I'm a bit of a to-do list junkie... I love writing everything down and ticking off the little boxes when I'm done! I don't know why but it gives me a sense of satisfaction. Even though a to-do list is okay just being written without much thought to the method, you can improve the way you write to-do lists to make them more efficient and make you more productive, and today I'm going to share three ways that I use to make my to-do lists awesome!
#1 THE 80/20 RULE
I made a whole blog post about the 80/20 Rule here and I also showed how to use it for studying right here. As you can see, I swear by this method because it makes me more productive. Basically in the case of to-do lists, 80% of your entire list is only going to bring you 20% of your results; a lot of your list could be full of small tasks that don't amount to a lot in the grand scheme of things. On the flip side, 20% of your entire list will bring out the most productive results. These tasks (the 20%) are probably the big tasks that you want to put off and feel like procrastinating, such as studying that chapter or cleaning your entire kitchen.
I made a whole blog post about the 80/20 Rule here and I also showed how to use it for studying right here. As you can see, I swear by this method because it makes me more productive. Basically in the case of to-do lists, 80% of your entire list is only going to bring you 20% of your results; a lot of your list could be full of small tasks that don't amount to a lot in the grand scheme of things. On the flip side, 20% of your entire list will bring out the most productive results. These tasks (the 20%) are probably the big tasks that you want to put off and feel like procrastinating, such as studying that chapter or cleaning your entire kitchen.
So, when applying the rule, first make your list and begin by focusing on the 20% you know is super important. Complete these tasks first, then begin to focus on the smaller tasks to maximise your productivity. When you finish the big tasks, a load is gonna be lifted off your shoulders and you'll speed through the smaller tasks because you've built up this momentum. Give this a go and see how you get on!
#2 CATEGORISE EVERYTHING
I find that having a to-do list where I've categorised everything makes me more productive in the long run. By this, I mean placing certain tasks together so I know that when I get to the final task of that category, I know that I've done everything there is to do.
So, as an example, you could have all of your cleaning tasks written first, followed by all of your studying tasks, then all of your shopping tasks. My brain really likes this method and I find I feel like I've accomplished a lot. Even if I only get through two categories it feels good to have finished all of my cleaning and shopping tasks, rather than going through one task in each category.
#3 KEEP IT SIMPLE
My final tip is to just keep your to-do list simple. Too much on one list can really slow you down and by the end of the day, you may have not even accomplished everything you wanted (or definitely needed to). If you see all of those tasks written down, it's going to feel daunting and you'll be less likely to get much done.
As a rule, I like to have a maximum of 7 things on my list at any one time - I don't know why I decided on that number, it just works for me! When I finish these 7 things, I write down another 7 things and so on and so on until everything I wanted to accomplish is done. So, don't have too many things on your list and you'll be more productive!
And those are 3 easy ways you can write a better to-do list! These methods really increase your productivity and they ultimately help you get more stuff done. Give them a go, and if you have any favourite methods, comment them down below! I'd love to try them out!
RELATED POST:
Photo credit: Create Her Stock
RELATED POST:
Photo credit: Create Her Stock