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

by Damon Zahariades

It’s worth noting that few “crises” are true emergencies. They only seem so when we react to them emotionally.

Remember, being productive isn’t about completing a long list of tasks. It’s not about staying busy. It’s about focusing on high-value activities that help you to accomplish your goals.

The main purpose of your to-do list is to help you organize your tasks and projects, and highlight the important stuff.

Your task list isn’t a tool for getting everything done. Rather, it’s a tool that will ensure you get the right things done.

A to-do list without deadlines is a wish list. Nothing more.

Deadlines are the enemy of procrastination. They motivate us to take action and finish tasks.

By failing to complete your to-do items day after day, you train your mind to accept that outcome.

This is what psychologist Barry Schwartz called the “Paradox of Choice.” The more options we have, the less capable we are to decide between them and the more anxiety we experience as a result.

Projects masquerade as tasks when they haven’t been broken down to their constituent parts.

defining tasks too broadly is detrimental to their completion. Their vagueness ensures they linger. If you’re having trouble completing to-do items, check whether they can be broken down to smaller tasks.

Studies show that chronic stress and fear can literally change how the brain functions.

Once you’ve identified whatever is triggering your negativity, you can take steps to change your circumstances and relieve the pressure.

The only reason to do something is if doing it moves you closer toward achieving a specific goal.

A reason written down is more real than a reason bouncing around in your head.

Breaking projects down into smaller tasks makes them seem more doable.

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.

When you know what you’re trying to achieve, you become aware that every decision you make either moves you closer toward your goals or further away from them.

Don’t beat yourself up; self-guilt has no value. Instead, brush the dust off and forgive yourself.