⚡️ To-Do Lists 101

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’ve got a mini reality check for your to-do lists — why they’re likely too long, how to reorganize them for max productivity, plus what you can do when the overwhelm is real. Let’s dive in!

🧾 How Long Task Lists Hold You Back

As productive and driven humans, our plates are always full. Probably too full, if we’re honest with ourselves.

If you’re like us, your task list is (probably) too long — and that’s a problem because it:

• 🤹 Overwhelms you with choice — Having too many tasks can make it hard to prioritize effectively or know where to start.

• 😴 Prevents action — Ironically, having too much to do often means you don’t get anything done at all.

• 😵‍💫 Distorts your sense of time — If everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent. Or worse, the truly urgent things get lost in the hubbub of everything else.

• 🪫 Saps your mental energy — The more “open loops” that take up space in your brain, the less energy you have to go around.

• 😓 Sets you up for disappointment and negative momentum — Overloading your to-do list with more than you can handle means you’ll inevitably fall short, which can cause low-self esteem and other tough emotions.

🪴 How to Prune Your Task List

It’s always better to complete 2 impactful tasks in a day than half-start 8 things, only to get nothing done.

But how do you clear the low-impact items from your mind and task lists so you can focus on the important stuff? We’ve got you covered with 5 tips!

📥 1. Learn to prioritize

Prioritizing will look different for everyone, but here are a few things to consider:

• Deadline — When’s it due?

• Impact — How will finishing this task affect my life or goals?

• Effort — How much physical/mental energy will this task take?

• Blockers — What’s stopping me from starting right now?

• Obstacles — What roadblocks might pop up along the way?

☁️ 2. Put items in “awaiting” status

Most tasks get sorted 3 main buckets: to do / in progress / complete.

But this doesn’t leave breathing room for tasks that you can’t work on until something else happens — like getting approval for your research topic or vacation request.

That’s where the “Awaiting” status comes in.

An “Awaiting” status is especially good for tasks with blockers you identified in step 1, as well as stuff that’s low priority, not urgent, or doesn’t have a deadline.

Setting reminders to review these periodically will ensure they don’t fall off your radar.

📂 3. Have a space for low-priority stuff

All those “nice-to-have” or “someday” tasks should have a place to live so they don’t clutter up your daily list.

Productivity author Graham Allcott calls this space “The Good Ideas Park”. Whatever you name your space, it should be a one-stop shop for all those back-burner things you want to get around to eventually.

🍱 4. Know how to spot sneaky “bundles”

Some of the “tasks” on your list aren’t tasks at all. They’re actually projects, campaigns, or other kinds of “bundles” masquerading as a single to-do.

These “bundles” are larger than a single task. Here’s an example: Complete biology report. This “task” actually involves a bunch of smaller items that require significant time and brainpower, like:

• Choose a topic

• Complete and compile research

• Write first draft

• Edit and polish

• Submit report to teacher

If you’ve ever done an academic assignment, you know this example is oversimplified, but we’ve kept it short for space.

How to tackle ‘em: Unwrap these “bundles” and separate their individual parts — these can include not just tasks but also sources, tools, and skills. Then, group those parts however makes the most sense for your brain.

🥅 5. Make a gameplan, not a to-do list

Now that you’ve given your “awaiting” stuff and “somedays” a new home, it’s time to level up your actual task list into a gameplan.

• 📋 A to-do list is simply a list of all the stuff you have to do, in no particular order, with no priority assigned.

• 🏈 A gameplan is an adjustable list that includes what you’re going to do, when you’re going to do it, and which tasks are priority.

This is a super simple power-up to the basic to-do list, and a more flexible alternative to rigid planning methods like time-blocking and pre-fab schedules.

All you need to do is make some simple notes in the margin of your to-do list:

• Order your list with numbers to indicate which task you’ll do first, second, etc. (Use pencil or something you can erase in case you switch up the order)

• Use a symbol, like a star, to indicate your most important tasks

• Add a checkbox column so you can tick off items as you go

🤯 What to Do When the Overwhelm is Real

Between work, school, family, and self-care, most of us have more on our plates than we can handle.

Sometimes, our feelings of overwhelm are totally justified. Apart from caring for yourself and your mental health, here are a few more practical things to do when your task list gets out of control:

• 🙅‍♂️ Decline — Know when to say no or back out of something.

• 🚮 Delete — Remove tasks from your list that are outdated.

• 🫴 Delegate — Ask for help or support with things you could use a hand with.

• ⚙️ Automate — Get recurring tasks, like bill payments, off your plate with automation.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• Impact:Effort Ratio (The Flow Archives) — We briefly mentioned impact and effort, which we explored more in this August 2024 newsletter! Check it out for more tips on prioritizing.

• How to Stop Being Constantly Overwhelmed (Video) — In this 10-ish minute video, Thomas Frank shares tips for preventing overwhelm by refining your priorities and routines.

• cute valentine’s day lofi covers (Playlist) — Whatever you’re doing for V-Day, these lofi instrumental covers of classic love songs are sure to elevate the vibe.

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Feeling overwhelmed by your to-dos? Flocus helps you stay intentional with your time, so you can get more done without the stress.

Once you’ve pruned your to-dos, pop them into Flocus, adjust by priority, and start your timer! Stay in the zone with calming ambient worlds and soundscapes, along with the built-in playlists.

Tackle high-impact tasks first, and free up more time for what truly matters.

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Whether you want to apply learnings to your work, school, or personal life, The AI Report is a quick, trusted 5-minute read to stay up to date without getting overwhelmed. More from them here 👇️

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Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team