The To-Do list: How to use to-do lists in the most productive way

A to-do list is nothing but a list of tasks you need to complete in a certain period of time. It’s a very simple, efficient and extremely popular productivity tool, the only problem is that you can find conflicting advice online on whether to-dos work or not, and whether you should keep them in your productivity tool belt at all.

The best way to keep a to-do list

There are several ways to keep your lists in check

Pen and paper
Desktop software or a digital notepad
Online applications like Todoist, Microsoft To Do, Google Task, Remember The Milk or Monday
Visual board
Trello

Micromanaging yourself

Think less about smaller tasks and more about experiences, improvements, outputs, and stories that you can break down into tasks which can be performed in a 2-hour working flow

Make sure your to-do list is not boring

Make sure you do things that are aligned with your life vision and mission, things you are good at, and tasks that motivate you to grow and develop yourself

Morning Planning Meeting and Daily To-To List

The purpose of this meeting is to: Align your daily tasks with weekly and quarterly goals

Maintain momentum and motivation
Detect and consider roadblocks in the processes you follow
Focus yourself for the rest of your day

Your “Done” List

A list of all the tasks you have completed in a certain period of time.

Different to-do lists for maximum productivity

Vision list: a list of all the things you want to experience in life

Maybe someday list: things that are not particularly important, that you may do one day
The 100 day to do list: your quarterly plan, with priorities selected for the coming three months
Weekly list: A list of tasks you will complete in one week
Done list: all the tasks you have already completed
Not-to-do list: helps you stay focused and do tasks with the most impact
Other lists: lists that help you organize yourself

Reading list

This should be one of your favorite lists.

A list of books you want to read in your life or in the coming weeks and months
Make sure that you cross a book off the list every two weeks, or at least one per month

Why don’t to-do lists work for some people?

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistakes to avoid when trying to implement lists
Most often this is because they make some common mistakes
Here are the biggest errors one can make when using lists

Having too many items on the list

Limit the number of tasks to be put on your to-do list.

Divide tasks into “to-do”, “selected”, “in progress”, and “done” columns to make it easier to decide where and how to start.

The main benefits of to-do lists

It’s the best way to manage and organize your life

You can easily break down your big goals into items, and items into tasks
Sets your priorities more easily
Measures progress more easily (what gets done)
Free your brain and get more mental bandwidth
Don’t forget things
Manage your time better

Not-to-do list

A list of tasks you do not do, but delete, delegate, outsource, or simply say no to

Helps you focus better, avoid distractions, and only perform tasks that have the biggest impact on value production and happiness in life

Kaizen list

Always improve yourself

It’s a list of prioritized potential improvements in your life, as identified by you and the people closest to you
The Kaizen philosophy (always improve yourself) and a growth mindset are important parts of becoming successful in your personal and professional life.

Vision list

See the world as a playground with unlimited opportunities for growing, enjoying, and creating, individually and in collaboration with other people

Keep 50-70 items on your vision list and regularly update it
It should empower you and give you motivation when you’re feeling down

Maybe someday list

The “maybe someday” list should prevent your vision list from becoming overwhelming

Starting with easy tasks

Prioritize tasks by most important to least important

Not taking the time to plan and regularly update your to-do lists

Proper planning can save you many hours of execution, so always take time to do so.

Make sure you timebox your planning time in your personal calendar
Schedule your time for planning in advance

Quarterly to-do list: a link between long-term and short-term planning

Decide on the tactical level which areas of life you should focus on

Consider your life vision, your current situation, new opportunities and changes in the environment, your new desires and feelings, feedback from your teammates and other people, and so on.

Weekly to-do list

Use a Kanban board to visualize your weekly workflow.

Limit Work in Progress (WIP).
With the right amount of work in progress, you can be in the flow instead of facing anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, or boredom.