The to-do list is often the foundation of a productivity system. From a paper checklist to an app that sends reminders, it’s a flexible workhorse. But it can also open the door to misuse or mistakes.
“I see a lot of people making their to-do list from their email inbox or doing it based on shame or guilt,” says Rebecca Arnold, author of The Rooted Renegade: Transform Within, Disrupt the Status Quo & Unleash Your Legacy. “For example, ‘I owe this person this.’ Basing a list on guilt happens for a lot of us because we haven’t figured out systems that really work, and we get into a very reactive posture.”
Another common to-do mistake is creating a list in a scattershot way, based on whatever pops in your head.
“Those lists often include things we’re not usually deeply passionate about and that aren’t connected to bigger goals,” says Arnold, who coaches faculty at Harvard University on leadership and productivity topics. “They are ‘other focused’ instead of focused on the impact we want to make.”
Some people don’t have a list at all because it’s way too overwhelming, says Arnold. If you rethink the to-do list, however, it’s possible to avoid mistakes and leverage its power.
Energy-focused to-do lists
The first step is to do a brain dump, writing down everything that’s on your plate at a given moment. Getting it from your brain to paper or an app helps you gain a more objective perspective so you can tackle items in a more strategic way.
Make sure your tasks are narrow so you can feel successful when you cross things off. For example, a narrow task might be organizing the outline for the deck of a presentation instead of creating the whole presentation.
Once you have your list, consider the amount of energy and focus you need to complete each task, assigning each to one of three energy buckets that Arnold calls “rock star,” “so-so,” and “blah.”
“Rock star” is the state when you’re at your peak and able to concentrate without too great of a struggle. Put tasks into this bucket that require you to be super focused. You might be writing an important proposal or creating strategies for the upcoming quarter or year. “Rock star” is when you’ll likely get into flow state, says Arnold.
The “so-so” state is when you can get some things done, but you’re not in a “rock star” zone. Some thinking is needed, but tasks are more routine. For example, this could be a good time to collect research for a project or create a diagram or graph for a presentation.
Your “blah” level is usually the mid-afternoon slump. This is when you take care of administrative tasks. Arnold says this is a good time to check email and other tasks that require little mental energy.
“At the beginning of a work block, ask yourself, ‘Where’s my energy at right now?’” says Arnold. “Then you’ll know exactly what to tackle based on that. You don’t lose a lot of time thinking, ‘What should I work on?’ It’s all there, but it requires that you check in with yourself first.”
To-do list mistakes
One of the risks of using a traditional to-do list instead of an energy-based list is defaulting to the easy tasks first. In fact, Arnold says a lot of us are spend our time doing things that should be on our “so-so” and “blah” lists. If you’re in a peak productivity state, though, you’re wasting your energy.
“You think, ‘I want to feel successful, so I’m going to do a bunch of small tasks that feed my dopamine,’” says Arnold. “But once you get into the after-lunch slump, you realize you aren’t making progress on any of your big tasks or big goals.”
Energy-based to-do lists work well when you pair them with time-blocking, says Arnold. “Know when your optimal work blocks are and build your calendar around those if you have control over your calendar,” she says. “Most people have more control than they think they do.”
Fighting interruptions
It’s also important to eliminate distractions. “With the push of things like Slack and email and alerts, it can be really challenging to not be in a reactive state all the time,” says Arnold. “For my faculty clients who know they have to produce, the pressure builds when they’re not making progress on the big projects. They don’t make headway until they start being more intentional about some of these practices.”
If you work according to energy, Arnold says you’ll have more time for family, friends, and hobbies. “You’ll feel more satisfied about your work and have less overwhelm,” she says. “You’ll feel like you’re on top of things and have more control. … With a system where you can decide what’s most aligned for you [in the moment], you can start to have more control and feel more successful when you make progress.”