This Is What a Perfect To-Do List Looks Like

Time management is actually attention management

Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

Balance is as much about managing your attention as is it about managing your day. A little bit of planning goes a long way. Creating a strong outline for a sustainable schedule not only allows you to catch your breath, but it also ensures that you’re aware of how and where you’re allocating your time. The bestselling author, national news anchor, and podcast host, Nicole Lapin offers the following strategies for crafting the perfect to-do list:

1. Prioritize your to-do list by looking at what’s already scheduled for the day and identifying nonnegotiables.
2. Procrastinate. Put things that aren’t time-sensitive on the list for tomorrow (or later).
3. Look at which of the remaining tasks align with your goals and eliminate those that don’t. Then rank the ones that are left in descending order of priority.
4. Eat the frog. Mark Twain supposedly said, “If it’s your job to eat the frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” In other words, check off the biggest or most dreaded tasks first.
5. Pay attention to your body clock and how you feel at different times of the day so you can plan your…