Look, I don’t know who needs to hear this—maybe no one, maybe just me screaming into the void like a guy who’s had one too many cups of coffee and just realized his therapist is nodding a little too sympathetically—but here we are. Again. Staring down another blog post like it’s gonna fix something, like it’s gonna make sense of the fact that we’re all just out here, raw-dogging existence, pretending we’ve got it together while secretly wondering if we left the stove on or if that weird noise the car’s making is ‘normal’ or ‘impending financial ruin.’

So buckle up, or don’t. Dealer’s choice. Let’s just get into it before I overthink myself into another existential spiral. Cool? Cool.

Having left the Cult of Productivity, I just use a simple To-Do list. Every day. I know what I have to do, and it helps to write it down. But some people really don’t know how to use a To-Do list. Crazy, eh? When I mean use a To-Do list, I mean really know how to use a To-Do list. Because strangely it’s not just just writing down a To-Do list. There’s just a little more to it… but not too much.

Alright, look—I get it. To-do lists. Groundbreaking stuff, right? Like, who hasn’t scribbled ‘buy milk’ on a Post-it and then proceeded to ignore it for three days until the fridge smells like a science experiment? But here’s the thing: Most people use to-do lists wrong. They’re either writing novels of unrealistic tasks or just using them as a guilt ledger, a running tally of all the ways they’re failing. And trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve had lists so long they could’ve been scrolls from the Dead Sea, filled with things like ‘write screenplay’ and ‘learn Portuguese’ right next to ‘change lightbulb’—as if those are equally achievable before lunch.

But when you actually use a to-do list the right way? It’s like suddenly having a map in a city where you’ve been wandering lost, muttering to yourself like a guy who’s had too much cold brew. So let’s talk about how to do this without spiraling into self-loathing or giving up by Tuesday.

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How to Actually Use a To-Do List for Productivity (Without Losing Your Mind)

1. Keep It Short—Like, Stupid Short

Your to-do list is not a bucket list. It’s not a wish list. It’s not a place to dump every vague ambition you’ve ever had. If your list has more than 3-5 critical tasks for the day, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Try this:

• Write down only what you can realistically do today.
• If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now instead of writing it down.
• Big projects? Break them into one actionable step (e.g., “Outline blog post” not “Write novel”).

2. Be Specific (Or It Doesn’t Count)

“Work on project” is not a task. It’s a trap. “Email client draft revisions by 2 PM” is a task. The more vague the item, the more likely you’ll stare at it, sigh, and then go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the history of staplers.

Bad: “Clean garage”
Good: “Throw out broken tools, donate old books”

3. Prioritize Like Your Sanity Depends on It (Because It Does)

Not all tasks are created equal. Some will move the needle; others are just busywork you’re using to avoid the hard stuff.

The Rule:

• Do the most important or dreaded task first (aka “Eat the Frog”).
• If you keep pushing something to tomorrow, ask: Does this actually need to happen?

4. Time Blocking > Winging It

A to-do list without time slots is just a list of regrets waiting to happen. Assign rough time estimates (even if just “morning” or “after lunch”) to prevent the 4 PM panic of realizing you’ve done nothing but answer emails.

Example:

• 9-10 AM: Draft proposal
• 11 AM: Team meeting
• 2-3 PM: Client follow-ups

5. Review & Adapt (Or It’s Just a Diary of Failure)

At the end of the day, glance at your list:

• Celebrate what you did (even if it’s just one thing).
• Move unfinished tasks to tomorrow—only if they’re still a priority.
• Ask yourself: Why didn’t X get done? Too vague? Too big? Did I waste time on nonsense?

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Final Thought:
A to-do list isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional. Some days, you’ll crush it. Other days, “shower” will be the only checked box—and that’s fine. The goal isn’t to become a productivity robot; it’s to stop feeling like you’re drowning in your own brain.

Now go forth, write a reasonable list, and for the love of God, stop putting “figure out life” on there. One thing at a time, people. One thing at a time.

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Alright, before you go—because I know you’ve got places to be, probably staring into the existential abyss of your own inbox or debating whether it’s too early for a snack (it’s never too early)—let’s talk about something real quick.

You made it to the end of this thing. That’s huge. Most people click away after the first paragraph because they’d rather watch unboxing videos or read conspiracy theories about birds. But not you. You stuck around. You’re a warrior. A scholar. A person who, against all odds, still believes in the power of a to-do list. That’s beautiful.

Now, if you got even a shred of value out of this—if you’re walking away with one less guilt spiral about unfinished tasks—do me a solid: hit subscribe. Why? Because I’m out here, grinding away at this keyboard like a guy who’s had one too many cups of coffee and not enough validation. And let’s be honest, the algorithm doesn’t care about us. It cares about rage bait and cat videos. But you? You care about productivity. Or at least, you care enough to pretend you do. And that’s all I ask.

So subscribe. Get these posts in your inbox. Let’s keep this dysfunctional little productivity party going. And if you don’t? Well, I’ll still be here, yelling into the void, wondering if anyone’s listening.

Cool? Cool. Now go check something off that damn To-Do list.