Sunday night, I fell asleep thinking about all the things I needed to do for this week. The list feels exhaustive, never ending. As my brain often does, I immediately start strategizing, thinking through where I am now and where I need to be by the end of the week with all of my active projects.
Thank the heavens, a framework finally unfolds itself and I begin jotting it down in my phone the 4 categories I'll use to organize my TDL: Delete, Defer, Delegate, Deliver.
The interesting and unique thing about developing a strategy for a To Do List (TDL) Framework is that the approach you come up with should be unique to how you work. I'm sharing my TDL Framework in hopes that you can use this one or develop one of your own.
The 4D TDL Framework
DELETE — Does this actually need to be done?
DEFER — Does this need to be done now?
DELEGATE — Does this need to be done by me?
DELIVER — What are the three things only I should focus on today?
Delete
As a perpetual planner, procrastinator, and someone with severe ADHD, I have to begin my TDL Framework with DELETE. There are things I inevitably add to my list everyday that are “nice to haves” but not necessary. I delete these. If it becomes critical, it will resurface. These are the tasks no one is waiting on or add little to no value. I just feel good when I do them. Resist the urge to defer these, go ahead and DELETE them.
DEFER
Next, I focus on tasks I can DEFER. These are tasks I can push out one to two weeks. These are your backlogged tasks. Now, if you find yourself consistently pushing the due date for these tasks out, you may need to reevaluate if these items should be recategorized as DELETE. The inability to prioritize these items over time may speak to their inherent diminishing value to you and/or the organization.
DELEGATE
Then, my favorite but most challenging category, DELEGATE. For some of us, our challenge with our TDL is we try to do everything ourselves. This year, my focus has been building my team, automation, and getting acquainted with the AI tools available to me. These are the 3 areas tasks can be DELEGATED: (1) People (2) Automation (3) AI.
DELIVER
And lastly, and hopefully minimally, DELIVER. These are the tasks I reserve for myself. The goal is to maintain no more than a TDL with 3 Top Priority tasks per day. This forces me to intentionally build a support model (future article to come) that enables me to do this.
I hope this article inspired you and helped you navigate your Monday! Drop a comment and let me know how this TDL Framework works for you and/or if you developed your own framework.
Subscribe if you found this article helpful!
- K.D.