![]() ![]() And know when each task should be completed. To-do list apps usually have features that will allow you to: #How to use todolist app effectively plus#Try it out to save two hours per day.To-do list apps offer all of these benefits, plus they're digital and paperless. The pen and paper simplify my day and decreases my digital distractions. No more bouncing back and forth between to-do list apps. The physical piece of paper narrows my focus on the one task. There isn't an efficient way to hide all tasks, except for the one I'm working on. I've found this is nearly impossible to do digitally. This puts me into hardcore focus mode, as I'm locked on only one task at a time: When I finish the first task, I scratch it off, then slide the paper down to the next task. To avoid that, I grab a sheet of paper and cover all of the other tasks I'm not working on at that time. There's something so rewarding about it, even after using this to-do list method for 6+ years.īut most importantly, using pen and paper forces me to focus by using this trick. So what's my reward? It's getting to scratch a task off my to-do list. This leverages the psychological principle most of us learned in Psychology 101, called classical conditioning. Just as we reward a dog by giving him a treat for doing something good, we can reward ourselves for getting stuff done. So over the course of six years, I've resorted back to pen and paper for one main reason - the scratch-off. but they always managed to distract me more than help me. I've tried all sorts of digital versions, many of them are good. ![]() I'm a totally digital guy, so people find it hilarious that I carry around an old school to-do list like this still. Leverage the psychological effect of scratching tasks off. By breaking down a large task into smaller action items, your goals for the day will be less intimidating and more manageable. When creating your to-do list, make sure your tasks are clearly defined. ![]() So there's no question that at 6:30 PM I need to catch my Bikram Yoga class. Instead of hoping and praying I hit the gym, I keep it scheduled in my to-do list the night before. I get ancillary benefits from this nightly pre-planning as well, such as sticking to my workouts more. It's a core component of my evening routine. Make the to-do list the night before.īefore I go to sleep, I'll write down all the tasks I'll be doing for the next day. This helps me recap if I've been productive or if I've been a lazy monkey. It also gives me a snapshot of the hours that I was most productive, so I can optimize my daily energy.Īt the end of the day, I write a quick summary (typically just a single sentence). This kicks me in the butt to get back on track if I realized I slacked off that hour. Super helpful.Īt the end of every hour, I write down what I accomplished. meeting with Noah at 2 p.m.) This really helps solidify in my head what my day is going to look like. On the top right, I write my scheduled meetings (ex. But I am cautious not to overload myself (six tasks maximum), or I know I won't finish. Here I write down the realistic amount of tasks I'll do. Sunday) as well, so my brain doesn't have to think what "October 7th" is. Here's a quick overview of how it all works: digital to-do list apps always become more distracting than they help.Īnd speaking of how it works, I'll shut up now so you can see it in action. Because from my six years of to-do list system optimization (yes, I'm a freak). And I promise you'll be getting work done faster than using some fancy digital to-do list app. Crazy.īut here's the crazier part - this system only requires pen and paper. Because they have been using it every single day. To this day, three years after introducing this system, I still have people thanking me for sharing it with them. My friends passed it on to their friends, and before I knew it, I was introducing it to the masses (including the 700,000+ subscribers behind AppSumo). ![]() Progressively, this led to a to-do list system that has helped thousands of people.Ībout six years ago, I introduced this to-do list system to a few friends. So I kept experimenting with other people's methods until I said screw it, and created my own system. but I'm so scatterbrained that nothing worked. I tried every possible to-do list method to keep my brain from exploding. And I'm talking the trying-to-juggle-127-different-tasks-at-once type of busy. ![]()
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