Customizing To-Do Lists for Personal Productivity

This small change to my to-do lists has become the biggest productivity hack 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: Over the last few years, I've tried many ways to organise my work and time. But the only method that has worked is to list the tasks of the day in a physical notebook. Once the tasks are done, strike them off. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: I had, on average, 5–6 tasks on the list. But I could complete only 2–3 each day. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: At the end of the day, I felt as if I'd achieved NOTHING. The feeling was the same unless I completed 100% of the tasks. That feeling frustrated me more than I can put into words. I didn't only LOSE that day. But I'd become so demotivated that I'd keep spiralling downwards for the next few days. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹" 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: the real problem wasn't the system. The real problem was also not the lack of prioritisation. The real problem was that my prioritisation was not based on motivation or happiness. Let me explain... I reviewed my task list for the last 30 days and started seeing a pattern. There were some tasks which, when incomplete, cause an immense amount of frustration. This frustration overpowered the joy of completing the other tasks on the list. That is when I remembered Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, which I admire. It says there are two factors that affect employee satisfaction. 1. 𝗛𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲: these are factors that, if absent, cause dissatisfaction. For example, salary, job security, a good environment. But even if they exist, they don't increase satisfaction!     2. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: these are factors that, if present, lead to higher satisfaction and happiness. Examples: rewards, promotions, growth opportunities, etc. My old way of creating lists (left) had a problem. I was not classifying my tasks into hygiene and motivators. The solution: Create the same to-do lists, with 5-6 items. But each item must fit into one of 3 categories: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿:if I don't complete them, I will be sad. 😔 2. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿:if I complete them, I will be happy. 😊 3. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵:if I complete them, I will be extremely happy😄 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: With the new list (right), as long as I complete the tasks in bucket #1, I am not sad or frustrated. I feel like I have accomplished everything for the day. (Again, a hard feeling to put into words!) This feeling leads to more productivity, which brings even more happiness. And the cycle continues every day, every week. Such a small change. But such a huge impact. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗮𝘁: I can tackle the same problem via better prioritisation. Instead of having 5, I could have 2-3 tasks on the list. Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me, especially on days when I have more time at hand. And not adding all the tasks makes me feel I'm missing something. So I prefer to dump all my to-dos on the list. If you use to-do lists, let me know in the comments how successful you are. And what are your productivity secrets?

Most people are not overwhelmed because they have too much to do; they are overwhelmed because once everything hits a list, it starts to feel equally important. I actually like to-do lists. If something is not written down, it is easy to forget. The problem is that once everything is written down, everything starts to feel mandatory. The list stops being a memory aid and turns into a source of pressure. I see this clearly in my own weeks. I can be busy for days, crossing things off, staying active, keeping things moving, but when I step back and look at my actual goals for the month or the quarter, the thing that truly matters often hasn't moved. The list keeps you busy, but it does not help you choose. When that happens, it usually means the important decision was never made upfront. Instead of deciding what outcome I was optimising for that week, I let the day decide for me. Whatever feels easiest or most immediate gets done, rather than the work that actually moves the needle. What has helped me is planning every week before it starts. Before I write any to-dos, I try to be clear on what outcome would make the week feel successful. Simply put, by Friday, what needs to be true for me to say this week was productive? It is rarely a long list; one or two things at most. Once that outcome is clear, planning becomes simpler. I only write tasks that clearly feed into that goal. Everything else can wait or be pushed to the following week. And each day, I focus on my one to three non-negotiables, the things that must get done that day to support the weekly outcome, and I try to do them first. Urgent things will still come up. Sometimes they genuinely change the shape of the week. When that happens, I deliberately reassess rather than letting the list expand unchecked. When the order is wrong, cognitive load rises, and you end up doing a lot without moving much. When priorities are set early, even a full week feels calmer. You get more done without feeling more overwhelmed.

