Create More Intentional To-Do Lists: A Simple System for Daily Progress

How a hybrid approach to task management transformed my productivity and focus.

Hey Guys!

Photo by Michaela St on Unsplash

This issue marks the first one for December, and as always, I’d like to do a little recap of what happened last month and share my plans for the next month through a little series I call “Hello, Love, Goodbye”.

In this article, as the title suggests, The main focus would be: How I make my to-do lists more intentional. For a more realistic and manageable daily plans that help me stay focused.

You can read about it in the “LOVE” section.

But first:

Monthly Growth Update for November

As you all know, November was the first month I decided to write weekly instead of daily, and the results have been amazing so far!

Over the past month, I’ve gained about 28 new subscribers—nearly one new subscriber per day—and 77 new followers, more than two followers per day!.

Most of this growth came from two things:

Actively engaging with other Substack users and consistently posting Notes.

I won’t dive into this topic again since I’ve already covered it in previous posts. If you’d like to catch up, I’ve linked them below for easy access!

If you haven’t tried this approach yet, I highly recommend it.

I’ve got a surprise gift waiting for you at the end of the article—hope you stick around to check it out!

Now, let’s dive into this month’s Hello, Love, Goodbye series, where I reflect on:

• Hello: New things I want to try this month

• Love: Things I appreciated or found valuable from last month

• Goodbye: Things I want to let go of or put on pause

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Hello

This month, I’ve decided to take my “relearning visual art” journey more seriously.

I’ve mentioned before that I want to rekindle my bond with painting and drawing—two hobbies that used to be a big part of my life.

However, I’ve been treating them as “if I feel like it” activities.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from writing, it’s this:

If you want to see progress, you need to show up even when you don’t feel like it.

So, I’m setting aside 2 hours per week just for practicing art.

I hope I can share my work soon with you too!

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Love

Over the past few months, I’ve been relying entirely on digital to-do lists.

While it’s been convenient, I’ve started to notice a recurring issue:

My to-do list often ends up packed with too many items, leading to days filled with unfinished tasks.

In the mornings, just looking at my to-do list—or even thinking about it—feels overwhelming.

This mental friction builds up and sometimes pushes me into procrastination, ultimately making me less productive.

Initially, I thought I was just being lazy or not trying hard enough. But after reflecting on it, I realized the real problem:

I’ve been adding tasks and commitments to my to-do list (I use Todoist) without giving them much thought.

Todoist is great—its features make it incredibly easy to schedule tasks. With just a quick Ctrl + Space, I can add a task without even opening the app. The Smart Quick Add feature lets me categorize, label, schedule, or even make tasks recurring, and it syncs automatically with my Google Calendar.

But here’s the catch: everything is so convenient that I end up overloading myself. The tasks fit neatly on my calendar, but my energy and focus can’t keep up.

In my rush to go fast and accomplish as much as possible, I ironically became less productive and slower in making real progress.

This led me to rethink my approach and incorporate a hybrid system: I still use Todoist, but I’ve added a checkpoint system I call LogIn and LogOut.

Log In:

I still schedule and manage my tasks digitally, but before I start working, I pull out my iPad and rewrite my daily tasks by hand in Notability.

Here’s how it works:

I check my Todoist for the day’s scheduled tasks and then write them down manually.

Writing tasks by hand takes longer, but that’s the key.

The extra time forces me to think more intentionally about what I’m committing to.

It’s no longer a mindless process where I pile on tasks, only to spiral into an overwhelming mess when I can’t finish them all.

To keep myself grounded, I limit my handwritten to-do list to:

• Work: 3 small tasks and 1 major task.

• Life admin: 3 small tasks and 1 major task.

The small tasks are like quick wins—things that take under 30 minutes to an hour to complete, such as maintenance or urgent tasks that don’t require much effort.

The major tasks are my deep works if you will.

While writing, I naturally sort out my priorities and reflect on whether I realistically have the energy and time to complete what I’ve planned.

I also include a prompt during my Log In session:

Today, I am determined to:

The answer to this prompt is inspired by my LogOut session from the previous day, where I reflect on what I could improve.

This hybrid system has helped me approach my to-do list with more clarity and intention, making my days feel more manageable and productive.

Log Out:

If you’re familiar with the concept of becoming 1% better every day, the Log Out part of my system is where I put it into action.

The idea is simple: improving by just 1% daily might seem small, but over time, these incremental gains compound into big changes—365% better in a year, to be exact.

I’ve been trying to live by this principle for the past 2-3 years, journaling every morning to remind myself that all I need to do is show up and improve a little each day.

The Challenge: Defining 1% Better

The biggest hurdle I’ve faced is figuring out what “1% better” looks like in practice. It’s easy to say, “I need to improve,” but it’s harder to pinpoint actionable steps.

The Solution: End-of-Day Reflections

To solve this, I reflect on my day during the Log Out session. I review my completed tasks, check my time tracking on Toggl (which provides a side-by-side view of how I scheduled my time versus how I actually spent it), and ask myself:

• What went well?

• What could I have done better?

I jot down these reflections in a corner of my to-do list as quick notes to guide me for the next day. It’s like a mini, daily version of my Hello, Love, Goodbye series.

The Next Day: Turning Reflection Into Action

The following morning, during my Login session, I revisit these notes and decide on a specific action to be 1% better that day. For example, if I noticed distractions derailed me the day before, my improvement might be setting stricter focus hours or working in a distraction-free environment.

Why This Works

This process makes “1% better” tangible and actionable. Instead of vaguely hoping to improve, I have a clear goal for the day rooted in reflection.

Time Investment

The entire system doesn’t take much time—just 15-20 minutes for Log In and 10-15 minutes for Log Out. Yet, since I started doing this, my tracked time has aligned much more closely with my scheduled time, and I’ve felt more productive and in control of my day.

It’s a small effort with big rewards. Over time, these consistent improvements add up, keeping me on track and motivated to keep showing up.

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Goodbye

This isn’t a goodbye forever—just a “see you later” to Gut-Cha, my gut health and wellness publication.

While I’m passionate about the topic and it aligns with my background in microbiology, creating high-quality articles for Gut-Cha takes a lot of time and energy—something I need to focus on for my certification prep right now.

Letting it go, even temporarily, wasn’t an easy decision. My pride wanted to keep pushing through, but I realized that by trying to do too much, I might sabotage myself.

So, for now, Gut-Cha will be on hold.

I’ll come back to it when I can give it the attention it deserves.

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That’s it for this month’s Hello, Love, Goodbye!

Let me know what you’re planning to try, what you loved from November, or what you’re letting go of this month in the comments.

Before I wrap up, here’s the poll I mentioned earlier this week about the Canva Whiteboard I’ve been using!

I’m sharing it as a thank-you for my Subscribers to celebrate my 3rd month here on Substack.

If you’d like a copy, just vote in the poll, and I’ll email it to you directly.

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey and for your continued support. Your engagement means the world to me, and I’m excited to keep sharing and growing together!

Here’s a preview of the the template:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGYGrLIzGw/0sgNrurVQ-mdJHryBFjOgQ/view?utm_content=DAGYGrLIzGw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h1d40aefa53

See you next week Friends!

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