To-do lists – love them or hate them, we’ve all got them.

But while to-do lists are a ubiquitous feature of most of our lives, few of us know how to make a really good one – or, for that matter, how to manage the list once we’ve made it. 

For most of us, our to-do lists grow quickly from cute little checklists into overwhelming, mile-long epics, taunting us from our Notes app or notepads, daring us to tick just one item off. Soon enough, these sprawling lists pile up to the point where completing even one task can feel impossible – so, we simply ignore the terrifying list as it grows and grows.

According to Alison Blackler, a career coach and founder of 2 Minds, to-do list paralysis is surprisingly common. Because structureless to-do lists can so easily become overwhelming, she prefers a slightly different approach. “I’m a big fan of today lists,” Blackler tells Stylist. “With a today list, you can keep it realistic and get your oxytocin buzz, because you get your ticks. It’s a little contract with yourself.”

We spoke with Blackler about her ‘today list’ technique to find out how it could help us all feel a little less overwhelmed.

What exactly is a today list?

A today list is very similar to a to-do list. However, instead of simply combining all of your necessary tasks into a long, sprawling list, a today list breaks down tasks by day. So, instead of being faced with an overwhelming list of 12 things to do, you might have just three tasks to do on Monday, then two on Tuesday, followed by four on Wednesday, and finally three on Thursday.

Do today lists really work?

“Today lists are the way forward for so many reasons,” Blackler says. 

According to her, there is no proof that writing down all of your tasks into one big list is helpful or even necessary. “Using this kind of list to work off is likely to cause overwhelm,” she says. “When overwhelm comes, we are ineffective, unproductive and we can become stressed. This is neither realistic nor the goal.” 

On the other hand, working off of a today list of mini tasks allows you to be realistic about your goals while also giving you mental space. “Having a today list means that you can be realistic about what you can achieve, and chunk big tasks down so you are making progress,” she says. “Most importantly, it means you get to tick things off, which gives you that feel-good factor.”

Making your today list: a step-by-step guide

It’s all well and good to break down your big to-do list into daily tasks, but if you want to make a truly effective today list, Blackler suggests following these steps.

Step 1: begin with a weekly grid

“Draw a seven-box grid in a notebook,” says Blackler. Each column is for one day of the week.

Step 2: break down your tasks across the week

“Plan your today list looking at the whole week,” she says. “Be realistic with what you will achieve so that each day is a success and you feel motivated.” 

Step 3: break down your days into sections

If it helps you, you can even break down your today lists into mornings and afternoons. “I would suggest that people work out when they work at their best,” says Blackler. “Are you a morning person? If so, plan to do the harder, more challenging jobs in the morning. Often starting the day with the hard task is best, rather than putting it off and going for all the quick wins.”

Step 4: stay flexible and move things around as you go

“The weekly grid means you can move tasks around,” says Blackler, adding, “It also helps to plan and prioritise when someone asks you to do something.”

When you are asked to do a new task, look at your today lists for the coming days. Figure out when you could slot it in. If you need to, you can always move less important tasks to later days. 

Blackler says, “We don’t have to say yes immediately, what most people want is to know when you can do a certain task – your today list allows you to set an expectation of when you can do something.”

Step 5: don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go to plan

No matter how much we plan out our weeks and our days, it won’t always be possible to tick every single item off the list. And while it’s important to hold ourselves accountable, it’s also important to allow for changes to our plans.

“People may need to readjust the expectations if you have planned for the week when something unexpected happens,” says Blackler. “What I hear is people still expect themselves to do all the tasks and when they don’t they feel like a failure or are frustrated. We need to build in flexibility to a weekly task list.”

While some people can mentally manage a big, ever-growing to-do list, some of us need a little more structure. Try Blackler’s today list strategy to help yourself feel a little more in control of your tasks throughout the week. Just remember – today lists should help us feel less stressed.  So, if you’re finding your daily tasks unmanageable, it’s OK to be flexible and move things around. 

Images: Getty