If your to-do list feels like a never-ending dumpster fire of random tasks, you’re probably making the single biggest mistake possible:
You have one giant catch-all list.
Stop. That’s chaos disguised as productivity.
Here’s the system that actually works (the same one I’ve used for years and still swear by):
Create separate, smart lists instead of one monster list.
- Shopping – one list per store. Walmart, Costco, Trader Joe’s, pharmacy – wherever you actually shop at. Bonus: share the list with your spouse. Whoever walks in grabs exactly what’s needed. No more “I forgot the thing you texted me about.”
- Bills & Finances – a recurring reminder the day before any auto-payment hits. Keeps you from ever being surprised by your own money.
- Projects. Kitchen remodel, book launch, website redesign – everything that has multiple moving parts lives here, not scattered across your brain.
- Vacation / Packing. Start the list the moment you even think about a trip. By the time you leave, you’ll have zero “oh no, I forgot the charger” moments.
- Personal/Weekly repeating. Take out trash, water plants, call Mom – the stuff you don’t want to keep remembering.
Tools that make this stupid-easy in 2025
- Apple Reminders (free, built-in, shared lists, location-based alerts, natural language + AI parsing)
- Todoist or TickTick (cross-platform, recurring tasks, shared projects, AI quick-add)
- Notion databases if you want something prettier and more powerful
- Still love paper? Bullet Journal or Rocketbook works great – just commit to ONE system.
The golden rule: Use whatever actually works for YOU. Not what your favorite influencer uses. Not what looks cool. One source of truth. No hybrid Frankenstein systems.
Pick your tool, create your 5–7 smart lists today, and watch overwhelm disappear.
Your turn: open your app right now and create your first store-specific shopping list or vacation list.
Then leave a comment and tell me which list you just made.