How to make a to do list that works

Learning how to make a to do list sounds like something you should already know. Write things down, cross them off. But most lists fail in small, quiet ways: todos that are too vague, too big, or too old. A few habits fix nearly all of that.

Start every todo with a verb

"Dentist" is not a todo. It is a topic. When you see it on the list, you have to work out what it means before you can do anything. Call? Book? Pay the bill? Find a new one?

"Call the dentist to book a cleaning" is a todo. You can read it half asleep and know exactly what to do. Starting with a verb forces you to decide the next action when you write it down, which is the moment you have the context.

• Instead of "Car", write "Book the car service".
• Instead of "Mum's birthday", write "Order flowers for Mum".
• Instead of "Taxes", write "Find last year's tax return".

One thing per todo

"Buy milk and call the plumber" is two todos wearing one coat. If you buy the milk, you cannot tick it off, because the plumber is still waiting. So the whole line stays open and starts to look like a failure.

Split anything with "and" in it. Two short lines are easier to finish, and each one gives you its own small tick.

Small enough to finish

The most common mistake is putting a project on the list as if it were a todo. "Clean out the garage" can take a weekend. It sits on the list for months because there is never a free weekend, and it slowly teaches you to ignore the list.

Write the first step instead. "Take the old paint cans to the recycling centre." That fits in an afternoon. When it is done, add the next step. A good test: could you finish this in one go, on an ordinary day?

If a job really has several parts that belong together, keep one todo and put a short checklist in the note underneath. The list stays tidy, and the detail is there when you open it.

Capture fast, sort later

A list only works if it holds everything. The moment something occurs to you, it should go on the list, even if the wording is rough. Ideas that wait to be "properly written up" tend not to be written at all.

This is why speed matters more than features. If adding a todo takes one tap and a line of text, you will do it at the bus stop. If it asks for a project, a date and a priority, you will do it later, which means never.

Rough captures are fine. Tidy the wording when you next look at the list.

Star what is urgent

Not every todo is equal, but you do not need a ranking system to show that. Mark the few things that are urgent right now. A single star is enough.

• Urgent means soon. Something with a consequence if it waits, like a form due this week.
• Important is not the same as urgent. Important things that can wait do not need a star. They need a place on the list.
• Keep the stars few. Three starred todos are a plan. Fifteen are a wish.

Clear the list regularly

Lists rot. Todos that made sense in spring look strange in autumn. Once a week, read the whole list and do one of three things with each todo:

1. Keep it if you still mean to do it.
2. Rewrite it if it is too vague or too big.
3. Delete it if you know you will not do it.

Deleting is not failing. It is the list becoming honest again. A short list of things you will actually do beats a long list of things you once considered.

What to leave off

Knowing how to make a to do list is also knowing what does not belong on it.

• Appointments. Anything at a fixed time goes in the calendar.
• Habits. "Drink more water" is not a task you finish.
• Reference information. Wi-Fi passwords and addresses belong in notes, not on the list.
• Someday dreams. "Learn Italian" can live elsewhere until there is a first step.

Keep the tool out of the way

The method matters more than the app. Still, the app can help or hinder. A good one lets you add a todo in a second, tick it off with a thumb, and see what is left without wading through settings. The guide on a minimalist to do list explains why fewer features often keep a list alive longer.

If you use an AI assistant, the same rules help it too. A clear verb and one thing per line make it easy for an agent to add a todo you mention, or check one off when you say it is done.

A quick checklist

• Does each todo start with a verb?
• Is each todo one thing?
• Could you finish it in one go?
• Are only a few todos starred?
• Did you clear out old todos this week?

If you want a place to put all this into practice, Very Simple Todo is a simple to do list app with one row to type a todo, a big checkbox, a star for the urgent ones, notes under any row, and no reminders pinging you. It costs $0.99 a month, and the first month is free.