To-Do List Formula: A Stress-Free Guide To Creating To-Do Lists That Work!

by Damon Zahariades

It’s quick and easy. Simply answer each of the following eight questions, giving yourself a score between one and five. A score of one signifies that you need help and a score of five signifies that you’re proficient. (You’ll note that each of the eight questions below corresponds to the eight reasons we just covered concerning why you’re not getting through your daily list of to-do items.) Tally your points after

Do you create your to-do lists with minimal variability? Focus on the time needed to complete each task as well as each task’s priority. For example, do you have 3-minute tasks listed with tasks that will take 3 hours? Do you have A-priority tasks listed with C-priority tasks?

So if you’re having trouble staying productive during the workday, take stock of your emotional state. Are you struggling with feelings that are siphoning your motivation? Are you dealing with emotions that are having a toxic effect on your willpower? Is persistent negativity eroding your focus and causing you to be more easily distracted?

example, do you feel guilty and depressed because you’ve missed important deadlines at your job? Do you feel stressed and angry because you’re being overwhelmed by too many conflicting responsibilities at home?

“3+2” strategy. It limits the number of tasks on your daily to-do list. There are five. No more. No less. Another strength is that it defines the scope of each task with respect to the time allotted to complete it. The big ones can be finished in under two hours while the small ones should

The “3+2” strategy improves your focus by limiting the scope of your task list. With only five items to work on, you’re less susceptible to distractions. You’ll also less likely

I’d maintain a master list of every to-do item that comes to mind. I’d

The 1-3-5 Rule

you choose one big task, three medium-sized tasks, and five small tasks to complete during the day. While the “3+2 strategy” limits your focus to five tasks, the “1-3-5 rule” expands the number to nine.

advantage of this system is that it encourages you to focus on high-value tasks. In that, it has a lot in common

“1-3-5 rule” suffers from the same imperfections as the “3+2 strategy.” First, no mention is made of giving context to the to-do items. Second, no mention

much variability. There are too many options, which opens the door to task switching and its attendant costs.

The 3-MIT Approach

stands for “most important task.” It’s the highest-priority item on your to-do list. It’s the one thing you must complete during the course of a given day.

you struggle with procrastination, are regularly waylaid by distractions, and suffer a lack

of motivation, an open-ended task management strategy isn’t a good solution. A structured system with well-defined rules and less latitude is likely to be more useful. Having said that, the idea of focusing

This strategy of managing to-do items has a few notable advantages over other strategies. First, it provides a visual representation of your projects and tasks. This makes it easy to identify high-value items that need your immediate attention. It also makes it easy to prioritize items according to their respective due dates.

can be easily associated with larger projects. This provides valuable task-level context. You can arrange the Post-It notes so that it’s easy to see

Fourth, you can use different colored Post-It notes to represent varying levels of priority. For example, use red for high-priority items, yellow for medium-priority items, and blue for low-priority items. The Kanban method’s

Trello, KanbanFlow, LeanKit, and Kanbanote. Each app poses its own set of strengths

Important - Urgent Important - Not Urgent Not Important - Urgent Not Important

One of the drawbacks of this approach is that it doesn’t require you to provide context for the tasks in the matrix’s four quadrants. No mention is made concerning how long each task will take to complete, nor its connection with other tasks and projects.

context, priority, and intended outcomes. For example, you may be thinking

time organizing them according to context. Part of this process entails creating multiple lists and placing items where they belong. A weekly review is performed to stay on top of things.

strategy offers several important features. First, it forces you to add context to each task. This is inherent in the process of “dumping” everything onto a master list and then moving

involves creating a “next actions” list and a “someday/maybe” list. Both are useful. The former encourages

advises performing a weekly review. This review is not an afterthought. Allen refers to it as one of the keys to being successful using GTD.

flexible as you need it to be. While GTD provides structure, it doesn’t force you to adhere to specific tactics. It offers a framework that gives you enough flexibility to create your own personalized approach.

“someday/maybe” list. We can refine this practice to squeeze

First, use a “current task” list to decide how to allocate your time and attention each day. This list

Second, use a “future task” list to keep track of all the items that will need your attention at some point. You won’t use this list during the course of your workday. Instead, you’ll refer to it at the end of the day to create

separating current tasks from future tasks, is critical. It can mean the difference between getting high-value work done on time and becoming overwhelmed under a mountain of tasks with varying priorities and deadlines.

Chances are, the tasks weren’t attached

to specific goals you wanted to achieve. The simplest way to get

The point is, calling your parents is intended to accomplish a specific goal. Write down that goal, or desired outcome, next to

You’ll be more likely to follow through on it if you see the reason for doing it. It’s not enough to keep the reasons for

You must write them down. Doing so make...

that when you associate tasks with specific outcomes, you’ll feel more compelled to get them done.

They’re too large in scope and can seem overwhelming, which causes us to procrastinate. We ultimately carry them forward to the following day, where they continue to nag us. If we don’t invest the time to break down projects

also allows you to focus your limited time and attention on tasks according to their priority and value. For example, washing the dishes may be a high-priority item that warrants your immediate attention.

Attaching a deadline to every item on your master to-do list makes it easier to know which tasks to select for your daily to-do list. You can tell at a glance which items need your attention tomorrow and which ones can be shelved until a future

no good to assign an impossible due date to a task. Doing so will only cause you stress, frustration, and discouragement.

give yourself less time than you think you need. I mentioned

Why You’re Not Finishing Your List Of To-Do

Instead, I recommend keeping a “batch list.” We’ll talk about this practice in more detail in the upcoming section How To Maintain A Well-Oiled To-Do List System. For now, recognize that tiny tasks like “sort your mail” should not be among the seven items on your daily to-do list.

as you think of them. The problem is, if you leave it in that condition, it will eventually become overwhelming.

tasks and managing the associated projects took too much time. No longer. I now

by project, type, and location. I maintain multiple lists accordingly. (Note that these lists are separate and distinct from my daily to-do list.) Task-level context

Project Type Location I recommend creating a separate list for each project, each type of task, and each location. For example, the following projects would warrant their own lists: Write a book Remodel my kitchen Buy a car The following types of tasks would also warrant their own lists: Analytical work Creative work Mindless work

It will also help you to choose tasks for your daily list that complement your circumstances. For example, “vacuum the living room”