A To Do List to Organize Your Tasks

A To Do List is an essential time management form for busy people who want to get things done. Download and prioritize your tasks on this time management worksheet and take control and boost productivity.

Do you need a to do list?

Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed?

Are you facing a number of deadlines?

Or have you simply forgotten something that you were supposed to do?

If so, then creating a task list could be beneficial for you.

A To Do list has stood the test of time

A to do list has stood the test of time because it is a simple and effective time management technique.

In the early 1900's, Ivy Lee, a management consultant, visited Charles Schwab, then president of Bethlehem Steel Company.

Ivy asked, "if I could increase the productivity of your managers by at least 20 percent, what would it be worth to you?"

Schwab said he didn't know but it would be definitely worth alot.

Ivy Lee then taught Schwab a time management skill that took 10 minutes to learn and increased productivity by at least 20 percent.

Lee didn't want to be paid upfront...Schwab could decide for himself and send a check later.

Schwab agreed.

Lee said that you should first make a list of all tasks that you have to do. At the start of the day select your most important items and start working on them.

Once you have finished the most important, move onto the second most important and so forth.

If a new task comes up during the day, keep working on the current task unless the new task is more important. If it is not more important then simply add it to your list of things to do.

Schwab taught this technique to his staff. After one month Schwab was so impressed that he sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000.

Not bad for one day's work!

Download your To Do list?

A prioritized task list is essential for people who want to manage their time in an effective way.

It does this by helping you to:

• remember tasks that have to be done
• organize tasks based on their priority
• estimate and allocate time for each task
• work towards your established goals

Download your free to do list and take the first step to significant productivity gains.

Instructions for your To Do list

The first row is the task to be completed.

The second row of the to do list is an estimate of the time for completion. This is an important part of a task list as it helps you to schedule the task into your timetable.

In the third column is a priority of the tasks. A common method is to use the ABC method of priority, in which the important tasks are denoted with an A, medium importance is denoted B, and C is for all the non-important tasks.

However, what are the important tasks?

To prioritize your tasks ask yourself the following questions:

• What tasks will help me reach my long-term goals. I write more about this in setting your personalized goal setting plan.
• What has the most bang for buck? In other words what will give you your greatest return on investment?
• What will happen if I don’t do it?
• Which project/task yields the greatest benefit to my company?
• What tasks are flowing over from yesterday? If you rarely get through your task list it may be worthwhile to track your time with a time management log. A time management log can help you to identify any possible time management problems that may be impacting you.
• Do I need the help of other people? I talk more about the benefits of delegation and how delegation is one of those time management techniques that are often talked about but rarely put into practice.
• Is the task important to others that I care about?

How to Improve your To Do list A common problem in setting a task list is that the lists are either not specific enough or there are too many things on them. Make your tasks as specific as possible. The more specific the more likely you will tick it off in the fourth column. This may seem a bit silly but ticking a completed task does wonders to your confidence and motivation. Try to be realistic and specific in your tasks because incomplete tasks lead to a loss of confidence and aren't good for your stress relief!




How a task list fits into your overall productivity plan

In an ideal world your daily task list is comprised of all the actions for that day that fulfill your long term goals.

However, life happens and sometimes we need to abandon the task list to get things done.

A good time management skill is to draw up a weekly plan. Whether you download this weekly plan or put one into your personal organizer, a weekly plan gives you a helicopter view of the week.

A big benefit for me is that I find a weekly plan is a natural way for me to schedule my time. I talk more about the benefits of a time management schedule and how you can take advantage of your energy levels and work smarter rather than harder throughout the day.

Your weekly plan funnels down into a daily plan - which is your to do list!

Related Time Management Articles

Time Management Forms Get Things Done with these Time Management Forms

Time Management Worksheet Time Management Worksheets and Templates




More time management articles




Time Management Systems: Three Popular Time Management Systems are Road Tested

Time Management Quotes: Inspirational Time Management Quotes

Time Management Strategies: New Time Management Strategies to Boost Your Time Management Skills






Click here to return from To Do list to effective time management

Click here to return to the time management homepage