Productive Things to Do (a Printable Bucket List for Productivity)

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This productivity bucket list is great if, like I’ve felt before, you want to get stuff done, but you constantly feel overwhelmed.

This is the list I created for myself. I’ve also included a blank template alongside the filled-in one so that you can personalize your productive ‘bucket list’! This list helped me bring more organization into my life, made me tackle many of the things I’ve been procrastinating on, and helped me spend my time productively.

productivity list printables - one filled with 100 ideas and the other blank

If you want this list, scroll to the bottom of the article. There, you’ll find a download link to get it for free. Here’s to plenty of productive mornings, afternoons, days, and weeks!

When You Only Have 15 Minutes

Write down your goals for the week. You can use this goal planner printable and these goal-setting tips to help you.
Create a to-do list for the day and prioritize the tasks.
Review your monthly calendar to make sure you haven’t forgotten to write down any important events. If you want a paper monthly calendar, try these printable blank calendars.
Create a list of the important tasks you’ve procrastinated on for a while and make a plan to tackle them.
Delete any apps you don’t need on your smartphone.
Organize your computer files in 15-minute time increments. This one personally took me many hours, but it didn’t seem that overwhelming when only working on it for 15 minutes at a time.
Back up all your files. Back them up to the cloud or order an external hard drive to back them up on. I personally use both.
Can’t find time to go to the gym? Try quick HIIT workouts at home, with exercises like standing squats, skipping, or star jumps.
Go for a quick walk to clear your head and reset.
Write 5 things in a gratitude journal to shift you into a positive mindset.

Productive Things to Do Online

Clear your inbox of junk emails.
Watch a TED talk.
Sign up for an online course to start learning a new skill.
Set up or update your online calendar.
Review the privacy settings of your social media profiles.
Sign up for a service that sends you daily news in a quick 5-minute email rather than spending hours on news sites.
Try an app or browser blocker for a set time every day to keep you focused.
Create your own productivity music playlist with songs that will help you get into the zone.
Join an online conference or workshop. You can use sites like Eventbrite.
See if you can automate any of the tasks you do regularly using services like If this then that (IFTTT) or Zapier.

For Career Success

Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
Find a networking event to attend.
Attend a skills workshop in your field.
Look up salary ranges for your job to see if you’re underpaid. If you’re a freelancer, look up hourly or project rates.
Find a job post for your dream job online and see what skills it requires that you don’t yet have so you can start learning those new skills. Or, if you already meet them, apply for your dream job!
Find a mentor in your industry (or your desired industry if you want to switch career paths).
Document your achievements in your job this year. Create a folder with emails/messages from coworkers and bosses praising you for a well-done job. This may come in handy at your annual review time.
Start a free monthly meetup for people in the industry.
Write articles with insights you’ve gained in your industry.
Refresh your resume at least once a year.

For Your Relationship

Plan a surprise for your partner.
Write a couple’s bucket list together.
Plan a date night to spend quality time with your partner.
Start a new hobby that you both do together once a week.
Create a vision and goals board to help you discuss the future and long-term plans.
Schedule a screen-free hour every week or month where you just talk to each other.
Schedule weekly/monthly date nights into your normal schedule.
Ask each other how you can help support a goal or task the other is trying to accomplish.
Your anniversary is ‘your’ special date – prioritize celebrating it every year with a special date night or fun activity.
Go for early morning or post-dinner walks.

Productive Tasks to Do Around the House (Cleaning & Organization)

Create a daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning and organization checklist.
Create a home/apartment maintenance checklist.
Repair or improve at least one thing around the house a week.
Organize and declutter your closet.
Organize your home office/desk or work-from-home space.
Organize your kitchen.
Clean and declutter your bedroom.
Rearrange a room that you find stressful and try the new layout for a week.
Develop a 20-minute daily cleaning and decluttering routine.
Add some smart home devices to your house to automate tasks like lighting, temperature control, security, cleaning, and others.

