Many of us are great at adding tasks to our to-do lists.

But when it comes to actually working through them… that’s the challenge.

Let me share 7 tips that will help.

#1: Prioritize at a high level.

When you’re looking at your task list, you shouldn’t have to think hard about what to do next.

Your next task should be obvious.

If you’re not sure what your priority should be, you need to take a little time to update your list of goals and settle on the action steps you’ll take in the next 3 months.

If you don’t do this, you’ll just have a random assortment of 226 tasks to choose from, and you’ll get stuck in decision fatigue.

#2: Start each day with intention.

Take 5-10 minutes each morning to consciously choose what you’ll work on. Don’t just roll over yesterday’s unfinished tasks or react to whatever is in your inbox.

Proactively decide what deserves your attention today.

And keep your to-do list reasonable. It’s better to list 3–4 tasks you’ll definitely complete (and to add more later, if you have time) than to disappoint yourself every day.

#3: Most dates aren’t really “due dates”.

Here’s a mindset shift: the dates you assign to tasks are usually “start dates”. They represent when you plan to work on something.

Track actual, hard deadlines—with serious consequences—separately.

Most good task managers let you do this with a built-in feature. If your app of choice does not, add a note like “hard deadline: June 15” to the task.

This simple change removes the artificial pressure of fake due dates while ensuring you don’t miss real ones.

#4: Close small open loops first.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, identify the small- and medium-sized tasks that are hanging over your head.

These “open loops”—like scheduling that dentist appointment or responding to that week-old email—create mental noise.

Set aside a focused block of time to knock out as much of these smaller tasks as you can. You might just be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can actually work through them.

#5: The weekly review is your secret weapon.

Schedule 30–60 minutes each week (for example, on Sundays) to maintain your system.

Process your inboxes, review your projects, and plan ahead.

Even a quick 10-minute review is better than no review at all.

I’ve seen this single habit transform how the people I work with relate to their to-do list.

#6: Let go of stale tasks.

Take a hard look at the tasks that have been sitting on your list for months or even years.

If you haven’t done them by now, you probably won’t do them in the future.

And that’s fine.

During your weekly review, be ruthless about deleting tasks that no longer align with your goals or priorities. This isn’t about giving up; it’s about making space for what truly matters.

#7: Define “good enough” for each project.

Here’s a technique we do in detail in my course Big-Picture Productivity.

It’s particularly helpful for people who struggle with procrastination or perfectionism.

For any important project, write down three things:

1. Which outcome would be “not good enough”?
2. What would be “perfect”?
3. And what would be “good enough”?

Then aim squarely for “good enough”.

This simple technique has helped so many people actually finish their projects instead of staying stuck.

Finally, I want to leave you with this:

You’ll never complete everything on your to-do list.

And that’s okay.

Having more things you want to do than time to do them is a sign of a rich life. Let’s be grateful for that.

Happy Sunday.

​

P.S. If you found this helpful, consider forwarding it to a friend or colleague who might benefit.