Many people find it satisfying to cross something off their to-do list. Whether at home or at work, this process provides satisfaction and a sense of completion and productivity. However, when it comes to professional tasks, it is important to know how to make a well-structured to-do list .
This is because professional activities may require more complex planning than, for example, listing household chores such as “doing laundry” or “cleaning the living room”. Furthermore, writing down the items to be completed that day does not mean that they will actually be done.
Another more important demand may arise, unforeseen events may occur, or one of the tasks may take longer than expected. Therefore, carrying out this process in a structured manner can help professionals plan better and have a clear vision of their workday.
Why make a well-structured to-do list?
A to-do list is actually more than just a series of activities listed on a piece of paper or digital file. It can be an important planning tool and, as such, needs to be well-executed and up-to-date.
Understand the importance of creating a structured list:
Avoid friction
Imagine that your boss has made a request that can be done quickly, but you are involved in another activity. When you finish, you forget about the request and what could be resolved in a short time becomes a pending issue.
This can hurt your professional reputation, especially if your manager has to ask you to do the same thing again. Even if you can’t do something right away, adding it to your list will help keep you on the radar and avoid future problems.
Allows for more focus and productivity
By making a list in an orderly manner, the experts are fully aware of what is to be done throughout the day. Professionals can also separate daily activities from other tasks related to various projects, and manage their time more effectively.
Apart from being able to concentrate on a single activity at a time, having higher concentration, this has a tendency to raise productivity.
Provides an organized routine
The most apparent benefit of using a to-do list is that it keeps you organized. During the day, professionals have to respond to different tasks, with varying priorities, and having the ability to see this visualizes what has to be done first, without forgetting the other tasks.
Organization, although it may seem like something basic in the job market, is not a skill found in everyone and this can become a problem if processes and deliveries are delayed or forgotten.
How to develop a structured to-do list?
There is nothing wrong with a scribbled list on a piece of paper, but it isn’t going to assist you in planning your day or week. Of course, scribbling down a hasty note may be called for, but it is better to employ a tool that provides you with greater control, such as a calendar.
Whether physical or virtual, the calendar assists in scheduling the tasks for each day and even enables the professional to allocate tasks more effectively in their schedule.
Choose your favorite format, and see how to make a structured list:
Break it down into steps
When listing tasks, it is important to first separate them into steps. If a professional needs to, for example, make a post announcing a promotion, other steps precede this, such as defining the art, text and content, and even approving it with other people.
Therefore, the task can be broken down into parts such as: “define the art for the promotional post”, “approve the file” and “publish on networks x, y, z”. This method is more efficient for monitoring the progress of the activities and also allows you to check off the list during the process.
Set deadlines
There is no point in making a list of what needs to be done in a month and then continuing with your day-to-day tasks. Just as tasks should be divided into smaller steps, each one needs to have a deadline to ensure that they are completed on time.
Set time periods
It’s easy to overestimate how long it will take to get some things done. So, someone may wake up in the morning with 10 things they have to do, and finish up with number 3 or 4. This doesn’t indicate that they weren’t productive, but it’s probably that they estimated that they would do something in less time.
When organizing your day and week, be practical about the time required, keeping in mind potential unexpected situations that can arise in the process.
Keep the list updated
Whether you choose a physical planner or a digital system, the important thing is that this list and the schedule in general must be visible and accessible daily. When a task is completed, it is removed from the list, but if there are any changes, observations or subtasks, these should also be noted so that you do not forget.