For Your Finances

Create a budget (or review it if you already have one).
Review subscriptions you’re paying for and cancel ones you don’t need anymore.
Review your bank statements to make sure there are no surprises there.
Educate yourself on how to invest your money.
If you have any debt, make a plan to pay it off.
Use a retirement calculator to better understand how much you’d need to save to retire at a certain age.
Track spending for one/week or month in an app or spreadsheet, and then categorize the spending to better understand where your money goes.
See if you can get better deals on your phone plan, internet, electric, and other utility bills. Schedule 30-60 minutes to call up the provider and see if you can negotiate a better deal or get comparison quotes online and switch to the better & cheaper service.
Set aside anywhere from 15-60 minutes every month to do tax/accounting work, rather than leave it all right up to the deadline.
Educate yourself about finances – set aside 15-60 minutes every week to read up or watch videos on finance.

For Yourself and Self-Care

Create a personal bucket list. It can be a general life bucket list, a travel bucket list, a simple bucket list, an adventure bucket list, or whatever you desire it to be! You can use these blank bucket list printables to get started!
Pick up a hobby that will make you happy, and drop hobbies that seem like a chore!
Pick an audiobook or podcast to listen to when driving or when commuting on public transport.
Take a few minutes to think of what has been stressing you out the most in the past month and brainstorm some solutions to your biggest stressors.
Schedule in even just 15 minutes of exercise daily – if you can’t get to a gym, keep it simple with body/home workouts, or walking/running.
Gratitude journal in the morning, and/or journal your feelings in the evening.
Create a meal plan on the weekend before you order your weekly shop.
Pick a Saturday and organize an at-home spa day – you could even invite some friends around.
Light scented candles/use an essential oil diffuser to create a calming environment.
Do 10-15 minutes of easy yoga or stretching.

For Your Friendships

Send a message to a friend to catch up.
Set up a zoom call to catch up with a long-distance friend.
Set up a coffee meet-up with a local friend.
Invite some friends around for a potluck dinner.
Sign up for a fitness or fundraising challenge together.
Road trip one weekend to a nostalgic place with some friends e.g. high school, old hangout.
Start an annual tradition.
Create a WhatsApp group to help keep a group in touch.
Send a thoughtful gift for a holiday or birthday – encourage the group to do the same for each other.
Go to a language exchange meetup – either with friends or to meet new people.

More Productive Things to Do in General

Practice learning a new language – even if for 10 minutes daily.
Schedule a short digital detox on the weekend.
Build the habit of double-checking your to-do list the night before.
Practice using online tools for small tasks to see if you can speed up or automate some things.
Try using timers at certain times of the day to stop spending too much time on certain things.
Practice public speaking in the mirror.
Learn keyboard shortcuts.
Try voice-to-text note-taking.
Create a morning and/or evening routine.
Volunteer to give a talk at a nearby school about work or life after education.
Set aside a little time to practice coding and see what you can build.
Clean your car (if you have one).
Sell or donate items you no longer need.
Follow accounts on YouTube or social media providing tutorials in your current industry (or your desired industry if you want to switch career paths).
Imagine yourself in the distant future. What regrets would you have if you continued on the current trajectory? Make a plan to tackle them.
Plan a friends and/or family reunion this year.
Plan your birthday party well in advance this year, thinking through all the details to create the ideal day.
Do your Christmas and holiday shopping early throughout the year.
Get greeting cards for the entire year, so you don’t have to buy them individually for each occasion.
Take a long break from the social media account that wastes the most of your time without bringing you any benefits.

Don’t forget to download this free printable below. You can either use my ideas, or use the blank version to add your own.

graphic showing two productivity list printables that the user can download for free

Let me know what the most helpful ideas were for you personally and if you want to share, any other/additional productive things to do you’ve included in your list.

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Remember, don’t forget to save this bucket list to one of your boards. That way, you’ll always be able to easily find this list, reference it, and download it.

Get it here