When you’re swamped with a hundred tasks, you might be tempted to jump right into it. But if you take a few minutes to make a to-do list, you’ll understand how this simple extra step can work wonders for organising your life and unlocking productivity.

We all have a limited amount of mental energy. The more tasks we have to keep track of, the higher toll it takes on our energy. Our brains are put under incredible pressure trying to keep so many things in mind, and are distracted from the job at hand.

That’s where to-do lists come in. They’re like a personal assistant that helps you keep track of appointments and upcoming tasks. Not only do they help you remember your workload, but they also free up your mind to focus on what you’re working on right now.

The first step to unlocking the power of the to-do list is to actually write things down.

This might sound obvious, but that’s where most people fail.

Your to-do list can only be a dependable tool if you tell it everything you need to do – and that means everything. That way, when it tells you that you’ve finished, you can rest assured that nothing has been forgotten.

It takes some practice to get into the habit, but simplifying the process helps. To start, record only the task content and deadline.

Many to-do list apps have an inbox designed to streamline this process. Enter your tasks in simple terms, then come back later to organise them further, such as by creating categories or linking related tasks.

A to-do list is there to help you figure out what to do next, so it’s important to create entries that are measurable and action-oriented.

For example, “build a reading habit” may be your long-term goal, but it’s not a useful entry on your to-do list because it’s not a clear action item.

To create a to-do list that can help you reach long-term goals, you’ve got to break things down into steps, no matter how complex your tasks. So instead, you can put down “read 100 pages” or “read 20 minutes every day” in your to-do list, and check them off when you’ve completed them.

If you’re new to to-do lists, you can begin with basics and gradually build up the habit.

To start out, you can write down a small number of tasks – say three per day – and check how well you’ve done at the end of the day. Once you’re used to using your list, you can start adding more things to it, big or small.

Give yourself some time to build trust with the list, and eventually you’ll realise that you’ve found an invaluable tool to help you stay organised and maximise your productivity.

Below are some of our favourite to-do list apps: