Ditch the Paper and Pen To-Do List

To-Do lists are helpful in increasing efficiency and time management because they allow you to write and forget, keep you organized and allow for sharing and delegating.

I’ve heard people say they feel overwhelmed with tasks bopping around in their head, to-do lists are a great way to resolve that intrusive stress. When a task or action item occurs to you, you can write it down in your list and let it leave your mind. This allows you to keep your mind freed up to work on the tasks at hand.

Why Ditch the Paper and Pen?

Using an app, software, or to-do list tool that is easily accessible and easy to use will reduce frustration, decrease time managing the list and increase your overall efficiency.

I recommend using a notes program that allows you to move your tasks up and down in priority. Anything that allows you to copy and paste would suffice. To-do lists are also helpful because they allow you to share and delegate. iPhone’s notes app is a great example because it allows you to “Share” your notes with other iPhone users. This will help them recognize what you have on your plate, and it will help you to delegate tasks to others, if needed.

I mentioned iPhone’s notes app, this is just one example of a List Making Tool. Other list making tools are:

• Any phone Notes App

• Google Sheets

• iOS’ Reminders App

To-Do List Do's and Don'ts:

• Do prioritize your to-do’s. Make sure you are moving tasks up and down in priority based on what’s going on in your life.

• Don’t (or avoid) pen and paper lists. Pen and paper lists make it harder to prioritize and move things up and down in priority. They’re also harder to maintain, keep clean and intact.

• Do keep a to-do list that’s easy to access. It should be right at your fingertips, so whenever a task pops into your head, you can jot it down quickly and easily.

• Don’t make it difficult to edit and update your list.