What’s Powerful about the Humble To-Do List? (And Why It Might Be Better Than Productivity Apps!)

Nowadays, there are a multitude of apps that claim to help you be more organised and productive. They do everything from giving you alerts to allowing you to put some tasks on repeat. However, you should not overlook a to-do list! They can be a lot more productive and give you that dopamine hit after you finish each task, which will keep you doing the tasks.

So, what techniques would be best when it comes to making a to-do list?

Firstly, I would hugely recommend creating a master list. Writing it down in a singular notebook so that it is all collated in the same place and you can look back at what you have achieved easily. You can split them up into work to-dos and personal to-dos to more easily categorise them. You can use a small notebook that you carry with you and write all the thoughts of what you want to accomplish, so when you come to write that to-do list, you have not missed anything!

Once you have your master list, pick a time once a week to write your to-do list. Most people find Sunday afternoon is the best time, but it could be at any time that best suits your schedule! Having this time to review can help you prioritise and plan for the week ahead, and understand whether something is worth starting or not. By seeing all the tasks in front of you, it lets you see if any are easily linked and can be done together. For instance, if you are in town to buy groceries, you can also get batteries!

Make sure that you don’t pack too much in. It might be easy to think that you can do all your items in one two hour slot, but you may be too exhausted when coming to it, and if that is the only time set aside from these tasks, it could leave you with a mountain of things to do for the next week!

Don’t forget self-care! Give yourself some time in your week to relax and do the things that mean the most to you. It is easy to overlook yourself in the face of all your tasks, but don’t do it! You will be more productive if you look after yourself first than vice versa!

Understand when you have the most energy. Is that the morning? In lunch breaks? Or late at night? Do not schedule complex tasks when you are least likely to have the most energy.

Create a daily to-do list and review what you have done in the evenings. This will give you time to appreciate your accomplishments and plan your day, which can really help task completion!

Try to do things when you would otherwise be waiting. And plan around when things would be the busiest! Do not go to the supermarket when everyone else is and you will be able to save yourself a huge amount of time.

Hopefully, these tips help, and don’t forget self-care! Taking care of yourself will mean more energy for everything else!