Tackle Your Overwhelming To-Do List with Theme Days


In this episode of The Localist, host Carrie Rollwagen dives into the concept of theme days as a method for organizing overwhelming to-do lists. Carrie discusses the struggles she faced when she transitioned to her role as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia. She found herself swamped with diverse and numerous tasks, leading her to feel overwhelmed and unable to effectively prioritize her responsibilities. Theme days provided a solution by allowing her to batch tasks not by type, as in traditional batch working, but by subject. This method helped her focus better by narrowing her attention to one area at a time, reducing the mental load and increasing her productivity.

 

Carrie outlines how to implement theme days by first generating a list of all tasks and then grouping them into themes that align with the days of the week. She emphasizes the importance of working around one’s existing schedule to make the implementation smoother and more effective. Carrie also advises holding themes loosely, mentioning that it’s unreasonable to expect everyone to adjust to your thematic schedule rigidly. She notes that while theme days may not be a permanent solution for everyone, they are highly effective during periods of intense overwhelm. In conclusion, Carrie encourages listeners to experiment with different organizational methods to find what best enhances their productivity and business profitability.

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Carrie’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/crollwagen

Sign up for Carrie’s newsletter: https://gmail.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9c59a060684d71f12f6e495fc&id=98cd3122b9

Carrie’s Website: https://carrierollwagen.com/

Time Blocking episode of the Localist: https://carrierollwagen.com/podcast-episodes/which-time-blocking-method-is-best-breaking-down-theme-days-batch-work-the-pomodoro-technique-and-more/ 

About Carrie

Carrie Rollwagen is host of the Localist podcast and cofounder of Church Street Coffee & Books. Currently, she works as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia, a web development company in Birmingham, Alabama. Find the Localist at @thinklocalist on Instagram and follow Carrie at @crollwagen.

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