Why Having a Daily To-Do List Matters

(Photo : Why Having a Daily To-Do List Matters)

In any line of business it's important to stay organized, and with the rise of remote work we are constantly shifting our priorities and taking on new tasks. When we have a ton of work on our plate and no way to delegate or keep track of what we need to get done, we can get lost, overwhelmed and stressed to the point where we might be doing sub-par work. One of the ways you can get around this is by keeping a daily to-do list! Keeping lists helps us prioritize the most important tasks while staying on track with everything else we might need to take care of. This is also a great way to delegate and organize your time to make sure that you get the most important items out of the way first, before you become drowned in busy work throughout the day. In an environment where many of us are taking on multiple roles at our jobs, it's important to keep things as organized and orderly as possible. Let's look at a few of the reasons why keeping a daily to-do list can keep you organized and calm about the work you need to tackle. 

It Helps Keep Us Accountable and See Things Clearly 

One of the skills we all need to develop at our jobs is self accountability. You are the only thing keeping you on task to complete your work and be a supportive member of the team. Daily lists that keep us in line with our workload are a great way to do this. "Keeping a to-do list helps create accountability for yourself to get things done. Of course, it matters to get necessary work done for your job, but your supervisors and co-workers aren't responsible for reminding you of your duties. We all need to be accountable for our own tasks and priorities," said Ben Teicher, President and CEO of Healthy Directions

Staying accountable for your own work can also help you collaborate with your coworkers more realistically. This can help you be more honest about the time you have to help other coworkers or deal with last minute issues. "In the age of remote work, it becomes very easy to prioritize last-minute tasks by coworkers, take on additional and unforeseen work, and feel overwhelmed by the seemingly never-ending work," said Amanda E. Johnson, CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of Nailboo. "However, creating a simple, daily to-do list can help. Specifically, start your day with writing down the 10 most important tasks on a piece of paper. They should only be the most important tasks, and--if another one comes up during the course of the day-- delegate it elsewhere. Once one of the tasks is done, strike it off with a pen. This simple yet effective strategy will allow you to prioritize, delegate when necessary, and feel empowered by your own productivity."

To-do lists can also help us realize when two different tasks can be grouped together. "Sometimes, we can get so busy that certain tasks seem to bleed into other ones. Keeping lists can help you group similar tasks together, saving you time in the long run by tackling them both at once." said Adam Reed, CEO of Crown and Paw.  

Keeps Your Priorities in Check 

No matter what happens during our days or what new tasks pop up, we are still responsible for our own workload and priorities. To-do lists can help us keep our top priorities at the top of the list, making sure we get them done first. "With so many external tools such as slack and work management applications running the day to day operations at our business, it can be easy to get lost in the fog and lose track of your own work priorities. Keeping a personal to-do list helps keep yourself organized and in a workflow that assures you take care of your most important tasks," said Derin Oyekan, Co-founder of Reel. Of course, from time to time we are all going to be late on a deadline or miss a step in a project. Lists are a great way to prevent those things ahead of time! Jordan Nathan, Founder and CEO of Caraway said, "Knowing your deadlines and how your time needs to be organized is important for both your personal work in addition to making time for other things. When we know what's coming ahead, we have a better idea of what to reschedule and move around to meet those deadlines." 

However, make sure you keep your list separate from your calendar. "Too much information in one place can make your records cluttered and disorganized," said Lauren Singer of Package Free Shop. "Keep a separate notebook for your task delegation, and keep track of your daily meetings in a calendar." 

Relieve Stress and Put Things in Perspective

When we get overwhelmed with tasks, it can get stressful extremely quickly. Seeing your work in front of you helps put the time and work you need to put into perspective. "Making a list of your tasks can help relieve stress if you're feeling overwhelmed by what you need to get done. Sometimes seeing your work in an organized list gives us a better idea of how we can delineate our time appropriately for each task so we don't get too overwhelmed," said Lisa Odenweller, CEO and Founder of Kroma Wellness. Having a more solid schedule and understanding of your time allows you to feel more confident in your decision making which will lead to a more productive schedule! "Keeping a daily to-do list matters because it can help you feel grounded throughout the day," said Raul Porto, Owner and President of Porto's Bakery. "Even if you stray from your list, it keeps a record of what needs to get done and what has gotten done, keeping you on track even if you have to shift priorities around." 

Seeing things in a quantified list will also help you decide what can wait, and what needs to be taken care of now. Sometimes, we don't even know what our priorities are until we see them in front of us!" said Kat Nouri of Stasher. "This is where lists can not only help us organize our time but actually decide what our priorities should be." 

Good For Delegation

To-do lists are awesome for delegating tasks to team members or employees. "As a business leader, you will likely need to delegate some of your work to other team members. Having a list of your most important work will help you determine where you can delegate certain things and to whom," said Craig Carter, President & CEO of Jack Mason. This can help both you and your team learn what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to particular tasks. "If you get into the habit of keeping to-do lists, it will ultimately help you grow and learn to organize your time better the more you do it! You'll be able to look back and see how your organization and time management has improved, and maybe how it can continue to improve," said Ted Toledano, Founder of Modloft. Being able to look back on how you've solved problems and delegated tasks in the past is a great way to see how you've grown and can continue to grow!

It's also important to make sure you set a reasonable amount of work for yourself to do during the day. Taking on too much will have the opposite of the intended effect of keeping a to-do list every day. "Make sure to be realistic when making your daily to-do lists. Keeping yourself organized is great, but if you hold yourself accountable for more than you can accomplish, it will ultimately backfire and make you feel even more overwhelmed," said Kelli Lane, Chief Marketing Officer at Genexa.

Ultimately, keeping to-do lists helps us organize our time, work and helps us decide what our priorities and most important tasks are. There's nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed and drowned in a seemingly endless pool of work, and there's no reason to work like that! Keep a daily to-do list to make sure you stay on top of your most important tasks, keep the stress at bay and do your absolute best work every day!