to-do lists: no task too small

Ticking things off a to-do list is seriously addictive and once you've ticked one thing off, you just want to tick another, right? However, writing a to-do list can be daunting, especially if it results in you writing down twenty things that need to be done within a short time-frame. However, by jotting down these tasks, it may make them seem less so, especially if you order them based on how long they will take to do.

This is how I write my to-do lists but what works for me may not work for you. I know some people like bullet journals and other systems so the main thing is to find a way that works for you.

1) Regular Tasks

The first tasks I write down are ones that I do on a regular basis - some say it takes 21 days to make things a habit so this kind of obsessive note taking can help me in that regard. Also, scheduling regular tasks in for the same time each day helps too.

Two tasks that I do on a regular basis are twenty to thirty minutes on a cross trainer and also my weekly posts which I try and do on a Saturday afternoon or early on a Sunday morning before it goes live.

2) Fluctuating Tasks

Some lists change each week and a good example of this are shopping lists. Here, we do one smallish shop at the weekend for our staple foods (fruit, vegetables and meat) and then one or two mini shops during the week. With a supermarket on my way home from university, this makes it viable for me to do this and that is why my shopping lists are usually quite random. I note them down as and when I remember or realise these things need purchasing and then try and either postpone them until the weekend shop if they aren't urgently needed or buy them the following day after uni.

3) Big Tasks

From time to time, I may have a major project or two. Sometimes, such a big task can be overwhelming so the first thing I do is sit down and break it down into smaller stages and tasks before planning when to do each of these stages.

This works so well for me that I even do this for smaller projects too.

4) Other To-Dos

These are written in when I think of them and I try and ensure that I don't have a long list of them on days where I know I'll be super busy or too tired to even tackle the smallest task.

Sometimes, my to-dos aren't done on the allocated day and that's ok with me - it just means it either wasn't that important to me or can wait until I'm in the mood for it (an example are writing blog posts: sometimes, I'm just not motivated to write that day!).

This is essentially how I organise the things that need to be done in my life - it's not a perfect system but it works well enough for me. I'm always tweaking it but I think that's natural as we mature and go through life changes.

How do you organise your to-do list? Do you have any tips or things that work especially well for you?