Home Maintenance – What Should be on a Daily to Do List?
Jotting down a few notes about your day’s tasks is a good start. But without a proper system to list and track your daily to do list, how many of those home—or work—chores may get forgotten? Use our tips on what details should be on a dynamic daily to do list and turn your notes into an actionable system that gets things done.
Lists. They don’t necessarily inspire joy in most people but they’re essential to keep a home running—or a business for that matter. Wherever you need some order in your life, a list of things to do can be an excellent tool to avoid utter chaos.
But there are some secrets to making a daily to do list effective. Without these key factors, it may simply be a list that gets longer and longer and starts haunting your dreams.
Is yours troubling your sleep already? We’re here to show you how to get it right.
8 Details that MUST be on a Daily to Do List
When you add the right details to a daily to do list, you’re helping both yourself and those who need to help you get it sorted. The features listed below help prevent misunderstandings, streamline workflows and ensure the work gets done according to your standards.
At last! To do lists that help you reach your goals!
Use Actionable Milestones, not Vague Goals
Firstly, understand that your daily to do list is not a vision board. It’s the list of activities you create after planning what you want your lifestyle to be like.
For example, it’s not enough to mention ‘have a beautiful garden’ or even ‘family time’ on a to do list. What exactly does it take to make those goals a reality? Everything from buying seeds and cutting grass to renting a movie or making popcorn needs to be on a to do list.
Use Your Verbs
Here’s a practical tip to make tasks actionable in order to reach those goals you dream of.
The basic foundation of a to do lists is to showcase tasks that someone must complete. Think creatively before simply jotting down a keyword related to the work. How you state a certain task can actually affect how that job gets done in the end.
Start off by adding verbs to the start of each task. For some it will subconsciously act as motivation to jump into action. Furthermore, it helps individuals plan time schedulesand prepare mentally for what their task lists expect of them. In many cases it can also avoid confusion about what exactly you expect.
Some examples as explanation:
Due Dates for Everything
The easiest way to procrastinate is if you feel a task isn’t ‘that’ urgent. Pretty soon, you’ve moved everything onto the ‘later’ list. And by the end of the week your to do list is more than overwhelming. Avoid this by planning the week’s tasks with due dates so there’s a balanced amount of work for each day.
Due dates also help you communicate to others the importance and urgency of a task. Help them help you stay on course to reach goals. For example, if you need the lounge neat for a Saturday morning coffee date with a friend, it won’t help if your roommate was planning to clean up on Saturday afternoon.
Responsible Parties
Some people love doing housework. But there are probably not many of those in your household. Chances are, some of your family members or roommates will try everything in their power to avoid getting their hands dirty with kitchen floor scrubbing or cleaning the shower drain. So, if the to do list doesn’t show it’s their duty to get those tasks done, they’ll simply ignore it.
Adding the responsible party’s name to each task also helps people see that you’ve assigned an equal amount of work to everyone. And lastly, there will be fewer misunderstandings about who will make dinner, cut the grass or take out the trash.
Remember to assign names to each task, even if some tasks have become people’s habits. At some stage they may get too busy or change their habits and your daily to do list must be ready to make a quick change so no chore gets forgotten or neglected.
For example, if your partner enjoys walking the dog every day, keep it on the chore list with his or her name. You don’t want your dog getting depressed because somewhere down the road all family members forget to take the pup for some fresh air. Also, it’s still a chore and no one’s time and effort should be taken for granted.
Clear Expectations
Ask for some feedback from others using the to do list to ensure it is helpful, instead of hampering their workflow.
For one thing, does your statement—task—make sense to anyone who reads it? If you’re creating from your own perspective, you may not be giving others the necessary insight to do their work effectively. For example:
A main task can have sub tasks, or a short explanation to clarify expectations.
Prioritisation
You never know what a day will bring. On occasion, there may be days where you or a household member simply can’t get to everything on the daily to do list. So, if they only have time for one or two tasks out of five, which one should they pick?
Make it easy for everyone to understand your priorities by marking them on the daily calendar. Can you go another day without folded laundry but you really need the car washed? Then add a star to the latter item, write it in bold, or add an exclamation point at the end of the description.
Reminder System
Since life can be so hectic, how do you make sure everyone will remember their tasks? You don’t want to check up on everyone all the time, right? Rather find a reminder system, such as asking everyone to use their mobile phones’ alarms, or using a chore app like Enzo with an integrated reminder system. Then no one has to play ‘chore-policemen’ and nag others to get their work done.
Celebration of the Goals You Reached
Now, how do you keep your team—family members, roommates or others—motivated to help you complete all these tasks? We suggest you make celebrations as important as the tasks themselves. So, add ‘Enjoy Big Family Dinner’ to acknowledge everyone’s hard work during the garden renovations. Your roommates may appreciate ‘Go Out for a Movie’ on the chore list, after the yearly deep cleaning chore week.
3 Effective Methods for Managing Your Daily to Do List at Home
A piece of paper works for many people but there are many efficient chore systems that can help you manage to dos and tasks better. We listed our top three options.
Get an App
Chore tracker apps have all relevant features to make daily to do list management easy. From reminders to calendars, it’s all there. Also, it’s effective because everyone has their lists with them all day.
Chore Charts
Showcasing the chore chart on a room in the house serves as a visual reminder about what needs to get done. You can also get the kids involved by making the chart look colourful and attractive.
Chore Wheels
A chore wheel is an efficient way to distribute work, ensuring everyone has an equal amount of work to do throughout the month. It can also be an exciting Sunday family activity to plan the daily to do list for every day of the coming week.
Simplify Your Lists with Enzo
Many people are already enjoying the benefits Enzo offers in terms of handling a daily to do list. You can use our free version to see how it can work for you:
- At home with your family
- Managing maintenance as a landlord with tenants
- Becoming more organized with your roommates
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us: olivier@enzo-app.co
