Does Making a To-Do List Help You To Be More Productive?

I used to think about what exactly do people put in their planners and bullet journals; who has so much work to do? Who has so many tasks to do in a day?

Then I started forgetting my daily tasks. I used to realise that I didn't get anything done during the day when I would sit to check things off my habit tracker at the bedtime. Yes, my habit tracker includes the things that I need to do each day like working on my books, making an Instagram post, etc.

So, I picked a notebook and started noting down my every small or big tasks that were to be done throughout the day and guess what? I ended up filling half a page of A5 notebook with the list divided into two columns. I even included tasks like eating fruits and staying hydrated in it. Believe me, I can remember doing even the smallest tasks related to writing/work but I forget to take care of myself. From morning pages to making IG post at night, I listed it all on my to-do list. Every single task I could think of doing in a day was on the list.

Did it make me more productive?
Yes, it made me significantly productive. I became better at remembering tasks and procrastinating lesser. It made me clear out my schedule for tasks that required more concentration, time, and focus. Some tasks could be done even during the chunks of time we get between other things/chores.


Let's see how making and sticking to a to-do list help you to be more productive.

1. Helps You Remember Your Tasks and Prioritise
When you have a lot on your plate, it's hard to remember things that need to be done and require your time and attention. Seeing things on paper declutters your mind and you can make out which tasks need your immediate attention, which can be broken into smaller tasks, and which can be put off to do later or some other day.

2. Helps You To Be More Responsible
When you see tasks on a paper/screen, it makes you feel more responsible to do them. It's easier to track your progress and you won't really want to keep migrating unfinished tasks to the next day.

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3. Helps You Manage Tough Tasks
A to-do list helps you to break bigger, time-consuming tasks into smaller chunks and create a system to get more done in lesser time. It's better to do an exhausting task in instalments than stressing the hell out of yourself in one shift.

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4. Helps You To Coordinate Similar Tasks
Suppose you have to run errands and also pick your kids from school, a to-do list reminds you to get your job done on the way back from school. You won't have to make an extra trip to buy things. It kind of makes a mind-map of tasks that you need to do without wasting extra time.

5. Better Time Management
If you add time-slots to particular tasks on a to-do list, you get even more productive and your chances of getting those tasks done increases while managing to make out time for your family and other things. It helps you to schedule and fit your tasks well in your day rather than stressing over pending tasks during the bedtime.

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6. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
The pending tasks cause such stress even if it takes two minutes to do them. For example, I keep procrastinating on replying comments and DMs because it looks like a daunting task at times, especially if it has criticism or misinterpretation of my posts on Instagram. It keeps stressing me out and they keep piling up, but when I really sit down to reply all, it hardly takes 5-10 minutes.
You see, I stay stressed the whole day for a task that takes minutes. When it's on my to-do list, it somehow becomes a duty and I get it done without stressing much.

7. Gives A Sense Of Being Productive
Okay, this is my favourite. Ticking off each task from your to-do list gives such a sense of being productive, even if you tick off a task that took you five minutes to finish.
Having a productive day makes me happy mentally and emotionally, and seeing most of the tasks done from the list at the end of the day makes the day worth all the hard work.

If you too love making to-do lists, let me know in the comments below about how it's serving you. It definitely makes me want to get more done than I do without a to-do list.

Here are some other posts that you may like:

Gratitude Journaling: The One Habit That Changed My Life

11 Ways To Feel Good During Quarantine Without The Burden Of Being Productive

And check out this, if you wish to download my Letters To God workbook/prompts