How to structure a ToDo list
To-do lists are one of the most effective tools for getting things done. You can use apps or just paper notes, as long as you write down what you need to do next. But most people don’t know how to write them properly. I also didn’t know any better for a long time. The good news is that it’s actually quite simple. If you don’t already do this, here are two tricks to make your to-do list more helpful.
Call-to-Action titles
Whenever I want to get something done, I add it to my to-do list. This helps me remember what I need to do that day, week or even next year. In the past, my list looked something like this:
- Article on Historical Games
- Flight to Vienna
- Birthday Jeff
- WordPress Theme
If you take a look at my list, can you tell what I have to do? I know that I need to write an article on historical games and also to check the flights to Vienna. The more I keep the details in my head, the less the to-do list helps me. The items on that list are in fact written in a bad manner. David Allen writes in his book “Getting Things Done” that everything in your head is still in your system and therefore uses up your energy.
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.
David Allen, Getting Things Done, page 277, pos. 5373.
To get things out of your head completely (he calls this “Capture”), you need to set clear titles for your calls to action (he calls this “Clarify”). This means you should take two extra seconds to write your list in a more decisive way.
- Write article on Historical Games
- Check for flights to Vienna
- Buy a birthday gift for Jeff
- Look for a new WordPress theme
It’s a small difference, but it makes ToDo lists much easier to work with, especially when you have more than four items.
Subtasks

Another way to make a to-do list more manageable is to use subtasks. Whatever note-taking system you use, subtasks are usually a part of that. David Allen also says that knowing what your next step is helps you get things done. Right now, I only know what I have to do, and the call-to-action titles help me stay aware of that. But tasks usually consist of many things to check on, so it is also helpful to write them down.
- Write article on Historical Games
- Read article by person X
- Research sources
- Talk to person Y
- Create first draft until Nov 15
- Check for flights to Vienna
- Look for companies that fly to Vienna
- Look-up if you going to need a passport and if it is still valid
- Buy a birthday gift for Jeff
- Ask his girlfriend what to buy
- Get wrapping paper
- Look for a new WordPress theme
- Consult person X
- Check Themeforest
- Compare prices
How to structure a ToDo list!
The list of tasks is getting longer and longer, but that doesn’t matter. The more specific my ToDo list, the less important the tasks seem. Writing everything down takes more time than doing the tasks, but if you can do a task straight away, that’s best. But most of the time, I just remember that I have to do this sometime, but can’t do it now or maybe I need to wait until I get a reply from person X. In my experience, tasks can also take a long time and over that time, I tend to forget what I had to do. Distinct call-to-action titles and subtasks help me tremendously a week or a month later.
I could also go into creating different projects or folders for each category of tasks, but I think I will leave that for another time. A to-do list helps me a lot with my day-to-day tasks, like editing a book or organising my teaching. If you are interested in what David Allen has to say, check out his book. A review will also come soon.

Allen, David. 2015. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. New York: Penguin Books.