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“Can you show me your list?”

This question causes stress in many people.

“Of course, I have a list. Let me find it.” Maybe they do have a rough list. Or perhaps, they produce multiple lists. One on paper. One test on their phone, and yet another on a random Post-it Note. Just writing that stresses me out.

Studies show that only thirteen percent of people actively keep a to-do list every day.

Do you have one? Well, are you actively using it?

That is the first question that I ask those wanting to improve their time management. After all, if you’re going to get more done, you need to know what you need to accomplish. And that’s where your list comes in.

This one question usually separates those who are trying to improve versus those that “want” to.

If you could only have one time management tool at your disposal, it would have to be a good to-do list.

Your to-do list’s one job is to track your tasks so that your brain doesn’t have to. Instead of trying to remember every last thing you need to do, you can free your head space up so that it can concentrate on actually getting your work done.

The Most Powerful Productivity Weapon

A to-do list is the most important time management tool at your disposal. A list of all the tasks you want to track gets you going, lets you know what you need to do, and helps you prioritize your work. It can be a paper-based list (some people like to use day planners or craft their own Bullet Journal in a blank notebook). Or it can be an app on your phone that syncs across all your platforms.

A good to-do list will let you sort your to-dos by area of responsibility (work or personal) and order them by priority. Of course, you can do this all by hand on paper if you so choose. The purpose of your list should be tracking all of your work, which also allows you to see your progress. How good it feels to cross something off!

This sounds like a win all the way around. Yet, there’s that looming statistic. Eighty-seven percent of people aren’t regularly using this simple and essential tool.

The key factor here is to use it every single day.

You simply can’t afford to make a list only when you feel like it. You need to have a list that continuously tracks your work and obligations.

Like a good friend, your to-do list should always have your back. It’s a unique friend, too. It’s always available, always precise, and will always remember your tasks, so you don’t have to.

Actually, you should never not be keeping a list. I have witnessed people who start a new list each day. This is a dangerous way to live because you lose everything that was on the list the day before. It’s like living your life as a “do over” every single day. Just because you go to sleep doesn’t mean the tasks reset or go away.

Don’t Resist Your List

One of the excuses I hear from those who don’t maintain a list is that they will “remember” their tasks later. Unfortunately, you won’t remember, and then you will inevitably get burned by the forgotten item.

Our brains aren’t designed to remember dozens of tasks. Studies have shown that our “working memory” is limited to about four active items at one time. This isn’t practical when you want to track many to-dos at once. If you are trying to “keep it all in your head” you are wasting valuable memory and brainpower that you could dedicate to the work you are doing.

Others are afraid that if they write it down, they must do it later. This is silly. It’s your list, and you can add, change, or delete things (those that turn out to be unimportant) at any time. Just because you put it in your list doesn’t mean you are obligated to do it.

It’s better to capture a to-do and delete it later, rather than miss a potentially important task.

When You Think of It, Put It on Your List

People often ask what kinds of tasks they should put on their list. “Should I add all tasks? Or just the most important ones?”

The answer is yes. You should add all the tasks to your list, no matter how big or how small. No matter how important or trivial. Everything that you may need to do now or in the future. Your list is there to remember your work, so you don’t have to.

So, when you think of an item, don’t wait until later. Immediately pull out your list and add it. This should only take a few seconds, but it requires discipline to do this every time you think of a task.

What Should You Be Doing Right Now?

When it comes to being more productive, one of the key questions to ask yourself is, “What should I be doing right now?”

This is where your list has your back. When you don’t know what you should be doing, you need to look at your to-dos.

Your list is there to remind you of what you need to do and identify which tasks are most important. So, your list shouldn’t be disposable. If you are writing lists on Post-it Notes or pads, that get lost or misplaced, you are going to lose tasks.

Rather than having those to-dos in random places, add them to your one list. This will ensure that you have all of your obligations in one place. Your to-do list should be a continuous list that is always tracking what you might need to do next.

Your Menu of Productivity

Your to-do list is a “productivity menu.” It shows you all the options, items, and priorities that are available for your time.

When you complete a to-do and are ready to start a new one, make sure you review your list. Don’t just pick up whatever is in front of you or at the top of your email inbox. If you do, you will be busy, but not doing your most important work.

Take a moment to regroup and collect your thoughts. This prevents you from being reactionary and simply jumping on whatever task happens to be in front of you. A good practice is to stop and consult your list. Review what you have completed and what the next priority is. Your list is your “menu” of what you need to do next.

In other words, if it’s not on your list, don’t do it.

Prioritize Your List (and Your Life)

Keeping a list is an excellent first effort. However, having an enormous list of things to do is only the first step. You need to order them by degree of importance.

If you don’t prioritize your list, you will likely choose to-dos that are easy, but not significant. Your to-do list allows you to put your tasks in order of how important they are to your efforts.

If you are using a paper list, you can use priority labels like “A, B, C…” or “1, 2, 3…” However, a good highlighter or two is usually more effective and quicker.

This is an area where an app-based to-do list shines. You can order your items without having to rewrite your list. Most apps can show you a subset of your current or most essential tasks.

One List to Rule Them All

Before you get “list happy,” it is important to note that you want to maintain one list as described in the “Power of One.”

A common mistake is to have multiple lists for home, work, etc. The problem that arises is that you end up with different lists that are separated or out-of-sync. This makes it more difficult to compare your priorities and to get an overview of all your workload at once.

As mentioned in Tip 2, you should have “one list.” It can be a master list that has sub-lists within it. I say you should keep one list that encompasses all aspects of your life.

Having one list may seem overwhelming if it is a large collection of tasks. However, the benefits of keeping all your work in one known place is powerful. To-do apps again shine here because they give the power and flexibility to create near endless list of tasks and sub-sections.

Regardless of whether you use paper or an electronic solution you want to be able to pare down the view of your list to what you need to do today. I call this your “Today List.” Many apps allow you to do this as a feature, or by task due date. This allows you to look at the subset of to-dos that you want to complete today.

If you are using a paper list, you can use highlighters or separate pages to identify your “today items.”