What do you put on a todo list

One of the most important reasons you should use a to do list is that it will help you stay organised. When you write all your tasks in a list, they seem more manageable. When you’ve got a clear outline of the tasks you’ve got to do and those you’ve completed, it helps you stay focused.

That means a good daily to-do list for an average productive person has between 6-12 tasks on it. Again, to-do lists are a highly individual thing. Many swear by having only 3 tasks on their list every day (obviously larger tasks) and others do best by having very long and detailed lists.

Well, by ignoring complex tasks, you’re ultimately setting yourself up for failure and disappointment — and what’s worse, you’re destroying your self-image. “It’s reinforcing the self-image of someone who doesn’t do what they say they’re going to do — and that’s horrible,” Eyal adds.

Under the 1-3-5 rule, every day you write down nine items to accomplish before the day is over: one big thing, three medium things, and five small things.

Limit Yourself to 3–5 Tasks Daily

For most people, I recommend starting out by limiting yourself to three to five tasks per day. It might not sound like a lot, but if you focus on writing down the three most important things you need to do today, you might find that’s already a lot to get through.

They get so overwhelmed just by looking at all the things they need to do. They don’t know how to prioritize the items on list. They feel that they are continuously adding to their list but not reducing it. There’s a sense of confusion seeing home tasks mixed with work tasks.

They don‘t use to-do lists.

All those undone items lead to stress and insomnia because of the Zeigarnik effect, which, in essence, means that uncompleted tasks will stay on your mind until you finish them. Highly productive people put everything on their calendar and then work and live by that calendar.