Even though it's widely considered an essential time management tool, the traditional To Do List is really almost useless, particularly for managers, first because of the way we structure it and then because of the way we use it.

As a manager, you need an effective time management system, and that starts with a more effective To Do List. So what's wrong with the traditional list? Several things.

First, it's usually just a list of the items you want to get done. You begin by jotting down all the items that come into your head that you'd like to get done today --- and by the time you've finished the list can be as long as your arm. That's not a To Do List --- that's a pipe dream!

Some of these items will take two minutes, while others need two hours. And some SHOULD take two minutes but they END UP taking two hours. Yet they all take up the same one line on the To Do List, so how can you judge how many items are a realistic goal for the day? You can't.

The answer is simple, but usually overlooked. Take a close look at your list and estimate how much time each item will take --- and be practical with these estimates! Try to block off that time throughout your day, and if it adds up to 15 hours of work to be done in an eight or ten hour day --- it just isn't going to happen. You are setting yourself up for failure and you are defeated before you begin.

This process, however, forces you to cull your list back to include only the items that must be done, while moving the others into a later day or even into the delegation pile.

Here's one more tip: build in some "wiggle room". If you think a task will take 30 minutes, allocate 45 minutes. That extra fifteen minutes can go a long way towards alleviating the stress of your day.

Now you just need to schedule the tasks throughout the day and start working on them on by one.

OK, I know this is a bit of a pipe dream too, because despite the best laid plans, things will happen to disrupt your schedule, and that's a subject for another article. But just having a realistic plan will go a long way to giving you that satisfying feeling of accomplishment at the end of your day.