Five Productivity Principles to Help You Cut Down On To-Do Lists

The to-do list is one of the most widely used productivity tactics. I had a to-do list of dozens of items for years. A to-do list was something I believed was essential when I first started researching productivity, and because everyone used them, we frequently assumed they were incredibly successful and helpful.

Note: This article is taken from the writer Darius Foroux, in which he talks to us about the harms of to-do lists and how to dispense with them.

But the fact that everyone does something does not necessarily mean that it is true. My to-do lists got out of control at some point, and I couldn't keep up with the items on my list or do them all, so I started looking for ways to organize these lists.

I once read an article in which 15 steps were provided on how to use a to-do list, which was ironic. You can probably build a rocket in 15 steps. I don't think there is a need to complicate personal productivity too much or  devise a 15-step system to implement something as simple as a to-do list. There is a better way to organize and rearrange your life. Since starting my blog, I've fielded dozens of inquiries about the use of task lists, so I thought I'd give my perspective in this article:

Success and efficiency of to-do lists:

I won't contest the fact that to-do lists can be effective and successful, and I won't further address the subject at this time. To-do lists have been used for hundreds of years, and it appears that Benjamin Franklin, the founding father of the United States, used them as well. In addition to the scientific evidence showing that writing down undone chores reduces the anxiety produced by them, individuals have been using to-do lists for hundreds of years.

I don't oppose writing things down. Indeed, I always write my diaries, but the problem with the to-do lists is that they often become bigger than our lives themselves; they contain things that we need more than one life to accomplish, and I would like to point out that I’m not talking here about the grocery lists in which we put what needs to be bought and foods; I also use these lists, but the idea here is that huge to-do lists, which contain many items, only complicate your work, so I don't use them at all during my daily routine.

I have a simple rule I follow in life: if I need a to-do list to work and fulfill my duties, then I'm not in control of my life, and I haven't used one of them in five years because I believe that life and work should be so simple that you can reproduce your tasks in a good way.

If you need to-do lists for the millions of things in your life, I want you to ask yourself and think carefully about your actual need to get those things done, as well as the possibility that you are keeping yourself busy for no particular reason. One of the inspirations that got me to stop using to-do lists was Peter Drucker, author of The Effective Executive, which is one of the best productivity books I've read.

When I find myself getting too busy with things I shouldn't be doing, I immediately remind myself of his typical quote, "There is nothing so useless as doing something that should never be done efficiently."

How to Avoid To-Do Lists?

The to-do list makes it easy to add things to do regularly in your life, but there is no point in doing things that should not be done according to Drucker, and the famous thinker Thomas Edison explained this point better, saying: “Busy does not mean always real work, because the goal of all work is production or achievement, and to achieve any of these two goals, you must have farsightedness, deliberation, an organized method, planning, intelligence, and an honest goal, in addition to making a great effort for this, because only apparent work for the mere preoccupation is not actual work.

If you want to get rid of your to-do list, rely on principles and laws instead of tactics, and always remind yourself why you do your work and what you want to do.

Productivity principles that help me lead a simpler life:

1. Execute tasks immediately:

When you encounter a simple task that requires less than five minutes to complete, do it directly. Examples include paying bills, making or responding to phone calls, sending an email, ordering necessary online supplies and things, bringing something on your way home, and more.

2. Prioritize your energy:

When you are overwhelmed with tasks, stop and reconsider the way you work, and strive to keep your tasks simple so that you do not fill your day with a lot of work and find yourself completely exhausted and drained of strength by 4 p.m.

3. Organize all tasks and arrange them systematically:

If you are working on writing a book, for example, get used to writing being the first thing you do in the morning every day. If you want to redecorate your home, spend a whole day off on it. If you want to work out and get in shape, choose an exercise routine and stick to it.

4. Setting 3-4 daily priorities:

Every evening, I look carefully at my goals, projects, and tasks and set 3–4 priorities for accomplishment the next day based on what needs to be done. You can look at this as a to-do list, but I just wrote priorities on poster paper or in my notebook to find those tasks at the end of my two days, and I got rid of them.

5. Put the tasks and write them in the calendar:

I don't use to-do list apps; rather, I put important tasks into my calendar or schedule instead. This is a way of living, and as you can see, not everyone is suited for it. If you find yourself under extreme pressure and fatigue due to the lists you use, I would suggest getting rid of them or taking this article as a warning to reevaluate your business.

The majority can work without using a to-do list, and I can understand why people used it 100 years ago; it was their best alternative option; they could not organize their lives the way we organize our lives today with the help of technology.

In Conclusion:

The fact is that to-do lists are an old technology. We got rid of the fax (a telecommunications technology device that sends transcripts of the documents to be sent to the other party), the home videos, the old modem that was used for telephone communication, and hundreds of other things that no longer serve or benefit us, so we should do the same thing with the to-do lists.