You may have heard that working form a to-do list everyday can save you up to two hours of work time each day. Some may argue the amount of time a to-do list can save, but a to-do list will certainly save time. Two things to remember for your daily to-do list: write it out the night before and write it out on paper.

If you write out your to-do list the night before, your subconscious mind will be working over the list all night long. Your subconscious mind is much more powerful and capable than you conscious mind. It is your subconscious mind that makes your heart beat and lungs breath. When you allow your subconscious mind to work over your to-do list for the next day, you’ll be surprised at some of the great creative ideas you can wake up with. The other benefit of writing the list the night before is that when you get in to work the next day, you already know what you’ll be working on and you don’t need to take any time to get things figured out.

I’ve used a couple different computer based to-do list programs, but none of them have ever worked nearly as well as writing out the list on paper. When you write the list out on paper, a connection is made between what you are writing and your subconscious mind. That connection simply isn’t made, at least not made as strongly, when you use a computer or smart phone based to-do list. When you complete a task on your list and cross it of, there is an emotional rush that you feel that you won’t get by checking a button on a computer screen.

If you are not currently using a daily to-do list, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Start tonight and make a list of the things you need to do tomorrow and write that list on a sheet of paper. After a few days you will look forward to filling out your to-do list each night and crossing them all off the next day.

Now I can cross “Write blog about to-do lists” of my to-do list for the day.