Write Better To-Do Lists And Everything Will Change

Can we make your to-do list sound like Brad Pitt invites you to a boat party?

Let me ask you this:

How does your to-do list make you feel?

Does it make you feel excited? Super-charged for action? Happy, curious, and impatient?

Or is it just blah?

My to-do list was blah.

Why am I even a solopreneur if I’m going to spend my days feeling blah?

It doesn’t make sense. If you’re going to feel blah, you should at least get a paycheck for it.

But my list read something like this:

1. Write two Medium articles.
2. Write 7 Twitter posts. One long form.
3. Write a LinkedIn post.
4. Finish a client’s project.
5. Write a newsletter.

Excited yet?

Most people assume the problem is the tasks on the list.

So they change jobs or niches.

But work will always be work. Even if you love what you do, there will be days when you hate it.

(Yes, I know they promised you that if you work what you love, you won’t work a day in your life. They lied.)

So, if we don’t change the tasks, can we do anything with this to-do list to make it sound like an invitation to a boat party by Brad Pitt?

Turns out we can.

Write smaller tasks & add some fun.

Your brain hates to feel confused.

Here’s a research that proves it, or you can take my word for it. Lack of clarity & specificity confuse the brain. This translates to overwhelm, which translates to inconsistent and ineffective attempts at writing online.

Here’s an idea: what if we break each task down to its components?

1. Find 5 ideas for Medium articles.
2. Choose one.
3. Summarize it with bullet points.
4. Write a couple of short paragraphs for each bullet point.
5. Tie it all together.
6. Write 10 ideas for a powerful headline.

Feel a little better, don’t you? How about if we start like this:

1. Steal 5 awesome ideas from your favorite influencers (you’ll soon be like them!)
2. Have a cup of coffee and stretch a little.
3. Go through the ideas again and choose your favorite. You have such good taste.

You think this is going to take more time, don’t you?

Both in writing the to-do list and in doing the tasks. Right?

I write my lists the night before. I feel whimsical and excited. Maybe the next day will be the day I go viral and get a book deal? Who knows?

And the tasks? The tasks take the same time. I’ve done the legwork. And it makes sense; it’s the same task. Unless you want to rush through it, you still have to do all this to write one (good) article.

The main difference is that the result is much better.

It’s better because you dive deeper, and you have fun doing it.

But that’s just one of the awesome benefits of small-task, fun to-do lists.

The productivity hormone.

Crossing things off a list feels good.

Mathew McGounaghey says he writes to-do lists with 50+ tasks, and half of them are pure fun. Says it makes him feel productive — and it’s not just him. Crossing a task off a list gives us a hit of dopamine, which is linked to productivity (among other things).

Smaller tasks, more crossing.

Small tasks make you feel more confident.

How do you feel when you manage to do what you said you were going to do?

Pretty good, right? Nick Wignal says one of the habits that make you feel less confident is when you make a promise to yourself that you know you can’t keep.

So why destroy your confidence with big tasks you know you can’t complete?

You’ll manage your time much better.

For two reasons.

One, as a creator, you need time to do nothing. Put it on the list and factor it in. Daydream. Think of the big picture. Journal. Stare out the window. Whatever. There’s a reason the best ideas come in the shower.

Two, most people put too many tasks on their to-do lists. Even though they don’t complete them, they keep putting them there.

With small-task lists, you’ll know exactly what you’re able to do in a day and plan accordingly.

Protect your mental health.

Chunking down gives you a sense of control.

If there are just two things on my to-do list, I feel like I’m slacking off.

But imagine these things are:

1. Medium articles
2. Work on a client’s project

The first task includes the idea generation, research, writing, and editing of 2 Medium articles.

My client’s project includes writing 3 social media ads, a landing page, a thank you page and 5 follow-up e-mails.

I feel overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. When you’re realistic about what you can do, everything feels easier.

Final task.

Relax.

Sometimes relaxation comes as a natural post-work routine. Sometimes, it doesn’t. You just move from one set of tasks to the next.

Before you make the move, relax.

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