ParrotNotes

Free To-Do List Template

Pick a list type, name your sections and add a task per line with a priority, a due date and an owner. Tick tasks off as you go and the list counts what is done. Print it with empty boxes (and blank lines to fill in by hand if you like), save it as a PDF, download a CSV or copy it as a Markdown checklist.

What goes on a to-do list

  • Sections

    Today, this week and later; the days of the week; or calls, visits, follow-ups and expenses for a day in the field. Sections stop a long list from turning into one wall of tasks.

  • One task per line

    Start with a verb and name the thing: "Call Acme about the renewal", not "Acme". A task you can picture doing is a task you start.

  • Priority

    High, medium or low. Keep high for the few things that must happen today; if everything is high, nothing is.

  • Due date and owner

    A date turns a wish into a plan, and an owner says who does it when the list is shared after a meeting. Both are optional for your own list.

  • Boxes and progress

    Every task has a box. Tick it and the task is struck through, the count moves on, and you can hide done tasks or clear them at the end of the day.

  • Print, PDF, CSV, checklist

    Print one clean page, save it as a PDF, download a CSV for a spreadsheet, or copy a Markdown checklist to paste into a notes app or a chat.

How to plan a day with a to-do list

Write everything down first, without sorting: calls to return, quotes to send, the expense report, the thing your manager asked for in the hallway. A list in your head is a list you keep checking; a list on paper or on screen lets you stop thinking about it.

Then sort. Put each task in a section (today, this week, later), give the two or three that matter most a high priority, and add a due date where there is one. Anything that will take more than one sitting is a project: split it into the next step you can actually do.

Work from the top, tick as you go, and at the end of the day move what is left to tomorrow or later rather than starting a new list from scratch. With the view set to open tasks, the printout or the copied checklist shows only what is still to do.

Weekly priorities that serve a bigger goal? Write the goal first with the SMART goals template, then break it into tasks here.

Coming out of a meeting? Write the minutes with the meeting minutes generator and keep your own action items on this list.

Daily list, weekly planner, action items, project checklist

Daily to-do list
What you will do today, with this week and later underneath so nothing is lost. Best for a rep's day or a busy shift of meetings.
Weekly planner
One section per weekday and one for the weekend. Best when tasks are tied to days: route days, office days, a training on Thursday.
Meeting action items
Tasks that came out of a meeting, each with an owner and a due date. Share it right after the meeting so everyone knows what they agreed to.
Project checklist
Plan, do, check and wrap up: the steps of one job from start to finish. For defects at the end of a building job, the punch list template has the right columns.

Tips for a to-do list you actually finish

  • Three high priorities at most

    If more than three tasks are high, pick the three that would make the day a success and move the rest down. The list should tell you where to start.

  • Plan tomorrow tonight

    Five minutes at the end of the day: tick what is done, move what is left, add what came up. You start the next morning knowing the first call to make.

  • Write it when it comes up

    Tasks arrive in the car, on a call or walking out of a meeting. Write them down right away (or say them into a voice note) and sort them later.

  • Keep the list short

    A list of forty tasks is a backlog, not a plan. Keep today's section to what fits in today and park the rest under later.

More on planning the working day: the action items template, sales route planning, sales rep productivity, time management for nurses.

To-dos turn up when your hands are full.

A customer asks for a quote on the way out, your manager adds a task at the end of a call. Say it as a voice note in ParrotNotes the moment it comes up, or record the meeting and get the transcript, a summary and the action items, then put them on this list. Free for 100 minutes of recording a month.

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To-do list questions