How to Create an Effective To-Do List

Home » Goal Setting » Effective To-Do List

By Jonathan Eqar

Creating and using a list is an effective means of managing time. Keeping up with a constant inflow of activities and to-do’s can be overwhelming if you don’t list your tasks down. So it brings us to the question of why should you create a to-do list?

Keeps your tasks organized – Keeping all your to-do's in your head is not an effective way to manage your time. With an organized list of tasks, you can stay organized with a list of important tasks in front of you. There is also a lower chance that you will “forget” important appointments.

Increased effectiveness – After prioritizing your tasks, you can become more effective by tackling highly important tasks first, rather than completing small, unimportant tasks.

Clear your mind for maximum focus - When you have written your tasks down, your mind will be free from distractions, and you don’t have to keep thinking about what to do next.

Traditional time management requires you to create lists of tasks and tick it off when it’s done.

This is ineffective!

The only thing you end up with is a long list of unfinished tasks.

3 Steps to an Effective To-Do List

• Prioritize Your Tasks
• Set a Deadline
• Execute Your Tasks by the Deadline

The 3 steps above are very simple, but VERY effective to get important things done.

Prioritize your tasks. Use the ABCD Method. Start simple, most people have a to-do list, but they do not prioritize their tasks.

This can end up to be a source of stress. As a new task arises, your list of tasks gets longer and longer, eventually your list will feel like a burden.

So it’s important to prioritize and reduce the non-essential tasks.

Let’s get started, list down all your activities. Then label ‘A’ for tasks of high importance and high urgency, and ‘B’ for tasks that are important but not urgent.

Finally label ‘C’ for the things you would like to do, but it is not urgent. On your list there might be tasks that don’t contribute any value whatsoever, and can be left undone, label these tasks with a ‘D’.

Set a deadline. After prioritizing your tasks, you will most likely have several important projects labeled ‘A’. Now choose which A task you think should be completed first and label it with numbers now. For example, A1, A2, A3… and so on.

Below is an example of how your prioritized to-do list will look like.

Next, set a deadline of completion for each of the tasks on your list.

Execute your tasks on time. To be most effective, aim to complete the highest value tasks first, which is your ‘A1’ tasks. Don’t get distracted by anything until the task is complete, then move on to the next ‘A2’ task.

The faster you complete the tasks, the faster you can get to ‘C’ tasks, the things you would love to do. Imagine the ‘C’ tasks as the rewards.

Choose a tool that not only fits your life, but is also a joy to use.

Traditionalists may prefer pen-and-paper, and if you're often within reach of a small notepad then such a system might be great. If many of your tasks are computer-based, or are tied to an office or other specific location, then it may make sense to store items on a desktop, or even to use one of many web-based applications.

PDAs and cell phones are also becoming quite capable tools for tracking tasks, many even able to sync with websites or other computers. Picking a system that fits your life ensures that you'll use it not only to enter items, but to mark them completed as well.

Personally, I prefer to create lists on paper because of the convenience of bringing it around.

However, I understand some of you have many computer-based tasks, so a computer-based solution makes better sense for you.

Useful Tools

Note: Most of these online to-do lists have the same basic function, but I included several of them for you to choose one that suites your needs.

Occasionally for certain projects of mine, I use Form Assembly because it has a timer which I find really useful. I create a task, and start the timer beside it. It keeps me reminded on how long I’m taking to complete a task.

Extra Tips

“File income taxes” is a rather large item that may take days to finish. However, it consists of numerous smaller tasks, many of which can be completed quickly. Seeing a large list shrink dramatically is more encouraging than is seeing one item remain unfinished for days.

Schedule fun time in your list Spending time with friends or enjoying a dip in the hot tub may not seem as essential as are income taxes, but such tasks are crucial to mental and emotional health.

Not only may listing such things make you more well-rounded, but you'll also form positive associations with your list. It need not be a series of dull tasks, and by treating it as a source of joy, you'll be less resistant to regarding its maintenance as a dreary chore.

Celebrate your achievements along the way It is easy to get so caught up in the things needing doing that we forget to praise ourselves for all that we've accomplished. Keep a journal or diary to record your successes.

Also, keeping records makes it easier to assess how much we can achieve in any given amount of time.

Having such a record makes it much easier to set goals , and to make more accurate time estimates for future tasks.