Stop Making To-Do Lists!

People love creating to-do lists. They make them feel productive and useful, since every completed task gets a well-deserved checkmark next to it. In theory, you finish every item on your daily list, then you can kick back on the couch and congratulate yourself on a hard day’s work.

But in practice, to-do lists come with three major problems.

First, a to-do list ignores time. When we face a long list of tasks, we tend to tackle the ones that take just a few minutes, leaving the longer items undone. Research from the company iDoneThis shows that 41% of all to-do list items never get completed.

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Second, a to-do list fails to distinguish between urgent and important. Once again, our instinct is to fight the urgent and ignore the important.

Third, to-do lists add to stress. In what psychology calls the Zeigarnik effect, unfinished tasks fuel distracting and uncontrolled thoughts. It is not unusual to feel overwhelmed during the day, only to battle insomnia at night.

So what should you do?

1- Break big problems into manageable chunks

This advice works for setting goals, finishing large projects, and conquering a long to-do list. Split your list into small pieces you can finish quickly. You will feel far more motivated when you see a list you can actually complete instead of one that drags on for days. I am not talking about making a to-do list with tiny tasks. I am talking about making a map: taking a big project and breaking it into small pieces.

2- Set your priorities

It is tempting to label list items with a priority level by assigning a value or ranking them with numbers. Avoid designating items as high, medium, or low priority. Do not waste time saying, “This task is a level 1, this is a level 2, and this is a level 3.” You will probably end up with many things that all seem extremely urgent.

Try prioritizing your list visually. Arrange them from most important to least important. Your most important item sits at the top of your list, and you should complete it first.

It is that simple. Start thinking logically, and you will begin to see a radical change in your professional life and your personal life. Being organized is an art. Practice it.