How to develop a planner routine using to do lists and be more productive

To-do lists from Paperchase

Did you know that tasks become much easier to complete when you do them on a daily basis? This is because they become habits. Find out how to develop a planner routine using to do lists and be more productive ...

To do lists can end up being your worst enemy if you don't use them in a productive and sensible way. How many times have you written a list and then completely ignored or forgotten about the list? I do this ALL the time!

In this post we're going to look at ways to use to do lists in your planner in a more productive way.

Create daily habits to make tasks easier and get things done

I read an inspiring post on Linkedin about how much easier it is to complete tasks when you incorporate them into your daily routine so that they become a daily habit. 

It goes for all sorts of things in your life, like:

• writing a post for your blog
• establishing an exercise routine
• cleaning your kitchen sink before bed

When you do something everyday, it becomes second nature. 

The task becomes SO familiar that you can even do it without thinking. It becomes part of your everyday life, rather than something you have to plan, remember or find the time to fit it in.

A planner routine can help you pay attention to your to do lists on a regular basis. 

Why to do lists fail

I am a to do list addict. I can't help it. I just LOVE making pointless lists. They are pointless because I make them and then never look at them again.

It got to the point where creating to do lists was actually stressing me out. They were bringing attention to all of the things I knew I was never going to get done!

It didn't help that my lists were long and rambling, full of unnecessary tasks that were completely unrelated to each other, and just causing chaos in my head. 

I was basically creating a lot of pressure and expectation, and I was left feeling overwhelmed knowing that I had lists and lists of unfinished business.

Something had to change.

How to make lists work for you

If you're like me and you love making lists but you'd also like to reduce the stress you are causing yourself and find a way to turn your lists into a useful habit, you have to come up with a planner routine to make sure that you're paying attention to your to do lists.

1. Separate your hobby lists from your immediate goals

'Hobby lists' are those lists you make just for the sake of it. They are called brain-dump lists, and the purpose of them is to just get everything out of your head and onto paper.

Hobby lists could be:

• books you want to read
• films you want to watch
• things you want to buy
• things you want to do
• places you want to go
• projects you want to start

It's fine to make pointless lists, as long as you separate the important tasks on them, and don't put any pressure on yourself to achieve everything on your hobby lists. 

Look at them as a way to clear your mind so that you can stop thinking about all of the things you dream of doing, and work out which of them are achievable.

Good practice is to go back through hobby lists and pick out anything that is actionable right now. 

If you spot an achievable goal, then this could be something you break down into a short to do list of tasks that can be filtered into your day, week or month.

2. Group your to do lists

For some people it's helpful to group to do lists. This way it's easier to focus your mind on one area of your life at a time.

Here are some category ideas for your lists:

• Work goals/tasks lists
• Project lists
• Home goal/tasks lists
• Shopping lists
• Wish lists
• Bucket lists
• Fun lists
• Don't forget lists

3. Recognise the difference between a goal and a task

A common mistake is to have a list full of long term goals. This kind of list is never going to get ticked off! If you have a list that looks something like this, you'll drive yourself insane ...

• lose weight
• get rich
• get rid of junk
• eat healthy
• quit smoking

The problem with this to do list is that these are all long term goals that need their own lists of short-term tasks or actions. Without actionable tasks, you're not going to achieve anything – they help you to work out HOW you're going to achieve the long term goal.

For example, let's say you want to lose weight by eating healthy. Your to do list might look like this:

• research healthy recipes
• make a meal plan
• create a shopping list
• do a food shop
• complete meal prep
• track weight in a daily tracker

4. Establish a planner routine

It's very easy to make a list, file it away in your planner and forget it's there. But lists are only useful if you refer to them regularly, so you have to create a habit.

It's up to you what your planner routine looks like, but the most important things are:

1. Keep it simple and achievable
2. Be consistent
3. Enjoy the process

My planner routine is quite simple. Once a week I transfer goals and tasks from a master to do list over to a sticky note list that lives on my weekly spreads. Then I move tasks from there into my days throughout the week and tick them off when they are done. That's it! 

I hope these tips and insights will help you to be more productive with your to do lists and come up with your own planner routine. 

Let me know in the comments what your personal experiences are with making lists in your planner!

See you in the next post!

Loved and want more?

How to use a 'brain dump' or 'master' to do list in your planner routine

5 habits for highly over-ambitious planners (and dreamers)

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