In my first leadership role, I never left work before 9:00 p.m. I used to carry a list of the things I needed at the drugstore, but never made it because the drugstore closed before I left work. One day, a mentor visited me at the education nonprofit I was running at the time. I showed her the list and joked about never making it to the store. She asked me why I wasn’t leaving work earlier and I said, “Well, there's so much to do, and my staff likes to stay late, so I have to stay late.” She pushed back: “Jen, you have to go home so they can go home.” She was right. I needed to model how we prioritize our time. Her advice to me: make a Mission To-do List. Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ Put your mission across the top of a piece of paper and your to-do list down the side 2️⃣ Go through every item to see how much it actually drives the mission or not 3️⃣ Remove any items that are not critical to achieve your mission (or at least move them to the bottom of the list) The exercise inspired me to slim down both my own to-do this and the list for our team. Suddenly, the t-shirts for our summer field trip didn’t seem so important, especially in comparison to finalizing the Algebra curriculum. We focused on the things that mattered and removed or reprioritized the rest. The mission-based to-do list is a powerful exercise that I’ve used with every team since. At Rising Team, we call it BGF, which stands for “Boat Go Faster.” It's based on a winning British rowing team that asked themselves the same question about every addition to their regimen before the Olympics—”Will it make the boat go faster?” In my experience, focusing our to-do list doesn't diminish our productivity. If we do the more important things first, there's often still time to get to extra pet projects. What a mission-based to-do list does is protect our time and energy for the things that matter most—our mission and our team's well-being. 📃 Tell me: Is there anything you can take off your to-do list today? 👇🏼 #leadership #teamdevelopment #prioritization —- Like this post? Follow me for more insights on leadership, team building, and the future of work. Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter Leadership is Everywhere: https://lnkd.in/g_VETsRY

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lose focus. It's easy to say you're going to get to a task later. Even if that task makes it to a to-do list, that list can become a never-ending reminder of tasks not done. 📝 I am passionate about #TimeManagement As a frazzled new Sales Leader, I realized quickly that I needed to actively manage my time. I couldn't lose days where I worked my a** off all day and then asked myself - what the heck did I even do today? As a Founder, owning my time became a renewed passion. For the first time, ever, I get to decide exactly how to spend my days and I want to spend them doing work that drives impact and joy. One of my favorite time management techniques is having a to-do list that I actually use. To-do lists are a STRUGGLE for me. Two tips if you also struggle with to-do lists: ❌ If the task will take more than an hour to complete, don't put it on a to-do list. ❌ If the task doesn't need to be done in the next 1-2 weeks, don't put it on a to-do list. ✅ If you relate to those struggles, skip straight to step 4: DIARISE I created and follow this Flow Your To-Do List Framework for every other task. The Flow Framework is built on four pillars: DO, DELEGATE, DELETE, and DIARISE. 1. DO: For tasks that are both important and urgent, action is key. These are the tasks that need to be completed in the next 1-2 weeks. If a task is critical, it’s worth your immediate focus. 2. DELEGATE: You can’t do everything, and that’s okay. Delegate tasks that don’t require your personal touch. Whether it's automating, outsourcing, or assigning them to your team, delegating frees you on tasks that make the biggest impact or bring you the most joy. 3. DELETE: Not every task deserves your attention. If something isn’t essential or isn’t aligned with your goals, it’s time to let it go. Free yourself from low-priority tasks that don’t push you forward. 4. DIARISE: Some tasks aren’t urgent but still important. These are the ones you diarise—scheduled for later, using time-blocking or goal-setting techniques. By diarising larger, long-term tasks, you ensure they get done without overwhelming your current workload. ✅ PRO TIP: Use the PATH goal-setting framework to diarise major tasks, breaking them down into smaller steps that are easier to manage. Want to help your team improve their time management skills? Let's talk about time management training using the Flow & PATH Frameworks. Drop "PATH" in the comments to learn more.

For years, to-do lists were my nemesis. Juggling family, clients, social media, and everything else seemed impossible to capture it all on one list.. I'd meticulously write everything down, feeling a surge of accomplishment at my planning prowess. Then, inevitably, BAM! The day would disappear in a whirlwind of activity, and half my list would still be mocking me from my notebook. 🤣 As entrepreneurs, isn't the pressure already high enough? Why add another source of overwhelm with a never-ending to-do list?🥲 There had to be a better way. And guess what? There is and I found it😄 I finally discovered a productivity hack that transformed my to-do lists from a source of stress into a powerful tool. So, instead of one giant list, I started dividing tasks into categories like: 1. Urgent & Important: These are my top priorities - tackle them first. No more staring at a mountain of stuff, wondering where to even begin. 2. Important, Not Urgent: These tasks are important, but they don't need immediate attention. Schedule dedicated time for them and avoid the stress of feeling like everything needs to happen right now. 3. Not Important, Not Urgent: This is the liberation zone. Delegate these tasks (if possible) or ditch them altogether. Freeing up your mental space for what truly matters is amazing. The result? 📍 I stopped feeling cheated by my to-do list and started feeling empowered by it. 📍I get more done in less time, and the stress monster doesn't stand a chance. P.S. What productivity hacks do you use to stay on top of your to-do? #productivitytips #eisenhowermatrix #mondaymotivation

