Why Your To-Do List Should Fit On A Post-It Note

How many tasks are on your to-do list today? 

Try this, if the number is too great to fit on the front of a Post-It Note, then I propose there are too many.

Don’t believe me? Review your daily tasks over the past week. How many did you complete on average each day?

Also consider the quality level of each task. How high does each rank in the big picture scheme of things you need to do?

To make any real headway, we must plan our work around what matters.

A simplified to-do list can give you all the focus and direction you need on any given day.

Yet the issue with most daily to-do lists is that they’re too long. Too much task for time and not enough emphasis on the priorities. Plus, too much temptation to head straight for the easy tasks with low-level pay-off.

Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It may sound counterintuitive, but I recommend no more than three to six tasks a day. Yes, about the size of a 3in X 3in Post-It Note. *If you limit your list between one and three tasks, even better.

Don’t get hung up on the number. Tasks of greater importance often take longer and involve more effort. Tasks such as thinking, researching, planning, creating and problem-solving warrant more of our time.

Remember we don’t need to do twenty things a day to be ‘productive’. Aim instead for quality over quantity.

After all, wouldn’t you agree that one earth-moving achievement is worth more than twenty menial victories?

Here’s how fitting your daily tasks on a Post-It Note can help:

You’ll maintain focus on the priorities. Constraints help us prioritise. Think how productive we are the day before we leave for holiday. Or when we’re working to deadline.

Isn’t it funny how those crucial chores get done to the exclusion of all else? When we’re down to the wire we’re forced to take care of the important stuff. Everything else gets placed on hold to work on later, if at all.

Apply this to the physical confines of what you can write on the 3in X 3in Post-It. If you were leaving for holiday tomorrow, what would be on that list for today?

You’ll simplify the overwhelm. A long list can be defeating before we even begin. Our day’s work will feel insurmountable. Plus, too much choice can be distracting as we dart about the list trying to decide what to do next.

A short list in isolation is kinder on the eyes and brain. When we’re no longer distracted by everything else our day’s activities feel measured and doable.

You’ll make real progress. Busywork can give us a false sense of productivity. Yet our confidence can take a hit if we’re not moving the mark forward.

Commit to working on a first things first basis. You’ll give your productivity a boost, advance your important projects and increase confidence. It’s easier to stay on top of your game when you’re taking regular action on what matters.

If priorities shift during the day, roll with the punches and amend as necessary.

And if you get through your short list? Either choose another or celebrate victory with a well-earned break.

The tasks that matter most are the only ones that should be on your to-do list today. And remember, only what fits on a Post-It should make the cut.