Buy a dedicated notebook
Purchase a small notebook to put your list on paper. This way it’s often easier to get your thoughts out and harder to get distracted.
Build your list first
Give yourself a sense of direction by blocking out the first 5–10 minutes of every day to writing down your tasks before you even start doing any of them.
Rank your tasks from least to most important
The top-most goal should absolutely be accomplished by the end of the day, while the ones at the bottom have more flexibility for rolling over to tomorrow. The list can have anything from your work goals to things like “call dad,” and “buy milk.”
Cross things off as you complete them
Start at the top and work your way through. Only move to the next task when you have absolutely finished the current one. Make it a goal to have a completely crossed off list every day.
Group your tasks by similarity
Online errands (e.g. responding to emails) should be listed close to each other to help you get through your busy work quickly, instead of serving as procrastination from your important tasks.
Break down large tasks
If some of your tasks are large and daunting projects, make sure to break them down into sub-tasks. Write down all the components of the project and cross them out as you complete them — you’ll be done before you know it.
Make this a daily routine
These productivity hacks are most impactful when made into habits. Try this routine out for a few weeks and you’re bound to become better at handling your day-to-day activities.
