Four reasons you should have a to-do list

Every one of us has a list of things to do on a daily basis; whether working from home or an office. Or whether working a 9-5, running a business, or studying.

Also, whether it’s a workday, holiday, vacation, there’s still a list of things each one of us has to get done. It’s, therefore, safe to say that lists are a constant part of our daily lives irrespective of age, location, gender, social class, and profession.

So how can we better manage our time to get the tasks we have to do completed? Frankly, this can be accomplished by principles like discipline, and consistency.

In this article, we’ll be zooming in and focusing on to-do lists which are both a tool for discipline and consistency, and why they can help with organizing our daily activities.

It’s noteworthy that to-do lists can be traditional (using paper) or digital (using apps on electronic devices).

Some people prefer using apps while others confess that apps distract them which is why they prefer using traditional tools like; notepads, paperback planners, sticky notes etc.

To-Do Lists Keep Us Accountable

It’s very easy to skip daily tasks we have previously set to attend to in the business of the day. Social media and other unproductive activities have a way of sneaking up on us so that the tasks we’ve previously intended to achieve remain untouched.

To-do lists help us stay accountable to ourselves. This is because having written down the tasks to be done in one place, we are constantly conscious of a list of things we have to attend to.

Consequently, by staying accountable to the list of tasks before us, we will most likely have a productive day.

To-Do Lists Make Us Feel Good

There’s a feel-good sensation that comes with crossing off tasks from a person’s to-do list. This crossing out of tasks on one’s list releases dopamine into the brain. This causes us to feel good and happy. A publication indicates that people actually argue that this feeling can also become addictive.

But this isn’t all the advantage there is to it. Crossing off tasks gives us a sense of accomplishment. These lists also help us put down our tasks in one place taking off stress from us.

By writing down daily tasks in your to-do lists, you’ll be taking off the stress of having to keep track or remember the various tasks during the day. You’ll agree that sometimes we waste time trying to remember some undone tasks in the middle of the day. This unproductiveness can be rectified with to-do lists.

To-Do Lists Can Help Prioritize Tasks

Writing down your daily tasks in one place can help you see them clearly. When you have written down a list of tasks for the day, you might be doing yourself a great service more than you may think. Having your list down, you may be able to identify priority tasks from unimportant ones.

By prioritizing tasks, you’ll be able to attend to important ones first before the not-so-important ones.

To-Do Lists Help Us Achieve Long-Term Goals

Big goals usually take time and crossing out smaller goals to achieve. Some examples of long-term goals include; getting a new apartment, learning to drive, relocating abroad, etc.

Making a habit of using to-do lists will help you stay consistent with the small goals or tasks which add up and lead to the bigger goals. For instance; to get a new apartment, you’ll have to cross out smaller tasks like; saving towards rent, researching apartments in the location of choice, getting a real estate agent, inspecting apartments etc.

By paying attention to your to-do lists, you’ll be sure to achieve the bigger goals you have mapped out for yourself.

Having presented these few pros of to-do lists, it’s safe to assume you have been convinced through this article to pay more attention to your daily tasks. And becoming more deliberate in using to-do lists.

We would like to know your experience in using to-do lists. Do you prefer writing down your tasks on paper or would you rather use organization apps? If you prefer apps which would you recommend? All these can be shared in the comments.