Why Using a To Do List Could be Right For You

You will often hear me talking about time blocking and it is my favourite tool when it comes to organising and planning your time. Whether that’s in your day job, your side hustle or your personal life.

But if you’re one of the many people that feels overwhelmed at the thought of allocating their time in this way then this post is for you.  Looking at a full diary can feel daunting. Seeing that you have a task allocated for every hour of your day can feel very restrictive. You might look at it and instead of it being helpful, you just want to hide away and do nothing. That is not going to allow you to make progress with your side hustle.

And even I have to grudgingly admit that there are some advantages to using a to do list instead of time blocking. So if you’re sitting on the fence when it comes to how to organise your life so you can get everything done and make time for a side hustle, let’s look at the benefits of using a to do list, which might be the right thing for you.

A To Do List is Better Than Nothing

It may be obvious, but if you have a to do list at least you’ve got some idea of the tasks you need to get done each week. It’s a lot better than just some vague idea of what you want to achieve. If you don’t have a list you’ll just be making it up as you go along. Important tasks are likely to be missed and deadlines, if you have any, will come up very fast as you won’t have planned for them. So if you work from a to do list, there’s no need to beat yourself up for not time blocking, particularly if organising your life wasn’t something you even thought about in the past and you just woke up and did whatever you fancied, or what was the most urgent.

Flexibility and Adaptability

One of the main benefits of a to-do list is that it is flexible. Unlike time blocking, where your day is scheduled down to the minute, a to-do list allows you to prioritise tasks without being tied to specific time slots. You don’t have to do things at certain times, just some time in the day. This is especially useful if you have a day job where unexpected meetings, urgent tasks, or other disruptions are a daily occurrence. When you time block it can feel frustrating when you have to keep constantly rearranging your diary. When you use a list you simply put your tasks on hold and come back to them later. In your side hustle if an opportunity arises then you can work on that instead of feeling tied to what you planned to do when you time blocked your week. 

With a to-do list, you have the freedom to choose which tasks to do on the day depending on how you’re feeling. If you wake up feeling exhausted because you haven’t sleep well the thought of doing that difficult task on your calendar is going to make you procrastinate. Whereas if you can just do some simple tasks from your list, at least you’ll get something done. You won’t waste time arguing with yourself or trying to justify why you’re not doing what your calendar tells you.

Reduced Pressure and Stress

With time blocking, if tasks take you longer than expected you can feel stressed or start beating yourself up because you feel you should have worked more quickely.  A to-do list, on the other hand, is less rigid and doesn’t impose strict deadlines for each task. You can focus on completing items on your list at your own pace.

Simplicity and Ease of Use

A to-do list is one of the simplest productivity tools you can use. All it requires is a piece of paper and a pen. There’s no need for any fancy apps or complicated planning systems. This straightforward nature of a to-do list makes it easy to start each day with a clear sense of what needs to be done, but without the added complexity of time management tools, especially if tech isn’t your thing.

Allows Room for Creativity and Deep Work

Time blocking can sometimes stifle creativity as once you’re in the flow it might be more productive to continue with a task rather than to stop and do something else, just because your calendar tells you to do so. This is particularly valuable if your side hustle involves creative work, such as art or writing, where inspiration doesn’t always strike on schedule. You may also be in the middle of a mundane task and get an idea for something. You can follow that thought and start creating without feeling guilty about not doing what’s on your calendar.

Conclusion

So there we go. Whilst time blocking will always be my favourite tool, it’s not right for everyone. Using a to-do list instead will allow you to use a simple tool that allows for flexibility, could reduce stress and overwhelm and allows you to choose exactly what to do and when.

Don’t forget that more help with organising and planning your life is available in my free guide ‘Easy Ways to Make Time for a Side Hustle’. Click on the link to get your copy.