The Distracted Person’s Guide to Making Better To-Do Lists (5 Scientific Tips)

1️⃣ Pareto Principle: 80-20 Rule of Time Management

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a principle that states that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. It is named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that roughly 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.

In personal time management, the Pareto Principle can be used to help identify the most important tasks and activities to focus on, and to prioritize them over less important tasks.

This can help to increase efficiency and productivity by allowing you to focus on the tasks that will have the greatest impact.

Here are a few examples of how the Pareto Principle might be applied in time management:

1. Prioritizing tasks: An individual might use the Pareto Principle to identify the 20% of their tasks that are most important and prioritize them over less important tasks. This can help to ensure that the most important tasks are completed first and that the individual is using their time effectively.
2. Reducing distractions: An individual might use the Pareto Principle to identify the 20% of distractions that are most disruptive and work to eliminate or minimize them. This can help to increase productivity and focus by reducing the number of distractions that the individual encounters.
3. Managing email: An individual might use the Pareto Principle to identify the 20% of emails that are most important and prioritize them over less important emails. This can help to ensure that the most important emails are responded to promptly and that the individual is using their time effectively.
4. Managing meetings: A team might use the Pareto Principle to identify the 20% of meetings that are most important and prioritize them over less important meetings. This can help to ensure that the team is using their time effectively and that important decisions are being made in a timely manner.

2️⃣ Eisenhower Matrix: Urgency Trap

The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, is a tool used to prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. It was developed by former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was known for his effective time management skills.

How is Eisenhower Matrix different from the Pareto Principle?

Pareto Principle focuses only on task importance. Eisenhower Matrix focuses on both importance and urgency. The Pareto principle gives the big picture view of 20% most important tasks and 20% most disruptive distractions. Eisenhower matrix covers and classifies all tasks.

Here are a few real-life examples of how the Eisenhower Matrix can be used to prioritize tasks:

1. A student has a paper due in two days, a math test in three days, and a history project due in a week. The paper and math test are both in Quadrant 1 (urgent and important) because they need to be done immediately and are critical to the student’s academic success. The history project is in Quadrant 2 (important but not urgent) because it is important but does not need to be done right away. The student should prioritize the paper and math test first and then work on the history project as time allows.
2. A business owner has a meeting with a new client in two hours, a staff meeting in four hours, and a budget report due in a week. The meeting with the new client is in Quadrant 1 (urgent and important) because it needs to be done immediately and is important to the success of the business. The staff meeting is in Quadrant 3 (urgent but not important) because it needs to be done quickly, but it is not as important as the meeting with the new client. The budget report is in Quadrant 2 (important but not urgent) because it is important, but it does not need to be done right away. The business owner should prioritize the meeting with the new client first, then the staff meeting, and then work on the budget report as time allows.
3. An employee has a deadline for a project in two days, a presentation to prepare for in four days, and a company newsletter to write in a week. The project deadline is in Quadrant 1 (urgent and important) because it needs to be done immediately and is critical to the employee’s job performance. The presentation is in Quadrant 2 (important but not urgent) because it is important, but it does not need to be done right away. The newsletter is in Quadrant 3 (urgent but not important) because it needs to be done quickly, but it is not as important as the project or the presentation. The employee should prioritize the project deadline first, then the presentation, and then work on the newsletter as time allows.
4. A bakery owner has a delivery to make in two hours, a catering order to prepare in four hours, and a new menu to design in a week. They also have a meeting with a local food blogger scheduled for next week to discuss a potential collaboration. The meeting with the food blogger is in Quadrant 4 (neither urgent nor important) because it is neither pressing nor important to the bakery’s operations. It could potentially be safely ignored or delegated to someone else, freeing up time for the more pressing and important tasks in Quadrants 1 and 2.

To-do-list apps like TickTick provide an Eisenhower matrix feature in-built. You can use TickTick for prioritizing tasks and maintaining effective to-do lists synced across all your devices.

3️⃣ Pomodoro Technique: Focused Bursts of Action

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It involves breaking down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are called “Pomodoros.”

What is the scientific basis for the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.

