Why You Need A To-Do List

Clients will often ask me what fancy new app they should be using to manage their lives. It’s a reasonable question: there are a ton of options out there, and there’s no way to really know which will be the perfect app for you.

But here’s the thing: it’s not the how, it’s the what.

Every adult human needs to track 3 things: purchases, tasks, and time. When you track these three elements of your life effectively, everything runs smoothly.

The key word here is “effectively.” You are already tracking all three of these things in some way, because otherwise you simply could not function in society! But if you regularly run late, miss deadlines, or run out of food staples, you may not be tracking your time, tasks, and purchases effectively.

The most important piece of advice I have about tracking is very simple: DO NOT try to do it all in your head! For some reason, many people have this idea that it’s “cheating” to need to use lists and calendars. Often unconsciously, they believe that life should be effortless, and they’re not actually good at life unless they can do it all in their heads.

This is insanity. Modern life is way too complicated to try to manage everything inside your brain. Get everything out of your head and into a record so that you can use your valuable brain space for higher level creativity, strategizing, and connecting.

Don’t believe me? Believe the most successful people on the planet. They swear by calendars, lists, and of course hiring other humans to manage their lives for them. If a Fortune 500 CEO isn’t ashamed of having an executive assistant manage their personal life, you should not hesitate to use lists and calendars.

Now that I have you convinced to use a calendar and lists, let’s address the best way to do that. The best way to track your time, purchases, and tasks is this: the method you will use. If you’re an app person, use an app. If you’re a paper person, use paper. There is no hierarchy, you are not a better person if you prefer technology to analog or vice versa.

Here’s a final tip from me to you: set up your calendar, task list, and shopping list before the LMW Edits team arrives for your first organizing session. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that decluttering and organizing will unearth tasks you need to do, events you need to plan, and purchases you need to make! And if you have your tracking system set up in advance, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the organizing process and get your whole life in order along the way.

Oh, and because I know you’re curious: I use Evernote and Google Calendar to track my time, tasks, and purchases! They integrate seamlessly and allow me to be super specific about due dates and related projects.

LMW