When you are specific you create clarity in your mind which enables it to focus. A much better description of the task would be something like: spend one hour brainstorming the premise of the book. You could write “work on book” but this could mean lots of different things: finding a publisher, working on the cover design, outlining a new chapter etc. For example, you may decide that one of your priorities for the day is to work on the book you are currently writing. Lack of clarity can make a task virtually impossible to achieve. It is essential that you are extremely clear with every task that makes it on to your list. You will be amazed at the power a little bit of focus can have on your productivity and thinking. Remember, your mind should be used for important thinking, not holding hundreds of tasks. Nothing is stopping you from keeping another list of tasks written down somewhere with everything you need to do written on it but keep your daily to-do list separate. This may sound counterproductive but if you have more than this, you run the risk of not completing everything and feeling defeated as a result. Together with your three priorities, you should never have more than five items on your to-do list at one time. Keep your to-do list to a manageable size Think about how effective you would become if you completed your most important tasks every day. Resolve to complete your priorities as early in the day as possible and not to move on to any other tasks before you have done so. You should have your three most important tasks (your priorities) at the top of your to-do list. You can very easily spend your day doing chores and then panic at some point in the evening because you haven’t done the one important task on your list. One of the major problems I find with to-do lists is every item gets treated with the same level of priority – “get milk from the store” is right next to “complete presentation for meeting tomorrow”. Let your goals determine your daily priorities.

For example, if you have the goal of being fluent in French within six months then one of your priorities should be to practice with a tutor each day. Goal-setting is a whole separate topic but the result of the process should be tasks that you can pursue immediately.

Make do list