In this blog post, you can download the 24 hour daily planner digital templates.
If you’ve never made a to-do list so long that you get overwhelmed, I’ll set the scene.
Early evening, my kitchen, and a piece of paper.
I create tomorrow’s to-do list.
Although I TRY to keep my to-do list short and sweet, I suddenly end up with something totally opposite. In other words, my list looks like a never-ending list of things I need to do the next day.
So when the new day arrives, I immediately wake up tired because I don’t know where to start. As a result, my daily to-do list makes me feel baaaad.
As a result, to cut down my daily to-do list, I’m trying this ONE thing that every productivity guru recommends.
Prioritization.
However when it comes to prioritization…
Here comes a plot twist.
Prioritization doesn’t work…
At least, it doesn’t work for me.
In other words, I feel that all tasks are equally important. Basically, I can’t tell which tasks I should do immediately and which tasks can wait. Not to mention that I don’t know how to delegate and how to eliminate unnecessary noise from my list.
… unless it does.
Of course, you’ll always overload your daily to-do list unless you remember one simple rule.
Basically, you need to break down your tasks into smaller chunks and make them separate priorities.
So, now let’s see it in action.
Too many tasks are making you anxious. Start brain dumping.
Also, I included a task dump template in the 24-hour daily planner.
Last evening, instead of creating an overpacked to-do list, I just unloaded my mind using brain dumping. In other words, I put every single, tinniest piece of thought on a paper.
For example, here are some tasks I wrote:
- meal prep
- clean home office
- project 1
Indeed, it’s pretty hard to prioritize them, isn’t it? I need to eat but I also need to make money. Anyone else nodding along?
But now…
Now take a task and BREAK.IT.DOWN
(also, I included a task breakdown template in the 24-hour daily planner)
So, now let’s break them into smaller tasks, shall we?
Big Task: Meal Prep
Smaller Tasks:
- make a meal list
- make a grocery list
- go to the store
- prepare ingredients
- cooking
Big Task: Clean Study Space
Smaller Tasks:
- clear clutter from the desk
- sort through papers
- organize pens
- dust surfaces
- take out any trash (or empty cups)
Big Task: Project 1
Smaller Tasks:
- research
- collect resources
- task 1
- task 2
- revise
- submit
As you can see, after breaking them into much smaller tasks, it’s much easier to use … a priority matrix.
I know I know… it appears that productivity gurus were right 🙂
Indeed, a priority matrix is a great visual tool that will help you decide which tasks you need to:
- do now
- schedule in your planner
- delegate
- eliminate
The moment you’ve been waiting for. Turn your priority matrix into a manageable to-do list and schedule them in a 24-hour daily planner.
Now you can move your short to-do list to your daily planner page.
Pro tip: use 1-3-5 rule
So here’s how it works.
Basically, all you have to do is to choose your:
- ONE MAJOR task (the most important or the most demanding one)
- THREE MEDIUM tasks (important but not as time-consuming as the big one)
- FIVE SMALL tasks (easy and quick to complete)
So following the example, here’s what my final daily task list looks like:
ONE MAJOR task:
- Finish Project 1
Do it first: Research
Do it after: collect resources
THREE MEDIUM tasks:
- Make a meal list
- Make a grocery list
- Clear clutter from the desk
FIVE SMALL tasks:
- Dust surfaces
- Take out empty cups
- Call X
- Schedule a car maintenance appointment
Also, make your daily planner VISIBLE. Why? Certainly, you’ll have some boring tasks on your list. Moreover, it’s soooo easy to spontaneously replace them.
Wake up and just start from the smallest step. Rinse. Repeat.
(and download a 24-hour daily planner digital template)
To sum up, the secret to cutting down your to-do list is very simple. In other words, every task, no matter how daunting it seems to be, can be broken down into manageable steps.
So don’t overthink. Just take action, even if it’s a tiny step.
Undoubtedly, step by step, you’ll get there.
And that’s the tea.
Get your 24-hour daily planner digital templates
