13 Create Daily To-Do Lists
Using your smartphone, a paper planner, or your Outlook account are great ways to track your tasks. Keep your daily To-Do List somewhere you check regularly.
Here are some tips when creating your to-do list:
- At the end of the day, take some time to plan the following day.
- Write down each task you want to accomplish and flag which are most important.
- Break large tasks into smaller chunks. Consider what you’ll accomplish in one work period (usually 1 hour).
- Create tasks that are well-defined; you should know when the task is finished. For example, instead of “work on my research paper/assignment”, change it to “find three academic articles for my research paper” or “create my paper/assignment outline”.
- Check off tasks when you complete them. This increases your sense of accomplishment and creates forward momentum.
- If you can’t complete a task today, move it to tomorrow’s to-do list.
Keep your To-Do List somewhere you check regularly, like your smartphone.
Today’s To-Do List
| Goals | Time | Priority | Done |
| Read chapter 9 for biology | 45 mins | High | ✓ |
| Draft thesis for communication paper | 1 hr | Low | |
| Find 3 peer reviewed sources for paper | 1 hr | Moderate | ✓ |
Try it!
For the next week, make a to-do list each day.
- At the end of the week, reflect on what worked for you.
- What might you want to change?
Extend Your Learning
Want to explore further ways of managing your time? The following links have more information and helpful templates.
- Budget Your Time worksheet
- To-Do List template worksheet
- Manage your Day with a Smartphone App worksheet.