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Last week, my boss, Irma, was distraught. She couldn’t focus, and kept switching from task to task without finishing what she’d started. I asked what her problem was. Luckily, we have the kind of work relationship where I can say things like, “Dude, what’s your problem?” and she’ll happily tell me instead of telling me to eff off or — you know — firing me.

It turns out, she’d gone to bed the previous night without organizing the next day’s to-do list, as is her routine, and it was throwing her off. On top of that, she hadn’t slept well.

How Sleep Affects Productivity

Of course, what she eventually realized was that the two — not organizing her to-do list and not sleeping well — were related. In order to be productive, my boss needs to get a good night’s sleep, and in order to sleep well, she needs to feel like she has a handle on what the next day will bring. As it so happens, she’s not the only one whose work is affected by lack of sleep.

According to the Center for Disease Control, an estimated 49 million adults report having trouble concentrating due to loss of sleep. Do a search on the Internet for “how to sleep better,” and you’ll get a bunch of results that tell you the same things: sleep in a completely dark room, make sure to avoid looking at bright screens just prior to going to bed, take a warm bath to relax. I suggest adding to that: make a to-do list.

The Power of a Good List

Creating a list of the things you have to take care of the next day will help put them out of your mind, allowing you to have much less stressful night, which will, in turn, boost productivity. The trick is to make that list early in the evening — preferably while you’re still at the office finishing up your day. This is when tasks are foremost in your mind, and you’re more apt to remember them. Throughout the evening, if other things come to your mind, you can add them to the list.

What you don’t want to do is try to recall everything you need to do right as you’re going to bed. This isn’t going to help you at all. All it will do is get your mind racing right before you try to put it to sleep. So start early in the evening, and do these things:

• Write down anything you meant to accomplish today but weren’t able to get to. I always look at today’s to-do list and then create a fresh list for tomorrow starting with the things I didn’t cross off today’s list.

• Look at tomorrow’s calendar and write down any appointments you may have, work or otherwise. Have an early coffee meeting? Or a dentist appointment? Write them down. Is Wednesday your weekly shopping day? Put it on the list. Need to return a library book? Onto the list!

• Take a look at your list, and combine things that can be done at the same time. Maybe you can return some emails while sitting in the dentist’s waiting room. Or perhaps your meeting can be moved to the coffee place next to the library so you only have to make one trip across town.

• Do what you can in the evening to get yourself out the front door as easily as possible the next day. For me, that means putting my laptop and other supplies in my bag, and setting the timer on the coffeemaker. When I’m feeling extra ambitious, I prepare my lunch/snacks for the day and put them in a bag in the fridge.

 

Once you have your to-do list taken care of, and your supplies ready to go, you’re free to hang out and enjoy the rest of your night — including a much more restful sleep experience. Take it from Irms, who says that forgetting to organize her to-do list was a mistake she’ll make only once.