Anyone involved in personal development is bound to have plans and dreams for their life. Sometimes, quite simply, desires! The desire to be richer, happier or freer… Each desire corresponds to a project, each project corresponds to a set of objectives and each objective corresponds to… tasks!

And to do all this better, making to-do lists can be a great help. In fact, to-do lists are a great way to get organized and reach your goals more easily. Are you familiar with to-do lists? Have you put them into practice? Do you manage to use them on a daily basis, or do you feel overwhelmed?

Whether or not you’ve experienced the concept of these little lists, I’m sure you’ll find this article useful. I’d like to share with you my vision of to-do lists, how I use them on a daily basis, and the lessons I’ve learned from using them over the years.

To-do lists or making goals a reality

To-do lists are indispensable when used properly. But first of all, it’s important to understand that a task is the division of an objective. You’re probably familiar with the adage “divide and conquer”. This vision is at the root of all reasoning.

You have a project, but it’s too abstract or too complicated? Break it down into objectives. Still too abstract? Divide them into sub-objectives and so on! At the end of these divisions, you’ll arrive at the notion of task. Which brings us to task lists.

A task is a unit of work. Something measurable, quickly achievable and limited in time. When it comes to taking action, you need to focus only on tasks. If you only think about your goals and projects, then you’re likely to give up without seeing things through to the end.

A task is a small part of a goal, a unit of work on which you can focus. If you don’t make a to-do list, you’re just getting in the way!

But why are to-do lists so important, you might ask? Well, let me explain.

THE TO-DO LIST: ITS IMPORTANCE
Not everyone thinks of creating a to-do list. Some might even say you don’t need one. But it can be useful for many reasons.

TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR PRIORITIES
When we limit ourselves to thinking about what remains to be done, we tend to forget certain things. We also sometimes fail to carry out the tasks that need to be done first, and prioritize the wrong things. When we don’t make to-do lists, we don’t manage our priorities well.

On the other hand, if we decide to create one, we’re better able to know which boxes to tick first and which tasks can wait.

ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS WITH A TO-DO LIST
Drawing up a to-do list gives you a clearer picture of your long- and medium-term goals. An overview that makes it easier for you to plan each and every task. You can prepare the financial, human and material resources you need in advance. You achieve better time management and can easily take action.

STRESS-FREE TASK LISTS
Another advantage you get when you create a to-do list is that you don’t have to think about it 24 hours a day. I particularly recommend this practice to those who are prone to anxiety or who often procrastinate. Writing down your goals effectively helps you to avoid stressing about what you still have to achieve.

You no longer need to put pressure on yourself to remember everything when you have to-do lists in your hands. You also avoid the problems of memory lapses. Everything’s on the list, you just need to consult it regularly.

What’s more, to-do lists are among your best allies in overcoming procrastination once and for all!

THE TO-DO LIST: A FEW TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Tasks and lists are all very well, but if you don’t use them properly, you’re heading straight for disaster. Yes, because an overstuffed to-do list is a guarantee of feeling overwhelmed by work. When, on the contrary, to-do lists are supposed to help ease your pain and improve your productivity. They’re there to help you manage your time and work more efficiently. They can help you in your daily life and at work. But for them to be effective, there’s one ultimate condition: knowing how to use them.

It’s not just a matter of scribbling on a piece of loose paper.

So, to teach you or help you make better use of the to-do list concept, I’ve listed a few requirements below.

FILTER THE ITEMS ON YOUR TO-DO LISTS
First of all, you have a choice of tools on which to manage your tasks. You can use a simple notebook or a computer program. For example, you can use the notepad on your computer or cell phone.

Now, here’s my first tip to help you achieve your goals. Write down your ideas about a goal in bulk. But be sure to filter them before adding them to your to-do lists. To this end, ask yourself these 3 questions:

Is this task achievable in my current context?
Does it really bring me closer to my goal?
Can it be done all at once, or does it need to be divided up?

LIMIT THE NUMBER OF TASKS ON YOUR LISTS
Knowing how to arrange your lists is important to avoid overloading them. But in the same context, the number of tasks to be completed should not be excessive either. So don’t put more than 10 tasks on a single list. And even then, 10 tasks is a lot! Imagine if you had 10 to-do lists (that’s too many too!), you’d end up with 100 tasks. I’m sure we all agree that this is completely unmanageable!

So set yourself a limit of 10 tasks per list and an average of 5 tasks per list. Can’t manage to go that low? Maybe it’s because you’re not taking action. So, before you add more items to your lists, start by executing some of them first. As you do so, you’ll be able to add more. That’s how you’ll manage your to-do lists better.

PRIORITIZING TO MANAGE YOUR LISTS
You need to know which tasks have priority over others. If you have 6 tasks on a list, you need to know exactly the order in which they are to be carried out. This is based on their urgency and the time each one will take you.

In short, you need to know how to organize yourself. Writing down your tasks and ranking them in order of importance are two of the best habits you can adopt to achieve your goals. But remember, there’s no hurry. If you do too much, you risk stifling your motivation.

MAKE SEVERAL TO-DO LISTS, BUT NOT TOO MANY
Just as there’s a limit to the number of tasks per list, there’s also a limit to the number of lists you make. If you’re preoccupied with too many subjects, then try to find out which ones have priority. You can do the rest later. No, we’re not talking about procrastination here, but about getting better organized so you don’t have your hands full.

BUT WHY CREATE SEVERAL LISTS?
Why have several to-do lists? Well, it’s quite simple. For every important project, there are several concerns. Each of them needs a list, hence the need for several to-do lists:

Administrative: when you create a website or a company, you’re going to have to fill out a lot of paperwork… A to-do list for this aspect is quickly necessary!

Technical: Internet, websites, computers… in short, technology! There’s a lot to understand. Hop, a new task list.
Web referencing: writing is good, but being read is better! SEO techniques are a field of knowledge in their own right. Here’s another one to join my to-do lists!

Product design: if you ever want to make a living from your website (and I do), you need to learn how to design good products (e-books, training, coaching, etc.). Once again, there’s a lot to learn!

As you can see, these lists can be used in any field. It’s simply up to you to make sure they don’t have the opposite effect. In other words, they make your life more difficult, rather than helping you to be more organized!

There’s a lot to be said for to-do lists and, above all, how to manage them cleanly and efficiently as part of a personal organization system. But that would be far too much for one article!

What’s your opinion on the subject? What tips do you have? What lessons/advice do you draw from your experiences?