Are you using to-do lists throughout your day? If not, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful productivity tools. It doesn’t matter if you use the old-fashioned notebook and pen, or a to-do list app on your phone. There are three reasons why they work so well to keep you productive all day long.
To-Do Lists Make You Plan
You’re forced to plan your day when you sit down to make out your to-do list. You’re looking at everything you are working on. Then you decide what you need to do today and in what order.
Depending on how you make out your list, you can think about what items have the highest priority. The simple task of making the list helps you work out things in your head ahead of time. This alone will help you stay more productive throughout your day.
To-Do Lists Keep You Focused
Having that list with you as you work will help you to stay focused throughout your busy day. We are all dealing with distractions. It’s easy to lose focus and get sucked into meaningless tasks.
When you have a list, you’ll know at a glance what you should be working on. You won’t allow those distractions to take over big chunks of your day.
To-Do Lists Give You a Feeling of Accomplishment
Checking an item on your to-do list gives you a sense of accomplishment. For some, this is more effective when they cross something off paper. Clicking the little check mark on the app does the trick for others. Try them both and see what works best for you.
Take a moment to appreciate how much you’ve gotten done each time you check an item on the list. Then use that feeling of accomplishment to power you through your next item. Rinse and repeat and before you know it you’ve made it through another highly productive day.
If you’re not in the habit of using daily to-do lists yet, I hope this encourages you to try. List five things you want to get done before you call it a night today. See how that goes and work from a daily list starting tomorrow morning.