A CEO’s Guide to To-Do Lists: How to Organize and Prioritize Your Tasks 

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If your daily to-do list is longer than a CVS receipt, you might feel overwhelmed about how to get it all done. But figuring out how to manage your daily tasks is key for maximizing your effectiveness as CEO—and thus supporting the rest of your company. 

It’s no surprise that company leaders have a lot on their plates—and startup leaders might be especially overburdened.  But just filling up your day with meetings and living by what comes through your inbox isn’t a productive approach, says executive coach Leila Bulling Towne: “If what makes you feel like you’re contributing is, ‘My calendar is full and I’m in tons of meetings. I’m overbooked,’ then you are an ineffective CEO.”  Instead, here’s how Bulling Towne and other experts say you should intentionally manage your to-do list:  

1. Determine the “highest and best” use of your time.  Small-business CEOs have a tendency to think they can do everything themselves, says Maura Thomas, an expert on corporate productivity and time management. But as their companies grow, that belief becomes more and more unrealistic.  Thus, Thomas recommends that CEOs ask themselves a question: “What is the highest and best use of my time?” Or, in other words: “What won’t get done that needs to get done if I don’t do it?” 
2. Keep a “to-delegate” list.  Once you prioritize your own tasks, you need to delegate the other work to your team. This is the one major difference in the to-do list management of company leaders versus other contributors.
3. Find what works for you—and stick to it.  Some expert insights differ on the best way to keep a to-do list organized. For instance, some encourage leaders to keep separate personal and professional to-do lists others no it is not possible particularly for startup founders.