Study tip: use a to-do list

To-do lists are so important to productivity and time management because they allow your brain to focus on what is in front of it—be it homework, enjoyment, talking to someone, whatever—and not be distracted by trying to remember everything else it needs to do. If you have a system in place to write down what you need to do, and you regularly go back to that list, then your mind stops spending so much energy and trying to juggle all that information. A lot of you stress comes not from things you’re doing, but things your brain is trying to remember to do later. You can better focus on the task at hand and feel less stress if you use a good to-do list.

Think of this example: someone gives you their phone number, and you need to call that number in exactly one hour. You can write that phone number down and set a timer, or you can try to memorize it and watch the clock. If you write it down and set a timer, you now have an hour to do other things without worrying that you’ll forget the phone number or forget to call. If you try to memorize it and watch the clock, that’s all you’ll be doing for the next hour, and you’re still likely to mess up the number.

Each task you’re assigned, for school or otherwise, is like getting a phone number. Write it down in a place you’ll know you can retrieve it, and your mind is much less focused on trying to keep the details. If you write it down or have it written down for you, but you don’t trust the system for keeping it—because you never check your to-do list or are often losing papers—then it’s the same as not writing it down at all as far as your brain is concerned.

There are lots of ideas out there for how to write and use a to-do list. I’d be happy to share my system with you if you’re interested. The important thing is to find a system that works for you and use it. Who doesn’t need better focus and less stress?