Wednesday 22 June 2016

The minimal to-do list

Does your daily to-do list sometimes become overly long? Do you rely on your to-do list, but want to focus more on what matters most? Do you wonder how best to combat procrastination? Then it might be time to adopt this bafflingly simple tool which I’ve come across on Joshua Becker’s blog: the 3-Item To-Do List!

Every morning Joshua Becker identifies the 3 most important tasks of the day and makes these his primary focus. The 3-Item To-Do List has increased his productivity and job satisfaction significantly. What’s more, it provides him with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each and every day.

A minimal to-do list helps increase productivity and job satisfaction


I love the idea of incorporating minimalism in to-do lists and have implemented it into my everyday life, too. My minimal to-do list, for example, may consist of these 3 items: 1) put the finishing touches on a translation project and deliver it; 2) bring my accounts up to date; and 3) sit down for a German grammar lesson with my children after school.

I will probably get quite a few additional things done that day, too, such as starting a new work project, doing some housework, drafting a new blog post, and more. But if I don’t, it doesn’t really matter as these additional things weren’t among my 3 priorities for the day anyway.

The logic behind the 3-Item To-Do List concept is simple: If I have completed my 3 tasks, my day has been productive. It’s a concept that can be applied by anybody, in whatever circumstances. Focusing on 3 priorities per day, and optionally fitting in other things as well, means you no longer feel overwhelmed by interminable to-do lists.

Why not give it a shot, too?

Links to articles on the 3-Item To-Do List:
- Joshua Becker: Accomplish More with a 3-Item To Do List
- Melissa Camara Wilkins: What Is An Enough List And How it Helped Me Enjoy Everyday
- Andrew Merle: The Power of the 3-Item To-Do List 


(I've translated this blog article into German and published the German translation here.)