Are Your To-Do Lists NOT Working? Here’s Why

Time and again, I have talked about how essential to-do lists are for productivity. I know many people who start using to-do lists but do not know how to use them efficiently and end up failing with the lists. They then stop using the lists. While lists might not be for everyone, knowing how to use them correctly is important before giving up.

Here are some of the reasons why to-do lists might not be working for you.

1. You are putting too many things on your to-do list

This is one of the most common traps when you make a to-do list. You have to be realistic about how much work you can complete in a day. Although it is tempting to aim higher and try to achieve more on paper, it becomes counterproductive more often than not. Having too many things on the list can also be intimidating, and if you fail to achieve them all, it can quickly turn into disappointment.

2. You are not categorizing your tasks properly

When a task goes on the to-do list, it has equal importance to the other tasks, which is why it must be categorized suitably. For example, if buying apples from the supermarket and doing art homework is on your list, then you have not successfully broken the tasks down. Buying apples is one singular task which cannot be broken down further whereas the art homework can have several parts to it like researching the topic, writing down a draft, proofreading, etc.

The tasks going on the list should be simple and not ambiguous or containing several subtasks. All the tasks should be broken down and planned correctly before going on the list.

3. You are using the to-do list as a standalone tool

This is another popular trap of the to-do list. A to-do list is generally a tool you use to measure the productivity of a day. The problem arises when you make the to-do list on the morning of the day; it leads to haphazard and poorly designed lists. Your tasks should be set for the month which you can break down into weeks and then days.

Which is why I advise working on the lists in the night so that you can pay more attention and add new tasks that need to be done in addition to your goals. The activities you are doing every day should match your eventual goal. The to-do list is not supposed to make sure you are being productive and moving in the right direction; it is supposed to make sure you complete the tasks which were set out for that particular day.

4. You are mixing tasks from different goals in the same list

If you have tasks concerning your house chores and work mixed together in one to-do list, you might look at them equally and hence tend to procrastinate on some of them. It is a great technique to segregate tasks into different to-do lists and make sure all the tasks in one to-do list contributes towards one specific goal.

For example, you can have a separate list for ‘Daily Chores,’ ‘Work,’ ‘Books I want to read,’ ‘Skills I want to learn’ etc. Organizing your lists in such a manner gives you a more unobstructed view of the overall progress.

5. You are not considering the breaks, interruptions, and other obstacles

You need to be smart when you construct your to-do lists. We tend to not consider the time we spend on things that we didn’t or couldn’t predict on that particular day. Also, we don’t take into account our daily routine while making these lists. You need to consider the breaks you take, your commute, your other commitments, etc.

6. You blame the idea of a to-do list when you fail to complete it

There might be a variety of reasons including the ones mentioned above for why you failed to complete your to-do list, and it might not be lack of effort. You might need to think about the ways you can change your planning and scheduling or even the number of tasks to be completed on a daily basis before concluding that ‘to-do lists are just not for me.’ You need to start looking at to-do lists as a part of a bigger process of productivity. Also, make sure your lists match how you work as there is no one technique that works for everyone.

If these things can justify why you haven’t been getting success with to-do lists, then you might want to reconsider your approach. I have an article on tackling your to-do lists on a daily basis. This can help you begin using to-do lists in a better way. The main thing to remember is that a to-do list is just a tool to help with your productivity; it doesn’t matter if you have fewer things on the list. The point is to complete all that you have to. That is how you get productive with the list.