Productivity Tip: I had a To-Do List.

For some people weekends are reserved as a time to get rest and downtime from the work week, they might go out and do something but for the most part it’s spent at home in front of the TV. For others the weekend might be used for hobbies and things they enjoy like spending time in the yard gardening, in the garage making a bird house, riding a bike, going skiing, golfing, whatever.

Then there are people like me who use the weekend for a combination of things but there’s a set of goals in mind. Goals that need to be accomplished because once we’re back in the work week they can’t and won’t get done. The goals can be anything, playing a game, working on a project, getting sleep, going to the bank before it closes because it’s open for like 5 minutes on Saturday, anything. It may sound like I have too much structure for simple tasks but I feel that if you plan things out the time and resources can be used more efficiently and that makes all of the difference.

Here’s an example, these are some of the ambitious goals that I had for this weekend –

• Fix the broken handle on my nightstand.
• Clean up my bedroom.
• Wash and clean my minivan.
• Get an oil change.
• Get a hair cut.
• Play a game.
• Watch or go out and see a movie.
• Update software on my desktop.
• Work on my new advertising project.
• Label DVD’s.

While I didn’t get everything on my list accomplished I still managed to have a very productive yet relaxing weekend. I purchased matching replacement handles for my nightstand and the TV stand. I spent a few hours essentially detailing my vehicle and I got most of the salt stains and other misc. winter damage cleaned up. I got an oil change and haircut yesterday. I played a game of WarCraft III with a friend and I updated my Adobe and Microsoft Office software on my desktop like I wanted. I cleaned up my bedroom yesterday afternoon and last night I seen No Country for Old Men despite it coming out on DVD tomorrow. To top it all off I watched an entire season of Ice Road Truckers on The History Channel.

Unfortunately, I only had a chance to work on my new project for a few minutes, and I didn’t have time to label my growing stack of DVDs. But still, I accomplished most everything I wanted because I knew how to use my time.

I think as far as productivity tips go this is a big one. Making a list of things to do in a set period of time, especially low-priority things that would otherwise be ignored will increase the chance of them getting done.