I’m pretty tech-forward in how I manage notes, documents, and my life generally. From note-taking apps to cloud-based document storage and archiving, I have a pretty intricate system for accessing and archiving work and personal resources. But when it comes to to do lists, I keep it old school with a paper notebook, mechanical pencil, and highlighter color-coding system. I think I’ve tried every to-do list app there is and, don’t get me wrong, some of them are super cool and effective. But nothing beats or recreates the satisfying feeling of writing out a task brain dump on paper and crossing something off my list once it’s done. Sometimes these written lists get …lengthy and multiply across the different domains of my professional and personal responsibilities. That’s why I dedicate at least 30 minutes every Sunday evening to review my to do list and prioritize/organize tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix: 🟥 Quadrant 1 is for the urgent and high priority to-dos with upcoming deadlines. 🟦 Quadrant 2 is for the mission critical but not immediate items on my list. This could be in support of a relationship I’m building or an article I want to write. These are the tasks that I consider forward-looking, goal-oriented, and preventative. 🟩 Quadrant 3 is for the urgent items that aren’t as important as the fire drills in Quadrant 1, but still need to get done ASAP. For example, registering for that conference before the deadline or getting flights for that business trip. I try to be realistic about the tasks I can delegate and really don’t need to do all on my own. 🟧 Quadrant 4 is tough. It can be hard to “delete” something from my to do list (and I’m more likely to move things onto a “someday maybe” list). Every once in a while there’s been a recurring item on my to do list like “read that article or book” where the article or book is interesting, but maybe not all that relevant to my life/focus at the moment. There’s only so much time in the day, so that might be a to-do that gets crossed out. There isn’t a magic system or perfect method to make your to do list feel more manageable. I’m sharing this because the quadrant approach helps me prioritize my week and makes my to do list a little less daunting. Plus it helps me build in time for the inevitable new urgent and important things that pop up. Do you have a different system that works well for you? I’d love to hear about it! #productivity #todolist #timemanagement #organization #eisenhowermatrix

To-Do lists are great… until they turn into a monster. I’ve always been a to-do list fanboy. But somewhere along the way, my list became longer than my day. So I flipped the script. Instead of asking: “What task can I fit into this time?” I ask: “What time can I own for this task?” Enter: Time Blocking (aka Time Boxing). Simple idea. Big shift. You don’t find time. You assign it. Each task gets a time slot. No guessing. No scrolling through endless to-do chaos. But let’s be real — the enemy isn’t the task. It’s the distraction. So here’s what helps me protect my time blocks: 1. 1 tab rule — Only one tab open per task. 2. Phone in jail — Airplane mode or across the room. 3. Pre-commit — Tell someone what I’m doing. Public accountability works. 4. 5-min re-entry rule — If I slip, I don’t trash the whole day. I jump back in with a fresh 5-minute push. This isn’t about being a productivity robot. It’s about designing your day with intention - not letting it drift. How do you manage the battle between your to-do list and your actual time? Let’s trade some hacks.

Everyone knows how to make a to-do list. But 92% of us never finish what's on it. That hit me hard when I realized my own lists were full of unfinished tasks. But what I learned is this: It’s not about managing tasks—it’s about managing impact. Here are three simple strategies that changed how I work: > The 3-3-3 method: Focus on 3 key tasks that drive growth for me, two of them are- writing one piece of high-value content daily and learning one new technical skill each month. Prioritize 3 activities to build relationships e,g having virtual coffee chats with team members Commit to 3 goals for personal growth. Currently, I am working on mastering public speaking and developing a consistent meditation practice (20 minutes daily) Everything else goes on a “later list.” > The power hour: Start your day with 60 minutes of focused work on your most creative or impactful task—before touching your inbox. For me, this means ____ > The impact filter: Before adding a task, ask: “Will this move me closer to my goals?” This one question helps me avoid busywork and focus on what truly matters. A to-do list isn’t just about getting things done—it’s about driving results that count. What’s one thing you do to stay productive? Let’s share ideas below!