A To-do List You Can Commit To
Feeling overworked and overwhelmed by the laundry list of things you have to do can start to feel depressing when that list never seems to get any smaller.
A mindset flip I’ve learned is to NOT EXPECT your todo list to get smaller. Think of your todo list as an ever evolving, ever changing master list of your current events. A list for you to revisit, edit, and update.
The way I organize my todo list does not magically change everything. It takes effort and consistency to make lasting change. While everyday I aim to stay committed to the things on my list, I still take breaks to prioritize rest and sometimes I just forget my list entirely.
But the great thing about the way I’ve organized my to-do list is that it’s always there, on any device (and printed out- free print out you can find at the bottom of this blog) and no matter where I fall on the scale of productivity level or how many days I’ve gone without looking at my list AT ALL, I know that when I’m ready to get back on track, my past self organized my to-do list to help me re-focus and start again. That’s comforting.
So if you do nothing else, organize your todo list in this way as your emotional support list to reach for when you need some grounding, guidance, or re-centering. It will surely help you get back on track and feel more in control of your life and your home again.
A To-Do List Style That Works For Me
I manage my digital and hard copy to do lists in this evolving style and it helps to keep my life organized, my brain freed up to make the big decisions!
When you put everything into a note that you can revisit later, you give your brain a break. You should not have to hold onto a ton of mental notes and expect to remember them all, all the while you’re completing other tasks.
With a brain break, your whole nervous system can relax while you focus on the task at hand, or when you just need to fall asleep. Ever had a hard time falling asleep? Having a todo list that works for you can help you feel more peace in the present.
Now how do we reach our goals for more peace and productivity? Because I know you’ve all seen it and maybe have tried it, a bullet list of tasks isn’t helpful for tasks that span time and multiple steps or levels of importance.
For a while, I collected notes and tasks without much follow through and that becomes overwhelming. We don’t want that, we want simplicity but we need structure as well.
So the first step is to just know that no matter how much you write down, only require that you focus on 3 main tasks and 1 non negotiable task for yourself each day.
You can choose any note app that works for you, but I’ve been using Evernote since 2015 and it’s been the most consistently reliable place for me to store my notes, ideas, PDFs, recipes, project plans, and more. But let’s just focus on todo lists today.
How I organize my digital todo list in Evernote:
DAILY (Daily non-negotiables, important habits you want to cultivate for yourself.)
Tea to start morning
20 minute guided movement session
Bible Study for 10 minutes
WEEKLY (non-negotiables to get down on any given day, separated by days of the week)
This is what my Evernote To-do list will look like on Desktop.
Mon-
Farm School @ 9am
Tues-
Sweep and Vaccum
Rotate kid’s toys
Wed-
Playground Visit
Thurs-
Clean Windows
Blog work
Fri-
Wash Bedsheets
Sat-
Clean Bathrooms
Sun-
Meal Prep
High Priority
- here is where you list any tasks or items that are not reoccurring and the ones of hugest priority go under this subtitle
Medium Priority
- this is the ever-changing piece. Some items may move around in priority depending on whether you’re able to get them done on this day or this week or not.
Low Priority
- ultimately you do not have to get all the high priority stuff done first, it’s just to remind yourself of importance.
Some tasks are reocurring, meaning you want to remember to do them daily or weekly. These tasks take up a TON of real estate in your brain when you are moving through the day. You think about the things you have to clean, what you have to do the next day and you start to feel like you have to do everything RIGH THIS MOMENT! I get it. But when you can place everything or as much as possible on your recurring list sections, you can see things more clearly and be more realistic about the time you have for each task.
After you’ve filled out these two first areas to list reoccuring tasks, now comes the evolving, ever changing area of your todo list that you can remove as you complete tasks or simply move them to another priority and revisit another time.
You’ll have labels separating, high, medium and low priority sections to list your upcoming and current tasks.
When Your List is Ready, Plan For Tomorrow!
Always plan your day the night or day before so you can give your brain a break when you wake up. If your brain is having to decide what to do everyday, it’s going to fatigue, decision fatigue is real!
Go through your digital todo list note and mark three items (bold, bright color, etc.) from the High, Medium, and Low Priorities sections (only 3 in total) to be your focuses for the next day. That’s it.
By giving your brain as few decisions to make as possible, you are starting your day with less stress. Keep things consistent and reliable. You’ll know where to go to see your todo list and from there, you’ll see your 3 BOLDED tasks along with your recurring tasks to do that day right in one note.
Trust Yourself
Ultimately, if your tasks are beneficial to you, your home, and your relationships, and you’ve got them written right in front of you as your focus for the day, don’t make it harder on yourself by muddling up the things YOU THINK you have to do. Just focus on the things you’ve given yourself and you’ll see you start to feel better and more productivity day by day. It’s the little things and the small changes over time that impact our life.
Resources
The two books that have helped my productivity are Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by David McKeown, and Organize Tomorrow Today by Dr.Jason Selk and Tom Bartow.
A note about Evernote: You can add tasks to your notes and even sync it with your calendar. I like to keep my calendar events separate from my tasks so I am not feeling overwhelmed seeing the daily tasks on my calendar when I need to plan my week for the bigger things. But this is a capability and some of you may like this added tool.
I wanted to give you a download to get you started with your productivity. This print out closely resembles the above described digital todo list but if you’re more of a hard copy, pen to paper type (which I am both, so I have both!) then below is a great download for you to use in your productivity journey.
