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

by Damon Zahariades

The main purpose of your to-do list is 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. By writing them down, you’ll collect them in one place and gain a bird’s-eye view of your biggest priorities.

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

This is a major problem because most people struggle with procrastination. Even those of us who have managed to curb the habit must be ever-vigilant lest it rears its head and regains a foothold in our lives.

Deadlines are the enemy of procrastination. They motivate us to take action and finish tasks. They also help us to gauge the effectiveness of our time management efforts. If we’re consistently getting important things done on time, we must be doing something right.

Recall Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” If you choose not to assign deadlines to your to-do items, don’t be surprised when those items linger on your list.

Items are written down without any indication about the time needed to complete them,

their priority, and the roles they play in achieving specific goals.

Without such context, it’s difficult to know which tasks deserve your immediate attention. In fact, it’s difficult to even know if you’re able to work on ...

Our goals spur us to take action. We’re less inclined to procrastinate when we’re able to predict the positive result of completing a specific task. All other variables being equal, the more certain we are of the outcome, the greater the likelihood we’ll act.

1. Do you understand the primary role to-do lists serve in a task management system? 2. Do you assign deadlines - a specific date rather than “by the end of the month” - to each to-do item? 3. Do you limit the number of items on your to-do lists to 10? (If so, give yourself three points.) Do you limit the number to seven? (If so, give yourself five points.) 4. 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? 5. Do your to-do lists limit your options concerning what you should spend your time on? 6. Do you include context for each to-do item so you’ll know whether it’s a high-value or low-value task, and the time commitment involved?

7. Do you define your tasks narrowly and with specificity so you can quickly identify when they’ve been completed? 8. Do you associate each task with a specific goal?

These eight quesrions are very important ones and often never considered while writing the to do lists, becuse one is not aware of such questions. Now i understnd very clearly why i used to fail in all my objectives whether it is personl or official work.

The simplest way to get through your daily to-do list is to assign a “why” to each item found on it. Know the reason the item is on your list. Determine why you need to get it done. Write the reason down next to the task.

You’ll find that when you associate tasks with specific outcomes, you’ll feel more compelled to get them done. Taking action will signify progress toward goals you hope to achieve - goals that are important to you.

Make sure your to-do lists are limited to actionable tasks, not projects. If an item requires more than one action, it is a project that can - and should - be broken down.

By breaking them down, you’ll enjoy better focus and get important work done more quickly.

come up with a reason for each due date.

The right verbs encourage execution. They encourage you to take action. The wrong ones do the opposite. They encourage procrastination. Verbs like explore, plan, and touch base lack specificity. As a result, they’re less effective than verbs like research, draft, and call. These latter choices have more impact because they imply specific actions. They leave nothing open to interpretation

Phrasing tasks with the right action verbs will motivate you to take action on them. You’ll be less susceptible to distractions and less likely to procrastinate because you’ll know exactly what you need to do.

write a short note next to each to-do item for which you’re waiting for someone’s input. Detail the type of input you need, its format (email, phone call, report, spreadsheet, etc.), and the date you expect it to be delivered. The expected delivery date will prompt you to follow up with the person if you don’t receive his or her input in a timely fashion.

Weekly reviews are critical. They make the difference between a system that motivates you to get important stuff done and one that encourages you to procrastinate. They determine whether you successfully keep track of everything you need to do or let items fall through the cracks.