If there is a to-do-free solution to mastering your day, I’ll find it, but I suspect there isn’t, which leaves us with the trusty daily to-do list as an essential tool to mastering our days.

However, to-do lists are not created equal in terms of helping us get things done, and most importantly getting the right things done. Some are so boring you want to cry just looking at them, so last year, for the holidays, I gave you a wealth of different formats for your task list, so you can find one that inspires you to make your to-do list and to use it too. But format is just one of the steps to make your to-do list productive for you.

HOW you write it and WHAT you write (format-wise) is just as important for success, and there are four very common mistakes people make that make or break your to-do list:

• There are too many items on your list. Let’s be honest. There is no way that you will complete a to-do list that has 30 items for the day, unless they all are 5-minute tasks. Yet, too often, clients show me this kind of to-do list when we start working on this topic. Not being able to complete it makes them feel like they are not working hard enough, not working well enough, or not using their time right. But they simply had unrealistic expectations for their day. So one of the first thing I have every client do is limit the number of items on their to-do list.

• Your to-do lists consists of projects rather than tasks. If your to-do list has projects on it (kitchen renovation or 2012 marketing budget, for instance) instead of (or along with) single tasks, such as “call 3 reference of contractor X” or “get 2011 P&L from Lynn”, those projects will remain on your to-do list for many days. That sends the message to your subconscious that you are not moving forward on this project, no matter how much your conscious knows that you have been doing related tasks. As a result, as time goes by, you may start to berate yourself for not having completed the project, you may start to avoid the project altogether (procrastination), etc. If your to-do list, on the other hand, consists of tasks that can be completed in a day, you will have a feeling of accomplishment (“I crossed something off my list”) and will be able to see that you are moving forward.

• Your to-do’s are not action oriented. When your to-do list consists of things like “2011 P&L” or “contractor references”, it is not very inspiring or informative. What do you need to do about the 2011 P&L? Do you need to get references from the contractor, call them, or something else? Once you ask yourself the question, you probably know what you meant by these, but those to-do’s require you to think about them, and do not trigger action. It has been shown that when to-do’s are written with action verbs “ask Lynn 2011 P&L”, “Call contractor references”, we are 25% more likely to take the action than if they are phrased in neutral, passive terms.

• The tasks on your to-do list are vague or multi-step. For instance, let’s say your to-do is “write thank you cards”. It’s an appropriate to-do if you already have the cards, the pen, the envelope and the stamps in your drawer. On the other hand, if you need to go out and buy the card, you may run into trouble. At a subconscious level, you know that there are steps to take before you can do this, and so you will avoid or postpone the task. Writing your immediate next step, i.e. “go to store and get card” is much more likely to actually get done, which means that the card is much more likely actually to get written.

Voilà!

You now have a to-do list that will inspire you to get things done, without unnecessary procrastination, hesitation, worry, or time lost. And if you want more of this type of ways to get more done, in less time, all the while eliminating your stress, get the 5-Minute Time Management Solution. It’s full of tips like this one, that take very little time to implement and make a big difference to your day.