7-Day “To-Do List” Productivity Plan

It’s easy to say: “manage your to do list and you’ve got everything covered!” But what happens if you can’t even manage your to do list and arrange that in a manner that will be completed, what do you do?

The key insight here is that when your to-do list feels unmanageable, the problem usually isn’t time management – it’s decision fatigue and being overwhelmed. Remember, your brain is a muscle; and it needs a good workout to grow but also some downtime to rest. When you’ve got so many things to do, it becomes overwhelmed with what needs to be done.

Now, the most important thing to remember is that this isn’t about becoming perfect at productivity. It’s about reducing the mental weight of unfinished tasks so you can focus on what actually matters to you.

We’re going to work on  a 7-day plan that tackles the psychological barriers first, then builds a practical system that is both easy to use and functional. If you jumped on my Tik Tok account, you would have received notices of these daily videos.

Trust the journey—victories await along the way!

What you will need:

1. Pen
2. Highlighter (to highlight the item when it’s done)
3. Book – to write down your to-do list
4. Timer (anything to remind you you’re time is up will do)

Emergency Protocols for when you feel overwhelmed: 

1. Stop and breathe for 1 minute
2. Pick the easiest task visible and do it
3. Cross it off dramatically
4. Choose the next easiest task

Or When You Can’t Start:

1. Set a timer for 10 minutes
2. Work on anything for just those 10 minutes
3. Give yourself permission to stop after 10 minutes
4. Often, you’ll want to continue, but stopping is okay too

**Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

• One small win: Complete at least one task, no matter how tiny
• Progress over perfection: Doing something imperfectly is better than doing nothing perfectly
• Rest without guilt: Schedule downtime like any other important appointment
• Celebrate small victories: Acknowledge what you accomplished, however small

With these taken care of and keeping them in mind, let’s start!

Day 1: The Great Purge – Focus: Clear the mental clutter

• Morning (15 minutes): Do a “brain dump” – write down everything you think you need to do, no matter how small or ridiculous. Don’t organize, just get it all out.
• Afternoon (20 minutes): Go through your brain dump and cross out anything that’s no longer relevant, unrealistic, or someone else’s responsibility.
• Evening: Choose one easy 5-minute task from what remains and do it. Just one.
• Success metrics: You have everything written down and you completed one small task.  **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

The idea is to declutter your mind and put down in writing, that way, you don’t have to think about all of them all the time.

Day 2: The Reality Check – Focus: Separate urgent from imaginary urgent

• Morning (10 minutes): From yesterday’s purged list, identify 3 things that absolutely must happen this week or there will be real consequences.
• Afternoon: Work on one of those 3 things for just 25 minutes. Set a timer.
• Evening (10 minutes): Write down what you accomplished and how it felt. This builds momentum.
• Success metric: You know what’s truly urgent and made progress on it. **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

We sometimes think – or are told – that “this thing” is urgent when in reality, the urgency is within THEIR perspective and not ours. We need to review and make sure that anything deemed urgent is worked on because it is – not because we think it is.

Day 3: The Energy Audit – Focus: Match tasks to your natural rhythms

• All day: Notice when you feel most alert, creative, and focused. Note these times.
• Morning: Do one administrative task (emails, scheduling, organizing) when your energy is lower.
• Peak energy time: Tackle the most challenging item from your “must do” list.
• Evening: Plan tomorrow based on your energy patterns.
• Success metric: You worked with your energy, not against it. **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

We all have ups and downs during the day. Times where we seem so productive that nothing can stop us! Other times, well, no amount of coffee can seem to get us out of our daydreaming! That’s ok, we need to realize that we can’t be running at 110% all day.

Day 4: The Two-Minute Rule – Focus: Clear small tasks immediately

• Throughout the day: If something takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately instead of adding it to your list.
• Morning (15 minutes): Go through your list and knock out 3-5 two-minute tasks.
• Afternoon: Focus on one medium-sized task (20-30 minutes) from your priority list.
• Success metric: Your list is shorter and you feel less scattered. **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

Small tasks usually take a small amount of time to get them done. If you’re not sure about how much time it will take, think about how much time it took if this is a recurring task? Ask around, colleagues or mentors can probably give you a heads-up as to how much time it can take.

 Day 5: The Support System – Focus: You don’t have to do everything yourself

• Morning: Identify 2-3 tasks you could delegate, ask for help with, or eliminate entirely.
• Midday: Actually reach out for help on one of these items.
• Afternoon: Work on a task that only you can do.
• Evening: Celebrate asking for help – this is a strength, not a weakness.
• Success metric: You asked for help and worked on something meaningful to you. **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

This is where having a mentor and/or a support group can’t be overstated. The benefits of guidance, support, and having a diverse perspective generally outweighs the potential drawbacks that may come from asking.

Day 6: The Batch Processing – Focus: Group similar tasks together

• Morning: Group similar tasks (all phone calls, all emails, all errands) and do them in batches.
• Afternoon: Complete one batch entirely rather than switching between different types of tasks.
• Evening: Prepare for tomorrow by identifying what you’ll batch next.
• Success metric: You experienced the efficiency of focused work blocks. **Daily Non-Negotiables (All 7 Days)**

Remember to block times for these specific tasks. The ding we hear when an email comes in is like a drug and phone manufacturers definitely know that. If you can’t stop looking at your phone when an email comes in, turn it off during these blocked times! You need to focus on getting this task done – you can only do it by making sure you’re not disturbed.

Day 7: The System Setup – Focus: Create a sustainable routine

• Morning (20 minutes): Choose your to-do list method – phone app, notebook, or digital tool. Pick ONE.
• Afternoon: Set up your chosen system with categories that make sense for your life.
• Evening (15 minutes): Plan the next week using your new system. Include both tasks and rest time. Don’t forget to BLOCK time for periods where you need to focus and not be disturbed. Over time, people will remember these and you’ll see a lot less calls and emails during those times.
• Success metric: You now have a simple system you can actually continue to use and get things done!

I use the pen, highlighter, book and a small timer but there are definitely other apps and ways to create your to-do daily routine – you just need to find it, make it your own and continue to use it day-in, day-out, week-in and week-out until it’s part of your daily routine!

Weekly Maintenance (After Day 7)

• Sunday evening: 15-minute weekly review and planning
• Daily: 5-minute morning check-in with your priorities
• Monthly: Evaluate what’s working and adjust your system

Remember: The goal isn’t to become a productivity machine. It’s to reduce the mental load of unfinished tasks so you have more energy for what matters most to you. I’ve found that this method works for me because it also let’s me get that “hamster in my head” to stop spinning that wheel all the time! (believe me, he’s definitely in great shape after all the running he’s been doing!).

Trust the journey—victories await along the way!

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Together, let’s leverage the proven methods from Dean Holland’s Affiliate System to create a sustainable income stream.