Prioritise Your To-Do List In A Creatively Simple Way
Use structured visualisation to prioritise and streamline the sh*t you want to get done.
Modern life has sold us a lie. Technology and solutions were supposed to make things easier, with more free time to spend on what we wanted.
Be honest here - does your life feel measurably easier than 10-15 years ago?
Perhaps in some ways. But are you revelling in your extra time or even busier than ever?
I'm constantly reminded of the endless tasks on my to-do list (want to and must do), and how I need an adaptable prioritisation approach when I’m busy.
Along the Clarity theme of the month, I figured you might need help with this too as we ramp up 2025.
Today, I'll introduce the concept of a Personal Priority Map as a creative and individualised tool to develop and play with.
Conserve your precious resources to focus on what really matters
The Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1989) suggests burnout gets worse when resources like time, energy, and attention are depleted without restoration.
Traditional prioritisation methods often fail because they don’t address deeper values and needs.
If you're like me and unduly influenced by external factors - the need to please others, fear of failure etc - you might prioritise the wrong stuff without realising it.
The Personal Priority Map helps you conserve key resources by focusing on what truly matters, reducing the sense of overwhelm and frustration with doing the wrong stuff.
It'll help you hone in on your core values, taking into account your focus on these change between seasons and across time.
Make it personal to build your sense of agency
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) has been around for decades and the evidence indicates we thrive when we feel our tasks align with autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
This boosts intrinsic motivation, so you're more likely to stick to the goals you've set for yourself because you deeply care about them.
But it can be hard to know what truly satisfies us when we consume so much from others so fast. We barely have time to register it, let alone assess whether we agree with it or not.
Give yourself time to savour the reflection process, aligning your actions with core values that mean something to you and your loved ones.
This enhances your motivation and satisfaction.
The Personal Priority Map offers a creative, individualised framework to connect your actions with personal meaning.
Why use a structured, visual tool to prioritise what matters?
I've developed the Personal Priority Map as a visual tool for its structure but also flexibility to your individual needs.
I also don't want to make it a high effort to use. When you're at 90-100% energised, sure you can set up amazing Notion systems or other PKM approaches.
But during stress, burnout, or overwhelm, simple visual tools do the heavy lifting when deep focus and attention are less available.
Visual tools help break tasks into bite-sized chunks, cutting through the chaos, and showing you exactly where to focus without frying your brain.
It improves your motivation as you know why an action or task is needed - it's aligned to deeper goals and core values.
The brain also processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.
It's another reason why visual tools and creative processes are more effective for planning and recall (anyone else love a mind map?).
The Zeigarnik Effect also kicks in when you're overwhelmed or frazzled, as unfinished tasks create mental tension. Ever get the feeling you’ve forgotten to do something, or left the iron on?
Multiply that by dozens of unfinished tasks and no wonder you’re tired.
Visualising tasks or actions in a structured way reduces this tension, freeing up cognitive resources.
You can identify and address any "open loops," reducing mental clutter and cognitive load.
When you have a flexible, visual and consistent reminder of your priorities for the short to medium term (i.e., a paper Map to stick on your wall), it enhances your clarity and engagement.
You're not letting them slosh around your head, bumping up your anxiety and looming-dread feelings.
How you'll benefit from using your Personal Priority Map
If, like me, you struggle with believing you’re just a ‘doing’ automaton machine, realigning your dailyish activities with your core values connects them to your personal sense of meaning.
For example, if the day job is a grind, reminding yourself this gives you financial stability helps put things in perspective. You might want to do something else in the future, but for now, it pays the bills and keeps you going.
It’s an important reminder.
A clear visual representation reduces overwhelm because you can focus on the core values and related tasks in a simple categorisation of your priorities.
You’ll boost motivation too through a creative and engaging approach to task management. The Personal Priority Map helps you break down bigger goals into smaller, achievable actions.
This conserves your precious cognitive and emotional energy by focusing efforts on areas that yield the best return.
The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule states you get 80% of the outcomes through 20% of the causes (e.g., actions and effort).
Work smarter, not harder.
Put those perfectionist, avoidant, people-pleasing tendencies on alert (and behaviour jail), and hone in on the meaningful 80% that makes a difference to how you think, feel and act.
Clear, structured planning reduces overstimulation of the prefrontal cortex, where many executive function circuits are involved, reducing decision fatigue.
When you streamline and visualise your approach to focus and decision-making, you’ll feel less mentally exhausted too.
6 steps to creating your Personal Priority Map
Grab a piece of paper - or get my free template download at the bottom of this post - to creatively prioritise your to-do list.
Step 1: Print out the free Worksheet or use a big piece of paper to complete these steps.
Make it as creative or simple as you want. This way, you’ll be more engaged and more likely to enjoy and remember the process.
Step 2: Self-reflection to check your core values.
A year from now, what do you want to be different either with your health, career, home, relationships, etc?
Giving yourself time and space to reflect - even for 5 minutes - on core values and goals builds mindfulness skills, and improves your emotional regulation and decision-making.
This is the foundation to your Personal Priority Map.
Step 3: Action/task brain dump.
Brain dump your actions/tasks to get them out of your head.
Which ones are you avoiding or procrastinating on?
Mark these with a star or list them separately so you don’t ignore them.
Step 4: Map your actions/tasks by value, priority, and timeframe.
Categorise your actions/tasks into 3 goal types for each core value:
quick wins (the next 5-15m),
key tasks (the next 1-7 days), and
ongoing goals (the next 1 week to 3 months).
Grouping tasks into categories aligned with core values ensures your attention goes where it matters most.
Step 5: Review and adjust.
Regularly review and adjust your Map to accommodate changes in your life so it remains a dynamic tool that evolves with your needs.
Put it somewhere you’ll see it frequently so it doesn’t disappear into the ether.
Your brain’s ability to adapt is enhanced when plans are revisited and adjusted regularly.
Step 6: Reflect on your progress.
Celebrate wins - savour them and note what you did to achieve them.
Be honest about changes to be made, and what you missed or will do differently next time.
Your brain predicts more helpful interpretations as you make these changes, so actions and tasks become easier over time.
Key takeaways
It’s time to experiment with creating your own Personal Priority Maps. This creative process offers a different way to explore productivity with personal growth.
A powerful visual tool - it aligns your actions and tasks with core values to achieve meaningful progress towards your goals and what matters.
Reviewing and refining your actions/tasks and goals ensures you make continual progress and develop personal adaptability.
Life will always have ups and downs. It’s how you respond to it - flexibly - that builds stress resilience.
This might mean your core values focus shifts. That’s OK. For example, if it’s a busy or hectic period, your health core value might drop down the list versus your career core value.
But keep yourself in check and ensure your Map isn’t static but a dynamic tool for sustained success. Seeing your core values next to each other is a helpful reminder not to ignore or avoid them for too long.
Use this simple but creative approach and your to-do list will seem less dull and more engaging to get through. Grab the free template below and let’s experiment.
P.S. Download the free Personal Priority Map Worksheet for a detailed step-by-step guide to create and experiment with your own Personal Priority Map.