7 Tips to Make a Successful To-Do List

One of the most stressful things is to have an overwhelming to-do list that's longer than you have enough hours in a day for! I know the satisfaction of getting things done and crossing things off of your list is gratifying but it's also stressful and let's be real, being stressed causes Netflix binges and results in not a thing getting crossed off your list. Being able to get things done and manage your time is a true gift, and if you can do it without a to-do list I need to take a lesson from ya! ;) Here's some simple ways I've been making my daily lists more manageable:
1. Get the most important things done first. So you don't have to stress as the day goes on, and if you find yourself losing motivation as the day goes on, you can semi-relax knowing that the must-dos got done! I always try to get these things done early too so I can focus on everything else I have written down.

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2. Take breaks. The only way you aren't going to totally burn out each day is if you give yourself some you-time! I always take breaks during the work day and it only helps me to refocus my brain. I break for lunch, quick 5 minute breaks between tasks, breaks to run errands and sometimes I'll even break to watch a TV show during the day (hello, my name is Adriana and I'm addicted to General Hospital ;). Moral of the story is giving yourself a few minutes to chill is super beneficial!

3. Start your day slow and steadily, if possible. I know it isn't always practical/possible, and I do think it's important to get the most involved and most important things done early - but before all of that, even crossing off the simplest of things on your to-do list make you feel SO dang good! I always feel really productive when I'm able to get things done when I first wake up.

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4. Make a practical sized list. I'm totally guilty of making my daily to-do list WAY too long and unreasonable, but as of late I've been more productive each day when I don't make unreasonable daily goals. There's lots of things to get done, yes, but overwhelming yourself only makes it worse. I also make more than one list (I'm a crazy list maker, to say the least!) so that I don't feel bombarded by a piece of paper, for real LOL.

5. Time your tasks. I started timing myself more recently on things I have to get done and my GOD does it help!! When I make my list each day I put an estimated time of how long each thing will take. That way I know how much time I need to allot to each task, and how many things I can realistically get done each day. This is where daily planners come in handy! You can schedule things out by hour and it's helped me so much this year thus far.

6. Make time to make your schedule. To-do lists only work if you have a cohesive to-do list to do from! Get it? ;) I always find time throughout the day to schedule the following day out; and I always have a running list on my phone so when I'm on the go I can write things down as I think of them and not risk forgetting. Once I get in bed at night, I usually put together a cohesive list to run by the next day.

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7. Start each day with a fresh, new list. I always work with a new, fresh list each day. Even if everything didn't get done the day before, I start fresh so I know what's what and what really needs to get done first, AKA anything I didn't cross off the day before.

What do you do to ensure that your to-do list gets tackled each day?
XOXO -A