The humble to-do list is an underrated and under-celebrated tool. Whether it’s scribbled down on a napkin over lunch, or carefully written on a prized notepad, a list of tasks can be an elemental factor in staying organized and keeping on track, while also maintaining motivation and direction. Although writing to-do lists can occasionally feel like a form of procrastination, it’ll help you achieve the goals in the long run, and in our opinion, there’s no end to the benefits. We’ve outlined a few to improve productivity, which will hopefully help you out at home and work...
Brain space
If your list of jobs at work is as long as your arm, and your list of jobs at home the same, you can’t be expected to stay calm and collected in either environment. If we don’t jot our to-dos down, tasks can become overwhelming and translate into feeling stressed and potentially anxious. By noting them down, our brain is given a break and can focus fully on the task at hand without having to think about other jobs and jumping from one to the next, a very disruptive and unproductive habit when you’re finally getting into the flow of something. Our Studio Roller is a great way to jot all of your ideas down in one place, a refillable kraft paper holder which comes in a number of sizes and can be mounted on the wall of your business, office or home. Creating a visual representation of your to do lists not only gives your brain a rest, it also means you’re not relying on memory, which takes us onto the next reason to-do lists are life savers...
Don’t forget!
If you forget things easily, writing a to-do list is essential for getting your life in order, without stressing about potentially dropping the ball on something important, or having to deal with the consequences afterwards. Write your to-dos down as and when you think of them with a handy little notepad (like our perfectly compact Field Journal), and keep these notes on you wherever you go. The action of writing something down also helps many people remember much more easily too, so it’s a win-win. We're advocates of putting pen to paper, (as you'll know if you've read our post '5 Reasons To Put Pen To Paper'), but if you’re happier writing lists on your mobile, keep them stored there, and add alarms if you think it’d be helpful to remind you of looming deadlines and special occasions.
Visualise deadlines
If you’re working on tasks dependent on time constraints, a to-do list will help you visualise the jobs at hand and establish a pathway to the end result more easily, essentially providing you with a road map of what needs to be done, when. The task will feel more manageable, and the end result will be a super gratifying 'tick' off the list. Our Daily Roller is a great idea for installing on the wall of your kitchen, business or office space, providing a regular feed of paper to scribble your to do list on. Once your tasks are completed, simply pull the paper down, tear it off and start again. The kraft paper in the paper holder is replaceable too, so you can refill it if you ever run out. Buy your kraft paper refills here.
Establish order
Ranking jobs in order of their importance will help you understand what needs to be done first, and which to-dos can take a backseat. It’s rare every task needs to be done as soon as possible, but even in these situations, writing down all of your tasks and ticking them off is an extremely satisfying and morale-boosting process. Our Wall Pad is a brilliant way to stay on track with which jobs should take priority, easily mounted on the wall to keep your productivity and workload in check.
