Productivity
To-Do List Maker
A printable checklist that can arrive blank or pre-filled with your own tasks. One column or two, up to sixty rows, tick boxes throughout, and a notes panel at the bottom for everything that is not a task.
Four steps
How to make a printable to-do list
- 1
Add your tasks
Type one task per line, or leave the box empty for a blank checklist.
- 2
Set the size
Choose the number of rows and whether the list runs in one column or two.
- 3
Add a notes panel
Switch on the notes area for anything that is not a task.
- 4
Print it
Print directly or download the PDF and run off a batch.
Why a paper list still beats an app
A paper list has a hard edge that a digital one does not: it is finite. When the page is full, it is full — which forces the triage that a list app cheerfully lets you avoid for eight hundred items. Crossing something out by hand is also more satisfying than tapping a checkbox, which sounds trivial and is not.
The other advantage is single-purpose attention. A list on your desk cannot show you a notification, and picking it up does not take you past your inbox.
Writing a list you will actually finish
- Start each item with a verb. “Email Sarah about the contract” is actionable; “Sarah / contract” is a reminder that you had a thought once.
- Keep it to one page. If it does not fit, it is a backlog, not a list.
- Pick the three that matter. Mark them before you start. Everything else is optional.
- Break big items down. Anything that will take more than an hour belongs on the list as its first step, not as itself.
- Rewrite daily. Copying yesterday’s survivors onto a fresh sheet is a free filter: items you cannot face rewriting for the fourth time probably should not be on there at all.
Layouts for different jobs
| Use | Rows | Columns | Notes panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily list | 15–20 | One | Yes |
| Weekly backlog | 40–60 | Two | No |
| Packing list | 30–40 | Two | No |
| Shopping list | 25–30 | Two | No |
| Project checklist | 20 | One | Yes |
Pre-filled checklists
Anything you do repeatedly deserves to be printed rather than remembered — a pre-flight check before publishing, a routine before leaving the house, an onboarding sequence for a new team member. Type the list once, print ten copies, and stop reconstructing it from memory every time.
Related tools
For time-bound work, the daily and weekly planner gives tasks a slot rather than just a line. The camping checklist is a purpose-built packing list, the meal planner generates its own grocery list, and the habit tracker covers the recurring things that clutter a to-do list.
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