I’m a creature of habit. Every day, I’ll start my day with a list of stuff I want to achieve that day — some will be work tasks and some personal such as pick up milk.

Then, at the end of each day, I’ll revisit my list and see what I achieved and what I didn’t manage to complete that day. Some of those tasks will slot into tomorrow’s to-do list.

For day-to-day stuff, most people will be able to do their lists on pen and paper and this is how I worked for years. However, I also used to go to the DVD shop and rent the latest films to watch.

Now, it’s much easier to organise my tasks using the Tameday app and watch a film in the evenings using Netflix.

These apps just work and make my life easier.

One of the main ways I use the Tameday project management app is for to-do lists. I can easily set up a to-do (or task) for myself (or a colleague) and set a likely date of completion.

Then when I log on each day, instead of making my to-do list, I just fire up Tameday and see what I have on my plate that day. If I don’t manage to complete a task by the deadline I set, I can just change it to something that’s more achievable.

To do lists

I like to schedule tasks like writing at the start of the day as I know that is when my brain will function best. For Friday afternoons, I’ll leave some mundane admin as I know this won’t be a great time for me to write after a long week.

 

7 Tips for Creating a To-Do List

To-do lists are a good way to keep me focused and get s*** done. I also get great satisfaction when I click “mark as complete” and see a green tick — this is the digital equivalent of scoring through the task with a pen.

Here’s my seven tips to help you create your to-do lists.

  1. Choose your medium — either digitally using Tameday or old-school pen and paper.
  2. Segment your tasks into long-term and short-term.
  3. Keep it simple. It can be overwhelming and counter-productive to have an unrealistic amount of tasks assigned to one day.
  4. Put the most important tasks at the top of your list to help you prioritise.
  5. Break large projects into smaller modules.
  6. Assign a time each day to do your lists. For a lot of people, this will be first thing in the morning.
  7. Be flexible and don’t stress if you don’t get a task done on time.

Prioritise

 

Avoid Procrastination

I saw this image on Instagram this week and thought it was very clever and accurate! How many can you relate to?

Productivity

Source: Instagram/Evernote

 

Final Thoughts

I’m currently co-planning our wedding so I have a lot of stuff on my personal to-do list! It’s important I have the right systems in place so I don’t miss an important deadline or task such as suit fittings or sending money to the photographer.

With Tameday, my fiancée and I can easily see what tasks we have completed and what we have left to do before we say I do! It really has been a big help with my day job and planning for my big day.

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