It’s safe to say we’re all pretty much sold on the to-do list.

While most of us keep to-do lists to help us remember what we actually need to get done, staying on top of them, and ticking off items, can be a nightmare.



Founder of The Muse, Alex Cavoulacos, recommends breaking your mammoth list of tasks down to a daily 1-3-5 list to help you work through those to-dos…

“On any given day, assume that you can only accomplish one big thing, three medium things, and five small things… Before leaving work, take a few minutes to define your 1-3-5 for the next day, so you’re ready to hit the ground running in the morning.”

By limiting yourself to just one big task a day, you should be able to free up some time to work on those smaller items you find you never get around to usually.

How do you tackle your to-do list? Share your experiences in the comments below.

This hack is part of a series of weekly workplace hacks that teaches you about collaboration, productivity and time saving tips. Published every Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Alan Kleina via Compfight cc