I fucking love to-do lists. Pardon my French but I really, really do. And if you do too, you may have read my post last year about 20 things everyone who love to-do lists would understand. I don’t think I’ve go a single day in the last 6 months without writing some sort of to-do list – I thrive on them and feel completely lost and unorganised if I haven’t wrote down everything I need to do. I know to some people, this would be an absolute nightmare for y’all type A personalities out there… I hear ya. I hear ya. So from one to-do lister to another, I want to share some wisdom and tips on how to make those to-do lists a little more bearable.
Make it easily accessible
Priority. If your to-do list is written in hieroglyphics, on an iPad with 14 security codes and in your bag with 7 zips and a padlock then so help you. My to-do list is on the notes on my phone and it’s always right there, ready to access whenever I need it. I’ve not bought in to all this bullet journal malarkey because I also like to keep it simple and not be distracted by what the to-do list is written on rather than the actual list itself.
Categorise
I’ve only recently (I say recently, I mean like 4 months ago) started doing this but I categorise my to-do list to break it down and make it more manageable. For example, my list contains subheadings like, ‘Blogging’, ‘Blog Tours’ and ‘Chores’. So I pop down all the blogging related things I need to do under blogging and so on and all the boring, every day jobs that need doing under chores.
Prioritise
I always, always mark the really super duper important things with a (*) so I know that those are the things that ideally, I need to do or think about doing first. Also, once these urgent matters are out of the way, you can usually relax a bit with the others, afterwards.
Include easy things
There’s nothing worse than having a ridiculously long to do list of all things that will take up an hour or so each, then by the time you’ve finished just 1, you barely feel like you’ve done anything at all. I always add really simple, easy things to my list that need doing – which I probably would have done anyway without writing them down. The act of crossing things off I think sparks more motivation to get a wriggle on a cross more off.
Include things for you
To-do lists may seem super boring and dull but not everything on them needs to be a chore or work related. Add a ‘you‘ section to your to-do list and add in a couple of things that you would like to do today for yourself. Even little things like catching up on that show you missed, walking the dog or having a cup of tea. They’re all still really nice things to add and having them on the to-do list may encourage you to take a little time for yourself during the day.
[…] A to-do list is your first point of call when it comes to productivity. Lists have changed my life. But there’s no use having one great big massive list with 200 things on it. That’s not going to make you want to be productive, that’s going to make you want to wrap up in your duvet and watch Netflix. Categorize your to-do lists into sections (e.g blogging, personal, errands etc) and highlight the tasks of the most importance. […]
[…] A to-do list is your first port of call when it comes to productivity. Lists have changed my life. But there’s no use having one great big massive list with 200 things on it. That’s not going to make you want to be productive, that’s going to make you want to wrap up in your duvet and watch Netflix. Categorize your to-do lists into sections (e.g blogging, personal, errands etc) and highlight the tasks of the most importance. […]
[…] things as well as anything I really need to remember to do like wash my hair)” and this makes them much more manageable. Writing down all your blogging tasks you need to complete instead of trying to remember them off […]
[…] Ticking that last thing off my to-do list […]
[…] about me: I am obsessed with lists. I thrive off of organisation and lists are the main thing that keep my life in order. Or in as much order as the illusion of control can possibly give you. At this present moment I […]
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[…] Write a list: I don’t always do this but I will if I’m going to embark on a major room clear-out. I will make a list of all the different elements that need doing: clothes, books, drawers, shelves etc. so I can tick them off and make the task a bit more manageable. If you want tips on making your to-do list more bearable, check out this post. […]
I love to-do lists, and I’m definitely going to be using these tips to make my to-do lists more bearable. Sometimes I look at my to-do list and feel completely overwhelmed. Especially love the idea of popping on a few things that are just for you, like having a bath, or a hot cup of tea! xx
It definitely definitely helps massively having those things just for you in there! (: xx
After going away, I thought I would try and stop my list… and felt so disorganised and as if I had achieved nothing that I quickly went running back to it! I’m the same with adding short or personal things onto it – and it makes me feel like I’m achieving even when I’m taking some time out for me – which is a big deal for me!
This post just completely summed up everything I feel about to-do lists, aha! Thank you!
Hi Jenny, very informative post. I really like the last point include You in to do list, my to do list everyday is just work and study stuffs so, i guess this would be the best to include in my list to give wings to my to do list and to add more fun. Thankie 🙂
Thank you (: I find it so beneficial to do that! I hope you can incorporate that into your to do lists from now on!
Yes, finally from yesterday and it’s awesome to pamper oneself with small things apart from other work 🙂
Such a fab post Jenny!
I really need to write to-do lists more, it’d definitely help me keep on top of things and not get so stressed.
Kat
katlast.com
Thank you (: they can be daunting but start small!
I, too, love to-do lists and these tips are really helpful for me, since mine are often kinda chaotic and I almost never include any things that are for me – that make me happy – and so it gets hard to get the things on there done! I think I’m gonna work on making mine better!! 🙂
I’m glad you found this post helpful! I couldn’t live without a to do list. But including nice stuff for yourself is so crucial as it breaks the list up and doesn’t make it seem as daunting. Also gives you something to look forward to during the day rather than a hard to do list with no “nice” stuff on it.
Hmmm, I have to write everything down or I forget. But I’m also a to-do list person, any tips for the self-loathing when you don’t complete the list would be helpful! Admittedly it’s usually health related and I physically can’t do them but that doesn’t always connect in my head .. if you see what I mean ? xx
I see what you mean — I don’t always always complete everything either but I keep it on my list and carry it over to the next day because there will always be another time to do it (: and remember all the stuff that you HAVE ticked off, rather than the stuff you haven’t xo
I started college a few weeks ago and since then have been writing a to-do list everyday, it makes me feel so much more organised! These tips were super helpful x
Wahoo I’m so glad you find them useful! Funny, when I was in sixth form I never made a to do list! xo