3 Ways to triage your to do list

1 Sept

Spring Clean: How to triage your to-do list and finally get things done.

Ever look at your to-do list and feel more overwhelmed than organised? You’re not alone.

The business owners we coach don’t struggle with laziness, they struggle with "too much to do and too little time!"

A to-do list can become a dumping ground for everything from “send proposal” to “book dentist.” Instead of bringing clarity, it creates a rolodex of anxiety.

But you don't need to throw out your list, you just need to triage it. Think of it like an emergency room: not every patient gets treated first, only the ones that matter most.

Here are 3 ways to triage your to-do list so that you can choose where to put your best energy today.

1. Rewrite your list into categories that give the tasks purpose

When you dump every task into one big list, it’s hard to see what really matters. Here’s an example of what an average business owner’s to-do list might look like:

  
          Before (the overwhelm list):
        
    Reply to Sarah’s email
Update Instagram account
Call supplier about stock
Finish client proposal
Go to the gym
Book dentist appointment
Review cash flow spreadsheet
Prepare slides for team meeting
Follow up with new lead

Messy, right? No wonder it feels overwhelming. Now let’s put those same nine tasks into categories with a clear purpose:

  
    
        
          After (grouped with purpose):
        
      

    Grow the business
Finish client proposal
Follow up with new lead
Update Instagram account
Serve our amazing customers
Reply to Sarah’s email
Call supplier about stock
Strengthen the business
Prepare slides for team meeting
Review cash flow spreadsheet
Look after my health
Go to the gym
Book dentist appointment

  

Notice the difference? Adding purpose reminds you of why the work matters.

2. Filter by your “Big 3” and forget the rest

The simplest triage method is also the most powerful: pick three tasks that, if completed, would move the needle in your business or make today a win — and ignore the rest until they’re done.

Michael Hyatt, creator of The Full Focus Planner (which we use at Leader Guide) calls these your daily "Big 3". The practice of identifying the three most important outcomes for the day to have focus and meaningful achievement.

What 3 things would move the needle most on your goals today? Focus on that.

3. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to separate urgency from importance

Not every urgent task is important — and not every important task is urgent. The Eisenhower Matrix helps you spot the difference. We talk about this in detail here.

Draw a box with four quadrants:

Urgent & Important: Do it now.
Important, Not Urgent: Schedule it (these are often the tasks that fuel growth).
Urgent, Not Important: Delegate it.
Neither: Delete it.