Are you looking for a way to keep track of… everything? Do you feel like your mind is bursting to capacity trying to remember everything you have to do in the different realms of your life? Between home, work, family, friends, shopping, cooking, cleaning, side hustles, creative projects, self-improvement, and every other goal you have, keeping track of everything you need to do and want to do can seem overwhelming.
If you’re trying just to remember all the things you need to do or buy, or if your reminders and lists are scattered in random places, creating a master to do list could be the first step to getting your life organized.
A master to do list is a central repository where you can store all your tasks in one place so that you don’t have to go through various notebooks and apps every time you want to check something off your list. This post will explain what a master task list is and why it’s so useful for anyone who struggles with organizing their daily or weekly activities, and how it can help clear your mind to get things done.
The best to do list is the one you actually use.
There is a seemingly endless number of systems, apps, and planners that all claim to be the one to get your organized, focused, and more productive. Organizing “systems” include bullet journaling or the Getting Things Done method. There are a huge number of to-do list apps available at a variety of price points. Ultimately, the best to do list app is the one you actually use and can stick with.
The first step to finding the right method for you is to understand how your own mind likes to work and stay organized. Click here to read more about the best apps for different organizational styles.
Notebook or smartphone? Choose whatever you’ll always have with you.
Interestingly but unsurprisingly, around New Year’s every year, there is a huge spike in the number of people who search online for the best planner, a cute to do list, a pretty to do list, cute to do list ideas, and other things related to to-do list aesthetics. E-commerce companies have capitalized on the clear interest in attractive to do lists by selling aesthetically attractive planners, notebooks, and to do list templates. Thousands, perhaps millions, of people buy a planner every year on their resolution to become more organized and productive. Within days or weeks though, the beautiful planners and cute to do lists are often discarded or forgotten at the bottom of a drawer.
If you are serious about getting organized and productive, don’t make the mistake of trying to change too many habits at once, or trying to change your behavior too much. When considering what to do list will work best for you, consider first what it is that you already always have with you. If you are already in the habit of keeping a notebook and pen with you wherever you go, that will likely be the best medium for your new to do list. On the other hand, if you are not already in the habit of carrying a physical notebook with you, then getting a physical planner is likely setting you up for failure because you are not already in the habit of remembering to take it with you. If, like most people, you don’t go anywhere without your phone or mobile device, that is likely to be the best place for your new to do list.
Set clear boundaries about what you will and will not include in your master to do list.
One of the most common reasons that people stop using to do lists or planners is that they fail to keep the list or planner up-to-date with respect to the projects they started using the list or planner for, and so the list or planner becomes irrelevant. The way to avoid this common pitfall is to set clear boundaries from the outset about what you will and will not include in your master to do list, and to be diligent about it.
If you want to start keeping a running shopping list, then be sure to include everything you need to buy, regardless of where you’ll need to buy it. If you want to use your list to track a specific project, include every task related to that project. Be broad at first, to better ensure that you can capture everything.
Pour everything from your brain into your list.
Use your master to do list to organize all of your tasks in a single place so that you don’t have to go through different notebooks and apps every time you want to check something off your list. It will also help reduce stress by allowing yourself to be reassured that you won’t forget about anything. To begin, start by dumping absolutely everything you want to remember into your list, no matter how small or tedious. Again, don’t be afraid to be broad so you can be sure that you’ve captured everything in at least some form (e.g., “Respond to all work emails” or “Finish website”).
Find a method for prioritizing that works for you.
Once you’ve created your master to do list, the next step to improve your productivity is to find a way of prioritizing. If you’re using a physical list or journal, this might involve color-coded highlighting, with each color denoting a different level of urgency or importance (e.g., orange means “Do now!”, yellow means “Do these after orange tasks are complete”, and non-highlighted may mean not urgent or important). Another idea is to create a system of numbers or symbols (e.g., asterisks, exclamation points, etc.) to use next to each task to denote urgency or importance. If your to do list is digital, on your mobile device or computer, there is likely a built-in way to prioritize items with categories, color-coding, or organization.
If you’ve tried and failed with planners, sophisticated workflow apps, bullet journaling, or other organizing “systems,” get On Top.
On Top is a master to do list app for iPhone and Android that includes just one master list. Users can quickly and easily prioritize items by swiping right on the item. Swiping right sends that item to the top of the list, where it will stay and be highlighted as a “priority” item. Swiping left will remove the “priority” highlighting and send tasks to the bottom of the list. Users can also rearrange their list by holding and dragging each item into a different order. There is no monthly or subscription fee, no ads, and On Top does not collect any user data.