“To-Do lists are a waste of time.”  “I love to have To-Do lists in different formats.”  “I could not live without my To-Do lists.”  “I don’t have time to write up To-Do lists.”  The debates and difference of opinions continue.  Some people view their To-Do lists as vital to their productivity, while others see it as a hindrance.

How about you?  Do you regularly work with To-Do lists? Do you have a way to measure how useful they are to you?  If you do not use them, why don’t you?  Did you try them and saw no increase in productivity?  Therein lays the key: You must manage your list for greater productivity.  Your list must not be allowed to manage you.

In an interview with Investors Business Daily Leadership Coach Eric Papp noted that, “To-do lists are productive.  People who make them are on the right track.”  He however noted that the reason why many people found themselves frustrated is that they include too many items on their To-do list.  Because of including too many items, and not being able to complete them, people end up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.  Rather than being helpful, your To-do list can become a ‘guilt-list’ where you focus more on what you’ve not done, rather than what you’ve accomplished.

How can you get your To-Do lists done and manage your lists for greater productivity?  Here are some recommendations I’ve put together from various experts, many of which have been extremely helpful for me and which you may also find very helpful.

1.            Control the urge to check emails: Many of us find it hard to settle down to starting our day before checking our emails.  As entrepreneurs we feel we just have to check if something needs our immediate attention.  What happens an hour later?  We’ve gone off into the email hole where we’ve read like after link and checked out products on the Warrior Forum or other affiliate products…and nothing that takes us closer to our goal has been done.

Recommendation:  Begin your day with a task that’s important to your business and check emails later.  If you want to be sure that nothing urgent escapes your attention, have your email set up so that it shows snippets of the message without you having to open the mail.  Scroll through and if there’s nothing urgent (and you’d know from the subject or snippet), do not open!

2.            Create a long-term and short-term list:  Many of us only create a priority list so almost everything becomes a priority.  Not everything in your business or family can be at the same priority level.

Recommendation:  Keep a list with ongoing things you know you want to do, say in the second quarter of the year.  Then on a separate sheet of paper, start a priority list where you select four items from your ongoing list and transfer them to the priority list in order of priority.  When you do this you will also include the date for completion for each of the tasks on this priority list.  You should also include who will complete each task on this list.  Some things may need to be completed by you, while others may be outsourced.

3.            Be realistic: Many entrepreneurs work a full-time job in addition to working on and in their own business.  Whether that’s the case with you, or you’re able to work exclusively for yourself, keep in mind that not every moment of every day is going to be productive time.

Recommendation:  Identify your most productive hours in each day.  Some people manage to do from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. what others take eight hours to do.  Others are very productive at nights, especially when everyone is asleep and they’re able to work uninterruptedly for three or four hours.  Do not pick more than four tasks, preferably three, as priorities for each day and spend focused time completing those tasks.  Anything else is a bonus.  You’ll feel a deep sense of accomplishment and re-energized to do more the next day.

4.            Break down large projects: If you have a large task to do like writing an eBook or a book for Kindle, or any other large project, it can be overwhelming when you look at it as one thing you have to do.

Recommendation: Break each project down into bite-size prioritized tasks.  It may simply be to spend just 15 minutes two times per day writing on the topic.  When you break down the tasks and can check off each at the end of your day, it’s a different feeling from having “Write four pages for book” appearing on your priority list every day. You could surprise yourself with how much you’re able to accomplish in short bursts.

I hope these points can help to shift your mindset regarding the use of To-Do lists.  Now start to get your To-Do lists done so you can manage your lists for greater productivity.  I’d love to hear your views of To-Do lists.