How to Make Your Todo List a “Menu of Productivity”
You are what you eat. We all know this truism.
But how about: You are what you do.
One could say that your todo list is your “menu of life.” It determines what you do and thus what you become.
The Todo List as a Menu
One of the biggest issues people have in being productive is that they do not know what they should be doing.
Those who jump on whatever task happens to come their way, often find at the end of the day that they did not accomplish what they intended. They may get the urgent done, but not the important.
Part of the issue is they don’t have a good list of their tasks. One technique is to look at your todo list as a “menu” of what you should be doing throughout the day.
Lists can be a powerful aid in the struggle to keep track of what to do. Some people love lists. Others hate them.
Either way, lists are powerful. They help us in many ways:
- Driving accountability – Whether a project plan, technical procedure, or just a simple todo list, lists help ensure that all things are completed.
- Ensuring things are not overlooked – When doing complex tasks, lists ensure that steps are not forgotten or skipped.
- Allowing you to concentrate on the task at hand – Lists allow you to concentrate on your work instead of trying to remembering all of the other things you need to do.
- Enabling repeatability – Lists can help us perform repeat tasks with little or no effort. A travel packlist is a great example of this. If you have one, you can pack quickly and not forget items. If you do not, you probably find yourself wondering why you don’t have toothpaste while on your business trip.
Of course, just having a list is not enough to make sure you are doing what you should be. It is what is on the list that’s important.