• Researchers have found that sustained attention to a task without breaks makes the brain tune out.
• Consequently, evidence suggests that breaks help you stay focused.
• By reducing the time between rewards (breaks), Pomodoros reinforce our drive to complete our tasks.
• Breaks should not be too long and should relax our cognitive abilities (take short walks, avoid phones – for example).
• Pomodoro works as an antidote to Parkinson’s law. By timeboxing our tasks, we get more done in less time.

“From decades of research on learning and behavior, we know that the shorter the time between reinforcements (rewards), the stronger the drive to complete that behavior and gain the reward.”
– Dr. Gazzaley & Dr. Rosen, neuroscientists in their book “The Distracted Mind”.

4️⃣ The Zeigarnik Effect: Task Tension, Planning & Recall

The Zeigarnik Effect is a psychological phenomenon stating that people tend to remember incomplete tasks more easily than completed tasks. It was first described by Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik in the 1920s.

The Zeigarnik Effect suggests that unfinished tasks tend to stick in our minds, causing us to feel a sense of cognitive dissonance or discomfort called task-specific tension. This discomfort can motivate us to complete the tasks in order to resolve the cognitive dissonance and achieve a sense of closure.

The Zeigarnik Effect can be useful for helping us to remember important tasks and stay motivated to complete them. However, it can also be a source of stress if we have too many unfinished tasks on our plate.

How to stop intrusive thoughts about undone tasks?

Research indicates that the mere act of planning our next steps for a task relieves task-specific tension. In such cases, it may be helpful to break large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, or to use tools such as the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency.

How to use the Zeignarik effect to make effective to-do lists?

Break large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps: By breaking larger tasks into smaller steps, you can make progress on the task without feeling overwhelmed.

This will help you to feel a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step, and the Zeigarnik Effect will help you to remember the incomplete tasks and stay motivated to complete them.

The task-specific tension from the Zeignarik effect can be used for better recall or as a push to get back to work. The Pomodoro technique can be used to divide our tasks such that they can be done in chunks. Eisenhower matrix can be used to decide the priority of our tasks.

How to use the Zeignarik effect for better recall?

The Zeigarnik effect occurs because when a task is interrupted, it remains active in our memory, creating a sense of incompleteness that drives us to complete the task. On the other hand, when a task is completed, it is no longer active in our memory, which makes it more difficult to recall later.

There are several ways that the Zeigarnik effect can be used to improve recall:

1. Interrupt your study sessions with breaks: Instead of studying for long periods of time, try breaking your study sessions into shorter intervals with breaks in between. This will help to keep the material active in your memory, increasing the likelihood of recall.
2. Take notes while learning: Taking notes while learning can help to keep the material active in your memory and can serve as a helpful review tool later on. Reading your notes will re-generate task-specific tension.
3. Review material regularly: Regular review of material can help to keep it active in your memory, increasing the likelihood of recall.

Overall, the Zeigarnik effect suggests that by keeping tasks active in our memory, we can improve our ability to recall them later.

5️⃣ Gamification: Rewards & Penalties

Gamification is the use of game design elements and mechanics in non-game contexts, such as business or education, to encourage engagement and motivate behavior change.

In the context of creating better to-do lists, gamification can help to make the process of organizing and completing tasks more enjoyable and rewarding.

Here are a few ways you might use gamification to make a better to-do list:

1. Set clear goals and rewards: For example, you might set a goal to complete 10 tasks in a week and reward yourself with a treat or activity that you enjoy, such as a movie night or a day at the beach.
2. Use a points system: Create a points system to track your progress as you complete tasks on your to-do list. You might earn points for each task completed, or for completing certain categories of tasks. You could then use your points to unlock rewards or achievements or to compete with yourself or others to see who can earn the most points.
3. Use a task tracker or app: Use a task tracker or app that includes gamification elements to help you stay motivated and on track. Many task trackers and apps include features such as points systems, rewards, and competitions to help you stay engaged and motivated as you work through your to-do list.
4. Create a game or challenge: Turn the process of creating and completing a to-do list into a game or challenge. For example, you might create a scavenger hunt-style challenge where you have to complete tasks in order to unlock new levels or challenges.

By using gamification techniques, you can make the process of creating and completing a to-do list more enjoyable and rewarding, which can help to increase your productivity and focus.

Forest and Flora are two plant-themed gamified Pomodoro timer apps you can install to instantly incorporate Pomodoro and gamification into your productivity arsenal. They plant trees (virtual and real) when you complete Pomodoros.