Writing a daily to-do list can be your best friend or your worst enemy. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you cross off the last item on your to-do’s. It leaves you feeling accomplished, productive and ready to take on anything.

But sometimes, with work, family and other real-life obligations, achieving our daily goals can leave us feeling a bit overwhelmed. Which is why we’ve created a list of tricks you can use to stay on agenda.

Identify three top priorities each day

Once you’ve finished writing out your to-do list, highlight three things that you must accomplish in order to be productive and priority-focused that day. Once you’ve completed these tasks, you may find it easier to take on a few more tasks each day.

Estimate how much time each task will take

If you find yourself with a bit of down time throughout the day, take this time to knock-off a few of the easy items on your to-do list. You can do this by estimating how much time each task will likely take you to complete. When you have longer periods of time, you can then focus on some of the heavier, more time-consuming tasks.

Focus on one thing at a time

Too often, we find ourselves making to-do lists with every thought that comes to our minds, which leads to long and sometimes too detailed lists which can be a little intimidating. The key to an effective to-do list is to prioritize your list and then focus on a single task at a time. And more importantly, don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at the length of the list!

Schedule each action item on your calendar

To-do lists are only as effective as the amount of effort we put behind it! The best way to get things done is to schedule them into your calendar. When you know something needs to be done, set aside some time in your day to do it. This is especially helpful for those of us who forget about the small things that have to get done.

Organizing your tasks with a daily to-do list can make things feel much more manageable in your day-to-day. Having a clear outline of your completed and uncompleted tasks can help you stay focused and feel productive. If you’re someone who struggles with productivity and completing tasks throughout your day, try a few of these tips and let us know how they work for you!