Yesterday brought some good news into my life. All this year, I’ve been sidelined quite a bit due to some serious health issues. (Read something about those here, if you’re interested.)

Well, I never thought I’d ever put these two sentences side-by-side, but…

Good news! I got the okay to return to the gym!

I’ve never been a gym rat or even much into exercise, but just before the health crisis hit, I’d been going to the gym on a regular basis for more than six months. And believe it or not, I was enjoying it! And I missed not being able to go.

All the benefits of exercise aside, I also missed that part of my daily routine when it ended so abruptly.

Why?

One, because when I have deadlines and to-dos (and who doesn’t!), I handle them much better with routines and a schedule.

Two, because deadlines are stacked high in my life right now, and of course the to-dos are never-ending.

These things definitely make me want to reinforce the good habits I already have (or used to have), such as going to the gym, as well as to add more.

I’ll be sharing a few tips that help me—and might help you—stick to a schedule.

Tip #1:  Keep a To-Do list.

It doesn’t matter how you do this—in a word processing file, on your smartphone, in a notebook, on a sticky note.

Some people suggest prioritizing your list. Others work with a separate list for each kind of task. Still others like just one big list. How you handle that is up to you, too.

What’s important about this tip is the control it gives you:  to see at a glance what needs to get done, to handle those tasks based on the time you have available, and to give yourself a well-earned sense of satisfaction when you check an item off the list.

Do you use one of the methods above to keep your To-Do list? Which one?

If not, will you think about giving this tip a try?

To keep the other tips on this topic short and sweet, I’m dividing my longer post into bite-sized pieces. Check next week’s Wednesday Wisdom column for another installment.

Good luck with your To-Do list and deadlines, and thanks for stopping by!