How to Write an Effective To-Do List

To-Definately-Do

One problem I come across often, is how people tend to write to-do lists as a ”things I”d like to get done” list instead. This is throwing away 60% of the usefulness of a to-do list without realising it. A to-do list that genuinely motivates, is not just a place to write tasks so you do not forget. It is where you can schedule when and how you will do each task. It is closer to a day-planner than a simple list for the forgetful. When you write your to-do list for the day, only include the tasks you genuinely think you could complete if you were focused throughout. Jotting down ”Write 2,000 word essay” alongside a mountain of other tasks will not help get the job done. As soon as your wish list because possible to complete, it suddenly gains an ounce of authority. Now the list displays what you wish you could achieve if only you could stayed focused for an entire day. If you were to complete the list you would feel productive, efficient and of course you”d have shifted a big pile of jobs from your mind. The to-do list has now become something that offers that feeling – if only you could keep the drive. In other words, once a to-do list is feasible, it motivates you because you know the work you put in will pay back soon in the form of that feeling of satisfaction and success.

Slot it all in

The next key feature of the ultimate to-do list is a structured time element. An effective to-do list reads like a schedule for the day. The timings should be realistic and again; very possible to keep to if you had an undistracted and driven day. The idea of cutting your day up into time and slotting tasks in accordingly has the same affect as splitting milestones into tasks when you”re setting long term goals successfully. Allowing yourself to focus on one segment at the time makes the tasks far less intimidating, and the better you allocate the timings, the more faith you have that as long as you keep to the list, you will succeed at completing the day’s tasks. Again, the more attention you pay to the feasibility of the list, the more authority and motivational power it gains. With every layer of detail, the schedule makes the decision as to whether to slack off or not even simpler, ‘if I want to achieve something today then I just follow the to-do list’. This transforms the grey and vague area of productivity into clear cut decision. You either follow the to-do list timings and succeed, or you don’t and fail. The longer you’ve been working with a to-do list, the more firmly this will be ingrained into your behaviour, because experience will tell you that when you slack for just a moment and drag your heels, the day ends dismally. Your to-do list is becoming a powerful tool.

Ordering yourself around

The final killer technique for to-do lists is the order in which you place the tasks. This is a strategic decision that will have a large effect on how your mood changes throughout the next day as you follow the plan, so it’s terribly important. Due to the variety of tasks you may want to accomplish, it’s hard to offer a comprehensive guide as to how to arrange tasks. But if they’re standard ones then you can stick to the rules below

Put your most intellectually challenging task or most hated chore first, or just after a generous lunch break.

Justification – If you put the task at a point when you are likely to be hungry or tired, you may not be able to meet the demands of the job. Also if you put it near the end, you are likely to just give up. If its the last task, then not following the plan won”t mess around any schedule you had that day, so the to-do won”t work as effectively in enforcing your behaviour. This is the reason for my next rule.

Put your easiest or most enjoyable task last

Justification – Unlike a sprint, you”re unlikely to be working the hardest at the end, and will probably have more things distracting you, such as plans for the evening or maybe what you”ll be eating later. Give yourself the easiest choice as to whether to fully complete your list. For the reason above, skipping the last task could become a common occurrence. Doing so is wasteful and frustrating, so make it as easy as possible for you to cross the finish line.

Make sure there”s a time and place for everything. The next key feature of the ultimate to-do list is a structured time element. An effective to-do list reads like a schedule for the day. The timings should be realistic and again; very possible to keep to if you had an undistracted and driven day. The idea of cutting your day up into time and slotting tasks in accordingly has the same affect as splitting milestones into tasks when you”re setting long term goals successfully. Allowing yourself to focus on one segment at the time makes the tasks far less intimidating, and the better you allocate the timings, the more faith you have that as long as you keep to the list, you will succeed at completing the day”s tasks. Again, the more attention you pay to the feasibility of the list, the more authority and motivational power it gains. With every layer of detail, the schedule makes the decision as to whether to slack off or not even simpler, ‘if I want to achieve something today then I just follow the to-do list’. This transforms the grey and vague area of productivity into clear cut decision. You either follow the to-do list timings and succeed, or you don’t and fail. The longer you”ve been working with a to-do list, the more firmly this will be ingrained into your behaviour, because experience will tell you that when you slack for just a moment and drag your heels, the day ends dismally. Your to-do list is becoming a powerful tool.

Order all the tasks properly. The final killer technique for to-do lists is the order in which you place the tasks. This is a strategic decision that will have a large effect on how your mood changes throughout the next day, so it’s terribly important. Due to the variety of tasks you may want to accomplish, it’s hard to offer a comprehensive guide as to how to arrange tasks. But if they’re standard ones then you can stick to the rules below: Put your most intellectually challenging task/ most hated chore first, or just after a generous lunch break. Justification – If you put the task at a point when you are likely to be hungry or tired, you may not be able to meet the demands of the job. Also if you put it near the end, you may just give up because you feel like you’ve already achieved so much already. If your ‘chore’ is the last task, then not following the plan won”t mess around any schedule you had that day, so the to-do won’t work as effectively in enforcing your behaviour. This is the reason for my next rule. Put your easiest or most enjoyable task last, justification – Unlike a sprint, you’re unlikely to be working the hardest at the end, and will probably have more things distracting you, such as plans for the evening or maybe what you’ll be eating later. Give yourself the easiest choice as to whether to fully complete your list. For the reason mentioned above, skipping the last task on your list could become a common occurrence. Doing so is wasteful and frustrating, so make it as easy as possible for you to cross the finish line.

Don’t toggle between easy, hard, easy, hard or interesting, boring, interesting, boring

Mistakenly people think that this will keep their morale up, but in reality giving yourself short runs of rewarding work followed by plunges back into unrewarding work means you’re giving yourself too many opportunities to just momentarily say no to the boring work. Its like if you imagine that someone was ordered to get out of bed then back in then back out again. After a while, the person may envitably just curl themselves up and not emerge from the bed. Instead of giving yourelf tastes of the easy life, commit to long and solid skints of work. Research has shown that switching between two equally unrewarding tasks increases ones attitude towards both. This is because the mind starts to intrinsically recognise the benefits in each that may not be so apparant when compared against something fun. Try it out yourself. You’ve read the tips now and should know everything you need to write a killer to-do list that won’t just simply keep track of chores, but will motivate you and its power as a productivity tool will only increase the more you use it and have faith in it. Perfect during exam periods & busy periods but I’ll warn you: This may be a brilliant way of living, but whatever you do, don’t discuss it’s merits to a potential date.

Succeed at Life! Article written by Simon Oates. Copyright 2008.