This free printable Daily To Do List template and these simple tips will help you to stay organized.
Between work, kids, chores and friends, it’s hard to keep up with the day-to-day and achieve your goals. A good to do list helps you keep track of everything you need to get done. And, if you love checking items off a list, you’ll also get the satisfaction of doing that every day.
But, creating a task list can be a challenge all by itself. Here are 10 tips you should use to make a powerful daily to do list.
There’s also a free printable Daily To Do List at the end of the post that you can use to plan out each day.
How To Create An Effective Daily To Do List
1. Digital or Paper-Based?
Before you start making your personal task list, decide whether you want to write it down on a notepad or go digital and use an app.
Some research suggests that writing information down helps you to remember it better but it’s all about what works best for you.
I personally prefer digital apps as I can set reminders for the really important stuff. I love Google Keep for creating checklists. You can also draw, record voice notes and even snap photos.
2. Master To Do List
Get all of the things you want to tackle out of your head and onto a master task list. This is called a brain dump. Don’t hold anything back. You may have a combination of long-term and short-term goals here.
A brain dump frees up a lot of space in your mind. Instead of having all these thoughts swirling around about what you need to do, it’s all recorded somewhere.
3. Get Your Priorities Straight
After you’ve made your master list, go through it and determine the importance and urgency of each.
As you write your daily task list, select no more than 3 important tasks. Prioritize ones that have high urgency and importance. For example, you need to pay your mortgage. That’s important, of course, but it’s not due until the end of the month and it’s just the beginning of the month. You can delay this task a bit if you have other urgent and important tasks.
However, if it’s coming down to the last few days of the month, paying your mortgage becomes a lot more urgent. So, you would make sure to add this to your to do list. Get it?
Focusing on meaningful tasks each day means you don’t end up washing dishes instead of completing a critical project due tomorrow.
4. Schedule Tasks On Your To Do List
Pick a time every day and create a schedule for your daily to do list. I like to make mine the day before so that when the new day rolls around, I can get straight to work instead of wasting valuable time trying to figure out what to do.
Tackle the most important and urgent tasks first. Once you’ve gotten those out-of-the-way, you can then move on to simpler chores.
Think about how long it will take you to complete each task and practice time blocking.
I use Google Calendar to schedule my day. It’s easy to use and move stuff around, if necessary. It’s also completely free and accessible both on desktop and mobile.
5. Keep It Simple
There are only so many hours in a day (unfortunately) and it’s tempting to try to squeeze in a ton of things on your task list. But, a daily to do list that’s a mile long is intimidating. You might find yourself avoiding starting it if you have too many items that need your attention.
6. Break It Down
If you’re undertaking a huge project, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This virtually ensures that you’ll be a lot more productive.
So, instead of writing a task like renovate the kitchen, break it down into the following:
- Get quotations from contractors
- Pick cabinet finishes
- Select wall paint colour
- Purchase new stove
These tasks seem a lot more approachable than just “renovating the kitchen”.
7. Be Specific
As you’re creating your daily to do list, be really specific about the tasks you need to do. Going back to the previous example of renovating the kitchen, state how many quotations you need to obtain and by what date.
Having a quantity and/or end date, gives you a target to work towards. This way, you’ll know when you’ve actually completed the task. Otherwise, you could get 50 quotations or 100, when 5 would have been adequate.
8. Include All The Information You Need
Your to list will be much easier to follow if you have all the relevant information you need at hand. Include phone numbers, email addresses, store names, whatever will help you complete a task.
9. Be Flexible
While you’re scheduling out your task list, add in about 15 minutes extra time between each task in case something goes wrong or takes a bit longer than expected. You don’t want your to do list to be so tightly packed that there’s no breathing room whatsoever. The slightest little mishap will completely throw you off.
10. Start Each Day With A New Task List
Create a fresh to do list every day. That way, you can clearly see what you should be spending time on and your agenda won’t be clogged up with old chores.
Click here to download the printable Daily To Do List template.
Follow these ten tips to make your daily to do list much more effective.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, don’t forget to share it on Pinterest!
