Some people come by list-making more naturally than others, but today I’d like to share with you the power of keeping an Eternal To Do list. Rather than being an overwhelming Sisyphean mountain you’ll never climb (and designed to break your will) the Eternal To Do List is an invaluable tool for tackling your goals one crossed-off item at a time.

There are a couple things that make my list technique different from others you may have read about:

— I write it at night, before I go to bed.
— I keep it in one bound volume: a chronological notebook of my progress

There’s a method to my madness.

For one thing, try as I might, my brain just doesn’t operate at its highest peak during my first waking hours. Biorhythms are a thing (see also circadian rhythm). For perspective, think of biorhythms as the month-at-a-glance calendar and circadian rhythms are your day-to-day lived experience. Speaking personally, I’ve learned through trial and error (mostly error), that my brain just isn’t firing on all cylinders until about 10 a.m.

So for me to write a to do list first thing when I wake up wouldn’t be very helpful. My brain would be foggy. My goal-setting would be skewed and the danger of my forgetting something important is significant. I would also probably spend too much time frittering away on unimportant tasks or time-wasters.

Therefore, to increase my effectiveness and productivity, I write my list at night. Before I shut my brain off for the day, I spend a moment reviewing what I accomplished that day, noting on my list the tasks that remain to be done. At this time of day, my brain is focused and decisive. The undone items go on tomorrow’s to do list as a priority item. Using Mark Twain’s phrase, these are the “frogs that need to be eaten” before I begin other tasks.

While many digital means of list-making exist, I recommend a handwritten version for the simple reason that writing something carves it into your brain, thus helping you remember it better.

The second secret of my Eternal To Do List: By keeping the list in one volume, I’m able to notice which tasks keep getting bumped forward — the tasks that never seem to get done. This gives me an opportunity to explore why those tasks keep getting put off.

— What am I avoiding?
— What is the root of my procrastination?
— Am I able to actually do this item on my list? Should I delegate it?
— Do I really want to do this item? Is it something I’ve allowed someone to guilt me into doing?

If you’re super fancy, you can create sub-categories for your list: family, work, play, side hustles, dreams, hobbies etc., but if you’re just starting out, I’d recommend keeping it simple.

Speaking of keeping it simple, your list should have no more than five items at a time. Too many items means that you’ve got too many plates spinning and are probably stretching yourself too thin. Perhaps you’ve heard of the professor and the pebbles in the jar lecture? If not, briefly recapping: a professor stands before his class, asking if a jar is full (as he adds golf balls, pebbles, sand and beer to the jar). Keep your list focused on your golf balls — the big stuff first.

Another analogy that I think of when using my Eternal To Do List? “Inch by inch it’s a cinch. Yard by yard, it’s hard.” By focusing on the day to day, you’ll find that your big goals manifest in your life faster than you think they will.

You’ve got this!

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