To– DO List is a list of tasks you need to complete or things that you want to do. Most typically, they’re organized in order of priority. Traditionally, they’re written on a piece of paper or post-it notes and act as a memory aid. As technology has evolved we have been able to create a to-do list with excel spreadsheets, word documents, email lists, to-do list apps, Microsoft to do and google to-do list to name a few. You can use a to-do list in your home and personal life, or the workplace.
The Benefits of Using a To-Do List:
- Helps you to stay organized
- Helps you to stay focused
- Gives you a sense of progress and achievement
- Improves your memory
- Increases productivity
- Helps with motivation
10 Tips for having a Better To-Do List
1. Choose the Right App (or Paper)
The first step in making a better to-do list is deciding where to keep it. It’s important that you love the app or notebook you use for your to-do list, otherwise, you might not stick with it.
2. Make More Than One List
You shouldn’t have just one to-do list. You should have a few lists that cover the major categories of your life, such as Work Tasks, Personal To-Dos, and Household Chores. Having more than one list helps you focus.
3. Write Down Your Tasks as Soon as You Think of Them
When a new task pops into your head, write it down as quickly as possible. Adding tasks when you think of them prevents you from dwelling on them.
4. Assign Due Dates
Any time a task has a due date, add it. Seeing when tasks are due helps you prioritize. Not every task needs a hard and fast due date, but sometimes it helps to add one anyway for two reasons.
5. Revise Your To-Do Lists Daily
Start every day by throwing an eye over your task list and assessing whether it’s reasonable. Then, revise it.
6. Limit Yourself to 3–5 Tasks Daily
Your three to five tasks should be important things that you must do. And no more than two of them should be routine tasks, like taking daily medication. Focus on your intention for the day. That’s what you should write down.
7. Put Tasks on Your To-Do List, Not Goals
What you write on your to-do list matters. Put tasks on your lists, rather than objectives and goals. Goals are big-picture achievements or desired outcomes. They’re usually difficult to quantify.
Objectives are markers on the way to reaching a goal. It’s much easier to confuse these with tasks because objectives are more specific and quantifiable.
Tasks are the actions you take to reach an objective. Break an objective down and you have your tasks.
8. Keep Goals and Objectives Separate
write your goals and objectives somewhere else. It might still be in your to-do list app or notebook, but not on the list that you look at each day. Other places you can write down goals are your journal or a note-taking app.
9. Look at Your To-Do List Often
A looked-at list is a user list. An effective to-do list guides you throughout your day, which means you need to look at it often.
Make a habit of looking over everything you have planned for the coming week in advance so that you can better plan your time and make adjustments.
10. Make Your To-Do List Scannable
If you look at your to-do list often, you’ll quickly realize how helpful it is to see what you need at a glance.
Use tight language or shorthand to write your tasks. Many apps have priority ratings, stars, tags, and other details that you can add to important tasks to make them stand out. Color-code your tasks if that helps. Apply icons that give you more information about the task, such as whether it requires a phone call or is related to healthcare.
This is a good sample as a To-Do list idea.