If you’re like me you’ll have too many things to do, at least too many to remember.

To-do lists are used by some of the most productive people on the plant, notably Sir Richard Branson and Lord Sugar.

Here are my top tips for making your to-do list simple, easy and most importantly, effective.

Top Tip 1: Only have 1 List

There are for and against arguments for having one list, which is what I prefer.

The advantage of multiple lists is, the items can be categorised under different sections, such as family, health, career, business etc.

However, the reason I’m not keen on this, is it isn’t simple.

With one list, all your items are in one place and less likely to get lost. Plus, you can see everything you have to accomplish.

Top Tip 2: Keep it Short

The more items I have on my list the more overwhelmed I feel and the less productive I become.

I find anything over 10 and I begin to feel the weight of what needs to be done. Once I become stressed, my productivity drops through the floor until I find something other than work to do. Which results in me feeling like I’ve wasted my time.

When my list becomes too long which it regularly does, I remove the items that are least important. Or I start and complete tasks that I know will not take me too long.

Top Tip 3: Complete the Important Tasks First

I know this sounds contradictory to what I previously said – complete the important tasks first. I only start the least important items when my list becomes too long and I believe I can complete them while investing less time.

When your list is short and you have no items that are priority, always work on your most important tasks. The reason being, these are the items that will force you to grow and ultimately, improve your lifestyle.

When my motivation is at its lowest I find it hard to work on important tasks as they usually require me to think, which is difficult. These are the moments that count – when you don’t want to but you still work- those are the days that will decide your future.

Summary

Having a to-do list work for you more done to how you prefer to work than following a set of proven systems. What may work for me, may not work for you.

I will always prefer the simple approach over the complicated – life is simple it is us, humans, who over complicate it.

To recap my 3 top tips are;

• Only have 1 list
• Keep it short
• Complete the important tasks first

Thank you again for reading, I hope you received value which may help you to design your own life. What’s more I hope you journaled the value the value you took so you can’t forget. Remember – you can’t trust your memory.

Have a great day and I’ll see you in a couple of days

Joe