How to write todos you will actually do

Two people can have the same task and only one of them does it. Often the difference is not willpower but wording. “Mum” on a list is a reminder that something exists. “Call Mum about Sunday lunch, 6pm” is something you can do.

Here are seven rules I use, with examples.

1. Start with a verb

Before: Dentist After: Book dentist check-up

A verb tells you what to do. Without it, every glance at the task costs a small decision.

2. Make it the next physical action

Before: Plan holiday After: Ask Sam which week in July works

“Plan holiday” is a project. The next action is something you can do right now. See how to break down a vague task.

3. Include the person or the object

Before: Send figures After: Send Q3 figures to Dana

Future you, at 4pm on a Thursday, will not remember which figures or to whom.

4. Add a date only if it is real

Before: Renew passport today (moved daily for three weeks) After: Renew passport before 1 March #admin

Fake deadlines teach you to ignore real ones. Use dates for things that genuinely must happen by then, and leave the rest undated for your daily look. In Jot, the date can go straight into the line - see natural-language dates in task apps.

5. Keep it small enough to finish

Before: Write report After: Draft report outline (30 min)

If a task takes more than one sitting, it will be started and abandoned. Size it so you can tick it.

6. Put needed details in the task

Before: Call insurance After: Call insurance re claim 48213 - 0800 123 456

If you need a number, a link or a reference, include it. Hunting for it is where tasks stall.

7. Write it as you would say it

Short and plain beats formal. “Ask Priya if the room is free Tue” is better than “Room availability confirmation (Priya)”. You are writing for yourself; skip the ceremony.

A quick test

Read the task and ask: could I start this within ten seconds of reading it, without thinking? If not, rewrite it.

Why wording matters

Research on implementation intentions - specifying when, where and how you will act - has found it increases follow-through, as the Wikipedia overview of implementation intentions summarises with references to the work of Peter Gollwitzer and others. A well-written todo is a tiny implementation intention.

Capture fast, rewrite later

None of this means you should agonise at capture time. Capture the rough line in seconds; rewrite it into a doable task when you process your inbox. Jot’s optional bring-your-own-key AI can tidy a rushed capture into a cleaner line, and it always suggests rather than changes. See AI that asks before it acts.

Jot is on the Microsoft Store.

Jot is a quick-capture app for Windows: one hotkey, one line, back to what you were doing. What it is, or what is still unproven.