Improving the Greatest Productivity Tool Ever, Your To-Do List

Productivity is paramount today. Everyone's trying to get an edge. Get more done than the next, do more with less. And the productivity tools to help us all get there are countless. Me, I have a soft spot in my heart (and mind) for the greatest productivity tool of all time. The to-do list.

I love creating to-do lists. Always have. My Mom used to give me a hard time that I would make a list of things to do with the first item being, "Make a List". And I love crossing things off the lists I create. Pure satisfaction. I still make lists, lots of them. Some in my notebook, on white boards at work, some on post-its, some on my computer. Some are personal and some are professional. But man I love to-do lists.

Admittedly, lots of my to-do lists have items that are left undone. Sometimes because I have too many items, sometimes because the item is too big for one day, sometimes because the need to do that task goes away, but there's almost always items on my lists that don't get done and checked off the list. Turns out that according to The Busy Person’s Guide to the Done List, by Janet Choi and Walter Chen of iDoneThis, 41% of to-do list items are never completed. Man, that makes me feel good. I think I beat that statistic most of the time.

The reasons I like to-do lists are simple. They are a mind-dump for me, they organize my thoughts and actions (however recklessly) and when I complete items from the list my day feels more productive. More so than just completing things throughout the day with no agenda, no list. They say there's a psychology to to-do lists, and I couldn't agree more. I feel more organized, more productive and more focused when I have a list. A list of priorities for the day that I've created, and that I progressively accomplish, one item at a time. It doesn't mean I always am more organized, focused and productive - it just means I feel that way.

So how does one go about making sure that their to-do lists actually do help them accomplish more? Make certain that the things they are accomplishing are the right things, not menial tasks that matter to no one, not even themselves?

Here's some tips for making certain your to-do list is helping you achieve rather than serving as a psychological crutch for artificial productivity.

• Quality Trumps Quantity - I have a tendency to make lists that are too long. Too long for a week let alone a day. And when my list gets too long I start to have anxiety and worry about the fact that there is no way I can get all this done in a day. And when less than 41% of the list gets done, I feel shitty. That's no way to create a to-do list! Make certain that those items you place on the list are important and that the list is reasonable to accomplish in the time that you've allotted.
• Tackle the Toughest First - If you complete the toughest items on the list first, when your energy is the highest, you'll be building productive momentum for the rest of the list and day. When you save these items for last, procrastinating, these items will loom large on your list of undone items at the end of the day. And that won't feel good.
• Be Specific - Write down exactly what you are going to do, don't be generic. Your list shouldn't say "study for exam" but rather "review class notes and take pre-test". The more specific you are the more you hold yourself accountable for completing the task as intended. Either you did it or you didn't, and chances are improved that you will. Additionally, be specific about the time you will spend doing the task. This will also help you commit to and achieving the task. If something is going to take two days to complete, don't put it on your daily to-do list! Rather, write "study for four hours by reviewing class notes and taking pre-test". Now that's a great item for your list!
• Prioritize - If after making your to-do list you have used it as a mind-dump (like I often do), then take the time to highlight the items you'll actually complete today. You can leave the items on the list you won't complete for another day (and another list) but you'll focus on the highlighted items today.
• Pat Yourself on the Back - I like to keep my completed to-do lists. I love to look back on my day and revel in the items I checked off my to-do list. Keeping these lists around, or advancing the list by adding to it the next day keeps my accomplishments in front of me. I think to myself, 'I may have not completed these things today, but look what else I did do". Sometimes I add items to my to-do list that just 'came up' and when I completed them I write them on the list just so I can cross them off. A little psychological trick, but it works for me. Ah, productivity!

There is one further trick I learned about creating effective to-do lists in researching the best use of this tool by productivity gurus. And one of the best ideas I learned? It comes from co-founder and COO of Muse, Alex Cavoulacos. She shared a simple rule she uses for creating and prioritizing her to-do list each day. She refers to it as the 1-3-5 rule. Simply stated, she identifies one big task, three medium-sized tasks, and five small tasks that she will complete each day. No more than that. And she knocks them out. Simple, profound, and it works!

Now I haven't been able to live up to all these tips. I still craft to-do lists haphazardly without all the elements that I've just described. And I still occasionally trick myself into feeling productive by creating a list of already completed tasks just so I can cross them off to my satisfaction.

But to-do lists work for me. I love them and consider them to be the mother of all productivity. And with these added tips, the to-do list can work for you too.

So what are your tips for using to-do lists to spark your productivity?