“Short lists get done; long lists don’t.” I have been applying this to my side projects and tasks around the house. It’s been helping me get stuff done. I got more crumpled-up completed short lists than long lists.
More gets done when I work with short lists. I spend less time thinking about the overall process and the ideal path to get there. Instead, I pick the next three tasks that would be most beneficial for reaching the conceptual end. When it comes to software or regular chores, there never really seems to be an end. It’s always a conceptual end. There is always some type of cleaning, maintenance, or upgrade that always seems to show up when you think you have done it all.
Instead of drafting out the long grocery lists of todos. Grab a post-it note and write down the next three most important tasks that will make the next big difference. If one of those tasks is too vague and is really an everything task. Break that down into smaller tasks. Limit yourself to less than five tasks. Only the important ones will be written down, and anything else will follow on to the next short list. If it doesn’t, it probably isn’t important.
Go make your lists and get stuff done. You will be surprised at how quickly you accomplish your tasks and how much progress you will make. The iterations over the lists might just take you on unexplored paths to your project’s conceptual end.