M is for Measurable.

In the last letter, L, we looked at some of the things you might write on a list. With M, I want to take a couple of those list-able items and think about the best way to put them onto a list.

L is for Lists.

Reasons why making a list is a good thing to do:

• They don't need an introductory preamble, you just get straight into the meat of the list.
• The act of writing a list can itself make you feel more in control and that you've started doing something productive. Which you have.
• Writing things down stops them from cluttering up your brain.
• They're great for keeping track of all the tasks you have to do.
• And they're handy for remembering what you need to get from the supermarket.
• You can cross each item off when you complete it.
• They've got a built-in mechanism for gauging how much you've got to do.
• It's easy to add more items to the list.
• They encourage short, to-the-point entries.
• You can make lists of all sorts of things - tasks to complete; groceries to buy; people to phone; ambitions; possible baby names; conference attendees; items to pack whenever you're travelling...
• You can even make lists of lists.

K is for Keep Going.

Thomas A. Edison said "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

Whilst we can all agree with such a sentiment, it's harder to put it into practice. I hope that if you follow some of the techniques and ideas I've outlined in this series, then you won't hit this particular wall too often. Or if you do, nine times out of ten you'll have a way to navigate round it: maybe you'll break the task down into more manageable chunks; maybe you'll go back to your list and choose a different task that better suits your mood or motivation.

But what happens that one in ten time when you can't summon up any enthusiasm for any of the items on your to-do list?

This free e-book has been posted on quite a few places recently, but if you haven't seen it yet you should head over to the Wishful Thinking archive and download a copy.

J is for Just Do It.

It might be best known as an advertising slogan for Nike, but there's a lot of truth in the phrase "Just do it".

There are almost as many reasons for not doing things as there are things to be done. Maybe the task will be too difficult. Maybe you're scared that you'll say the wrong thing. Maybe you don't enjoy the task. You might be afraid of looking foolish, or that you won't know anybody or find anyone to talk to you. It could be that you know full well that you can run those two miles, but you don't relish the effort involved in your daily jog.

As promised when we launched the quarterly productivity reports, we've now added baseline productivity reports for everyone who signs up with tedium.

I is for Inspiration.

What is it that engages you? That really causes you to think? That helps you imagine how your life could be, or what you could achieve?

There can be a fine line between imagining your new, improved life and day-dreaming, but with things that truly inspire you there'll be a deeper resonance with what you feel you should do. As you notice it more, it will be something that moves you to act. Real inspiration is when you want to get started on things yesterday. You have to turn thought into deed. Which is fantastic, because as we learnt in A, action is what matters.

If you can see this then you've found our new server.

It might take a little while for the dust to settle as things percolate through the Internet, but the move to the new, bigger, faster server is complete.

Be sure to let us know if you spot any packing crates left over from the move.

H is for How.

"How?" is the most important question to ask yourself when you're adding tasks to your to-do list.

Just as you're about to stick "clear out the shed" onto your list, stop and ask yourself "How?" As it stands that's a pretty big and woolly job. Would you know just where to start with it? For me it sounds like one of those nasty, complicated jobs that will take an age and so I'd end up putting it off and putting it off.

Right from the start, tedium has been written to remember what you've completed as well as what you've still got to do. It's easy to forget what you've accomplished when you're constantly focusing on the remaining tasks - hopefully the reward comes from seeing your many projects finished and brought to life, but even before you're reached that final milestone its sometimes good to gaze back over the distance you've travelled.

We added a short "how far you've come" line to the lists of tasks a while back, but that's a deliberately vague and fun hint at what you've done. This latest feature looks back at your tasks in more detail and hopefully provides some more concrete data on what you've done and how and when you're most effective.

At the end of March, June, September and December we'll compile a report looking back at the tasks you've added and, more importantly, completed over the previous three months. Or in the case of December, the previous year.