Making a to-do list is a great way to organize all the tasks you need to accomplish by a certain date. This can be a great tool to use when you want to relieve stress during midterms and finals. Here are some tips for making an effective to-do list:
1. Write Down Everything- Take a blank piece of paper and write down everything that comes to mind that you need to accomplish in the next day. Look through any syllabi, an agenda, cell phone calendar and compile a list of every task and any separate steps that need to be taken to completely finish an item that is due.
2. Prioritize- Take that overwhelming list and assign a priority to each task, in order to organize the list from high priority, something that needs to be done right away, to low priority, this is something that can be postponed or is a task that an item higher on the list needs to be completed before it can be worked on.
3. Tackle Tasks- Start knocking items off your list throughout the day. The key to completing and having the satisfaction of crossing the task off the to-do list is to not take breaks during the task until it is done. When taking a break during the day, take them between each task and not during.
Always remember if a task on the list was not reached during the day, don’t stress about it, there are only 24 hours in a day. Since lower priority items are at the bottom, they can just be placed on the to-do list for the next day. Hopefully these tips are helpful in making a successful to-do list and ultimately make life a little bit less stressful.
~ Chelsea M., RIT, To-Do List Queen
