5 Major To-Do List Mistakes You’re Making and How To Fix Them

Are you making these to-do list mistakes?

When it comes to reaching your goals, to-do lists can be highly effective. For me, having a to-do list is the only thing that helps me keep my shit together. With a list, I’m able to manage my time, get more done in my business and prioritize my daily tasks. Without the structure of a to-do list, my life and business would be a super-hot mess.

But here’s the thing though…

I wasn’t always doing the whole list thing the right way. In fact, I was making a ton of to-do list mistakes and didn’t even know it. I thought that simply making a list of my daily tasks and activities was enough. Still and yet, I noticed that I wasn’t completing a lot of important tasks at the end of each day. Instead, many of my daily tasks were carried over to the next day. WTF? What was the issue?

Does that sound familiar?

After a bit of research and re-evaluating my to-do list practices, I figured out the areas I was making to-do list mistakes.
You’re probably thinking…” okay Jae, it’s a freakin’ list, how can you make to-do list mistakes?”

Valid question.

But the truth is… This isn’t 1982, and this ain’t your grandma’s to-do list.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you use them to make a purchase, I’ll earn enough money from that sale to maybe buy myself some wine. Because I probably deserve it.

As a female entrepreneur, you have a crazy busy life. You’re working a 9 to 5, trying to start your online business, shopping for dry shampoo and trying to just…breathe. Am I right? There’s no question that knowing how to maximize your to-do list is vital. If you’re attempting to get by with the old-school list, then your to-do list mistakes will leave you overwhelmed. The whole idea of using to-do lists is to make your life easier, not harder. hello?!

In order to really make the most out of your to-do list and use it as a productivity tool, here are seven to-do list mistakes you need to avoid making. Keep reading to teach them all and learn how to fix it.

 

To-Do List Mistake #1: No Real Focus

If your to-do list looks anything like this:

Feed the dog, meal prep for the week, buy dry shampoo, respond to week old text messages, etc…

Then, Sis, you don’t have a to-do list, you have a jumbled task collage. And, like me, you’ve totally been making to-do list mistakes.

Jumbling a list of all the things you need to do will only create confusion. In order to really be effective and get the most out of your to-do list, you need some order. You have a lot to do every day and only 24 hours to do it in. So, what do you do?

The golden gem here, my Little List Maker, is to prioritize your list!

When you list your activities out of order, you will more than likely miss the most important tasks. This will only leave you feeling unaccomplished and possibly even stressed at the end of the day.

The fix: To avoid to-do list mistakes, take your list and jot down your activities from most important to least. Do your best to follow execute your list in order to keep from cherry-picking. No multi-tasking. By doing this, you are getting into the practice of handling all important and urgent things. Not just the “easy” or “enjoyable” tasks.

 Mistake #2: Not writing it down

Of all five of the to-do list mistakes listed here, I am so guilty of committing this one. I usually have 95 mental tabs open and have no idea where the music is coming from; I’ll never remember a whole to-do list without writing it down. Our minds are not hard-wired to memorize from seeing something one time. Writing activities down helps us to make a visual connection. This also keeps us from forgetting to complete important tasks.Also, when you make a to-do list and check off your tasks as you go, you’re able to feel a sense of accomplishment for completing your tasks.

The Fix: Write it all down! Avoid making these to-do list mistakes and become the girl who is a habitual to-do list-er and mention it all in a notebook.

Pro Tip: To stay inspired to “write it down” consistently, choose a cute, decorated to-do list notebook like this one or a tear-off to-do list pad that you enjoy using like this one.

To-Do List Mistake #3: Not being clear

Writing down cloudy and evasive activities like “Do stuff” is high on the to-do list mistakes list. When your to-do list is not broken down into clear manageable steps, your mind grows uninspired. This causes you to put off the task or avoid it altogether. It’s important that you go a step further and break the tasks down into itemized lists.

The fix: Create a list of measurable goals and break down each step so that it’s easier for you to check off. This will help get more done, and avoid making major to-do list mistakes over and over again.

An example of this would be to schedule Instagram posts using the Later app. You would itemize each task, such as.

1. Collect images. 2. Write out the captions. 3. Upload images into Later. 4. Schedule images to post.
Obviously, each of your priorities will vary and have a different to-do list, however, the idea is to make your own life easier by breaking it down into itemized steps or smaller chunks.

Mistake #4: No Time Blocking

Time blocking is one of my favorite scheduling methods. Blocking off time to include a specific time frame helps you avoid to-do list mistakes. When you take time to schedule your tasks and activities it really helps you to complete them. helps you to focus on one thing at a time for a certain amount of time.

Scheduling your activities in increments of time and focusing on like tasks is super effective. For example, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. answer emails or 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. write 3 blog posts for the week.

The Fix: To scratch, this off of your list of to-do list mistakes, start by adding your most important items to the schedule and block off an allotted amount of time per activity.

To-Do List Mistake #5: Not Scheduling Rest

We’re always so busy that we forget to make time for ourselves. This is one of the more common to-do list mistakes I’m sure we as women make. In order to really be able to function at your best, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Make sure that you block off time every day for you to rest and replenish.

The Fix: For every 2 to 4 hours that you work, you should get into the habit of scheduling a 15-minute break. This helps you to factor in time to rest so that you keep from burning out and don’t feel as though slacking off. You’ve been working hard all week and you deserve to rest as much as possible.

To-Do List Mistakes – Conclusion

I’ve shared 5 to-do list mistakes and easy fixes for them. Now, you can start changing your to-do list practices for more productivity in your life and business. In order to really see your business, run with ease, you need to create an effective system and to-do list strategy. Start implementing these simple fixes to the normal to-do list mistakes you’ve been making and track your results. Monitor the results of your daily and weekly productivity and see if you’re accomplishing more.

Now, what about you? Do you have remedies to these to-do list mistakes that we didn’t mention here? Share them with us. We want to hear all about them in the comments below.