Why You Should Make A List Every D*mn Day

Every night, ten minutes before bed, I get out my trusty notepad and pen to write a list of things to do for the next day.

I don’t stop there, though.

I write freaking everything. I write every single possible to-do that comes to my mind, empyting out my brain onto the page. Then I shake my head to make sure nothing else is left in there. Seriously.

You know that feeling when you think you forgot something at home? It sucks, right? Yeah, that’s not something that bothers me before bed — because I don’t let it.

Making a list every day does a lot of things for us. It helps us organize thoughts, stay on task, and in my case, sleep.

But there’s a secret to making a list. You can’t just throw to-do’s out onto the page like shrapnel, you need to prioritize them.

List them from 1–3 at the very least. Get your top three must-do items written down. Personally I get my top six written down just because my brain is on overload 24/7 and I need more numbers.

Then I draw a line and roughly prioritize the rest of them.

Now the next day is easy. There’s no more chaos. You know what needs to be done — now all you have to do is work through each item on that list. Simple.

Begin work on one item and don’t stop until it’s over. You can take a break when it’s done. This will help you be more productive because your thoughts will be clear, your goals will be known, and your sleep will not be interrupted by any dangling worries.

Making a list is simple, but effective, and you should do it every single day.