job, or assignment. In simplistic form it can be a checklist or a to-do list, but even the smallest list should be organized and drive its creator towards completing actions in a timely and efficient manner. I am a big fan of acronyms (especially for children) because they can lead one to quickly recall and remember a process. Here's how you and your learner can put the "TO DO" in your to-do list.

Make a preliminary list of all the tasks needed for your project, job, or assignment. At this point, concentrate on brainstorming and documenting actions without concern for their order.

Once you have captured all of the actions, organize them using the following guidelines:

Time Sensitive:

Is there an urgent need for the action to be completed? Is this action necessary for the completion of subsequent items on the list (I like to call this an anchor action)? If the answer is yes to either or both of these questions, then these could be valid reasons for prioritizing these actions over others on the list.

Outside Resources:

Will the action require you to seek or use additional resources? Will you need to conduct research or acquire additional materials in order to complete it? Does the action require you to collaborate or coordinate with others? Actions that require you to use outside (external) resources may take more time to complete, so you will want to start them early and set a goal to complete them well before the final project or assignment due date.

Due Date:

Make sure to set due dates or deadlines for all your tasks. These deadlines should be set before the final due date of the main project, job, or assignment, and allow for a buffer in case of unexpected delays or interruptions.

Order:

After listing, evaluating, and assigning due dates to your actions, arrange them in chronological order from the earliest to the latest due date.

A simple and fun acronym to help your learner prioritize their list of things to do.