The Effective Weekly To-Do List Template

Learning this effective weekly to-do list template has helped me out not only in my personal life but also with work and working on the blog!

Before I used to keep a flip notepad with 26 lines that I filled up with bulleted tasks every single week. The space was so small in-between the lines that it would be hard to distinguish tasks from each other. A sea of black ink would emerge when I accomplished anything because I would cross out the items. In the end, it didn’t even look like I accomplished anything because there was ink all over the notepad. By the end of the week, the page would be a dark void of productivity.

Yet, I still kept a to-do list. The benefits outweighed the pain.

Many people keep to-do lists in this manner. Huffpost found that 41% of tasks on a to-do list are never accomplished. This is because people do not have an effective weekly to-do list template.

Instead, they keep their unorganized laundry list of tasks that never get accomplish which are pushed to next week. This is why traditional to-do lists of bullet points are not effective.

The Drawbacks of a Traditional To-Do List

Anxiety: To-do lists can be a source of anxiety, and they are not for everyone. “People who feel self-doubt at the end of the day and worry about what didn’t get accomplished might have more luck using a got-done list” found procrastination researcher Dr. Timothy Pychyl. Dr. Pychyl recommends using “Got-done lists” where you write down all you accomplished in the day to combat the feelings you didn’t do anything. Keeping a got-done list is also a beneficial habit to do in addition to learning the effective weekly to-do list template.

Inflexible: Beyond the anxiety, traditional to-do lists are inefficient. Bullets are usually organized with high-priority tasks at the top. However, if there is a sudden change in tasking, the list has to be thrown out and a new one re-written. Or have several arrows drawn around which only adds to the confusion of the list.

Lack of prioritization: a to-do list could be organized out in terms of top priorities at the top, but without clear distinction, everything can seem like a priority in a list with 26 items clustered together. Also, because tasks aren’t completed sequentially, the sheet can be fractured. The top task could be finished, along with item 17 and 23. Having a to-do list that is fractured can add to the feeling that you aren’t doing enough, or are not working in the right order.

The Benefits of a To-Do list

Increased productivity: back in the 1920s, a psychologist named Bluma Zeigarnik found a phenomenon in the brain where the act of planning activities through “to-do” lists reduces the burden on the brain. Thus, liberating the mind from having to worry about unfinished tasks. This “Zeigarnik Effect” is the equivalent of the brain dumping all that needs to get done onto paper. This brain dump then lets the mind focus on executing these tasks or other high priority items instead of just trying to remember all the things that need to get done.

Organization: when tasks are organized effectively, there becomes a structure and flow to the to-do list. Laying out goals and prioritizing tasks within those goals is an effective method for getting results. In his cult classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey has his method where he breaks his to-do lists down into urgent vs. not urgent, important vs. not important. Then, he breaks those tasks down into smaller tasks if needed. See the matrix below to see how you can think of and prioritize your tasks.

Proper Prioritization: There is only so much time in a day to accomplish work. Without a properly laid-out to-do list, high-value tasks are misplaced among easier tasks. By forcing ourselves to identify the high priority tasks, it becomes easier to see where your effort, energy, and time should be focused. Think of the Pareto Principle when assigning values to tasks. Which 20% of activities generate 80% of the positive results?

Also, you can ask yourself this one question every morning to help you figure out what the priority for the day is.

The Effective Weekly To-do list method

During 2020 I was still using the same old to-do list method, and it wasn’t working after college. I used to organize myself based on school and work items. After college, my time was allowed to be spent more liberally. I decided I needed help in prioritizing my time away from work. My girlfriend (now fiancee) recommended I get a Passion Planner.

The Passion Planner focuses on aligning every day to long-term goals. It works off the compound effect idea were working a little every day on your goals can greatly improve your life.

Note: this is not a sponsored post – I get nothing for promoting the Passion Planner. I just think it is a great tool and really helped me and wanted to share it with you!

Below is the weekly to-do list that is provided for every week of the year in the journal.

Why it Works

Laying out my tasks like this has resulted in many benefits.

Separates personal life and work-life: The to-do list encourages work-life balance and allows for both those areas to have their respective items that need to be completed. Helping ensure that both professional and personal development is expanding each week.

It is a weekly list: Daily to-do lists have to be continually created and re-written. By having a week overview, the to-do list only has to be written once a week which forces taking the week as a whole, not as an endless stream of days.

Forces prioritization: There are only four spots for high priority items. Only having limited space forces consideration of the 20% of tasks that will generate 80% of the results each week.

Leaves rooms for errands: I consider errands tasks that need to be done but fall outside of the important classification. Examples include going grocery shopping or updating banking information. Chores need to be done every week to maintain life but do not usually lead to larger goals. This to-do list leaves room for them, where most to-do lists completely leave this section out.

Allows a sense of progression: the little box can is used for date deadlines or a checkmark. I like to checkmark off tasks. Checking off tasks lets the accomplishment still stay visible, no more black void, while still showing the task is done. As the week passes by, it is rewarding to see the checkmarks start to fill the high priority boxes. 

Considerations on To-Do items

Use specific tasks when filling in the box. For instance, instead of “think of a side hustle” in one of the personal priority boxes, write in something more specific and tangible. Such as “ideate side hustles that align with skills and interests,” this will provide much more clarity and has a definite beginning and end to the task.

Note: if you are looking to start a side hustle, check out these 9 questions to help yourself figure out which side hustle would work for you.

Keep in mind the larger goals. Being productive and getting tasks done is wonderful. Just keep in mind the larger goals you have in your life. Align your day to day and weekly goals to these larger tasks.

While still accomplishing responsibilities: As much fun as it would be to throw-off responsibility and run full-throttle towards our goals, we need to keep in mind the things we need to get done to maintain the current life. That means tackling less-than-glamorous tasks at work (while still trying to work towards that next role), laundry, and trips to the grocery. Keep in mind accomplishing these tasks, and relish in their completion because errands are a part of life too.

It is okay not everything gets done. Even with the pressure to “go go go”, it is okay if not everything gets done. Just focus on your priorities and try the best you can!

Main Take-Aways

• To-do lists work in theory, but if poorly designed, they can cause anxiety, and be detrimental to getting work accomplished.
• Learning the effective weekly to-do list template revolves around separating tasks into appropriate buckets, then related sub-buckets, and then making the tasks actionable.
• Weekly goals should align to larger goals, and slowly, week by week, we will be quietly working towards building a life aligned to what we want.

Action Item

Plan your next week. Use the above method. Break out personal to-dos from work to-dos. Think of your larger goals and align the week to those tasks, while keeping in mind current responsibilities and errands. At the end of the week, compare this method with your old to-do list method. What worked, and what do you wish was carried over? Use this as inspiration to make a method that works for you!