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

by Damon Zahariades

what can be put on the back burner.

avoid wasting valuable time putting out fires.

It’s worth noting that few “crises” are true emergencies.

maximize your productivity.

high-value activities

deserve your immediate time and attention.

Focus is what allows you to get important work done rather than waste time on minor or trivial activities.

The Productivity Paradox:

This suggests many people’s lists fail to specify the amount of time individual tasks will take to complete.

that many to-do lists are too long.

overloaded with tasks. This causes us

This is a disturbingly high number

We create to-do lists to help us organize tasks, manage our time, and get things done.

sabotage our efforts.

wreck

Reason #1: You Misunderstand The Goal Of To-Do Lists

to help you organize your tasks and projects, and highlight the important stuff.

It allows you to get everything out of your head, where things are likely to fall through the cracks.

A list of items displayed in front of you is much easier to manage than the same list swimming around in your head.

On the contrary, a solid to-do list will focus your attention on the right work and prevent you from getting sidelined by less-critical items.

right things done.

will guarantee that your lists hamper your productivity rather than increase it.

You’ll want to modify my system to accommodate your work flow and personal preferences, of course.

Reason #2: You Neglect To Assign Deadlines

A to-do list without deadlines is a wish list. Nothing more. Without deadlines, we lean toward inaction.

Deadlines do more than just impose a sense of urgency.

and neglect to assign a deadline to each task.

impetus

foothold

Deadlines are the enemy of procrastination.

They also help us to gauge the effectiveness of our time ...

spend our limited time and

attention.

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

Reason #3: Your Lists Are Too Long

counterproductive

Second, they’re unrealistic.

You’re unable to get to every item because there are simply too many of them.

With time, you’ll lose the drive, or impetus, to complete tasks in a timely manner.

you’ll set yourself up for failure.

They record everything on a single list.

lists according to context, priority, and urgency.

Reason #4: Your Lists Have Too Much Variability

Items that will take three minutes to complete are listed next to items that will take three weeks.

In other words, there’s no connection between the various tasks.

paralyzed with inaction or spurred to engage in a low-value activity, such as checking Facebook.

With less time available, you’re more likely to miss deadlines, which can trigger feelings of guilt, shame, and frustration.

Reason #5: You Give Yourself Too Many Options

But it deserves its own mention due to its effect on how the brain makes decisions.

limited store of cognitive resources.