Why To-Do Lists Work
Why To-Do Lists Work
Are you using to-do lists throughout your day? If not, you may miss out on one of the most powerful productivity tools. It doesn’t matter if you use the old-fashioned notebook, pen, or a to-do list app on your phone. Below, you’re going to find out Why To-Do Lists Work.
There are three reasons why they work so well to keep you productive all day long.
To-Do Lists Make You Plan
Suppose you need to plan your day when you sit down to make your to-do list. You’re looking at everything you’re working on and deciding what you need to take care of today and in what order.
Depending on how you make your list, you may even think about what items on your list have the highest priority. The simple task of creating a list makes you work out many things in your head ahead of time. Sometimes this alone will help you stay more productive throughout your day.
To-Do Lists Keep You Focused
Having that list in front of you or next to you as you work away will help you stay focused on what you need to work on. And will help you to accomplish things throughout your busy day. We are all dealing with distractions. It’s easy to lose focus and get sucked into meaningless tasks and conversations.
With your list, you know at a glance what you should be working on, and if you make yourself get into the habit of not calling it a day until each item on your list is taken care of, you’re less likely to allow those distractions to take over big chunks of your day.
They Give You A Feeling Of Accomplishment
That’s right!
Checking off an item on your to-do list gives you a sense of accomplishment. For some, this is more effective when they can cross something off a piece of paper. For others, clicking the little checkmark on the app does the trick. 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 the next thing. 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, I hope this encourages you to try it seriously.
Please list five things you want to get done before you call it a night today.
See how that goes, and then get in the habit of working from a daily list starting tomorrow morning.
Check out this fun site for some added punch for your to-do lists.
Happy list-making.