If you are overwhelmed by the number of tasks on your to do list at work, the C4P to do list method and template will change your life. 

C4P stands for Capture Process Process Plan Plan. The template used with this method is a simple Google Sheets document (free access below) containing four spreadsheets to start. In the next couple of paragraphs, I’ll show you how to use the method and each of its lists to maximize utility and reduce your cognitive load. 

Background

In cognitive psychology, the concept of cognitive load refers to the number of items you can hold in your working memory. Generally speaking, the more you add to your cognitive load the harder it is to keep track of what’s there. In UX design, I use this understanding to design interfaces that reduce cognitive effort, thus reducing users’ cognitive load. There are many tricks to accomplish this goal, the one that’s relevant to to do lists is a technique called chunking. Chunking is the process of breaking up content into smaller manageable groups while maintaining context to the whole.

C4P uses the chunking technique to break up your very long to do list into smaller manageable lists that ease your cognitive load while giving you a clear picture of all you have to tackle. Besides cognitive psychology and UX design, my approach also borrows from the famous Getting Things Done (affiliate link) method created by David Allen, who is known as the world’s leading expert on personal and organizational productivity. 

Without further ado, let’s get into the process. 

Step 1: Capture

No matter where your tasks come from, you need a place to capture them. That’s where the New list comes into play. The purpose of the New list is to store tasks that you haven’t planned and weren’t expecting. The source of these tasks can be an email, a conversation, an idea that pops into your head, etc. You don’t want to add these new random items to your working to do list but you also don’t want to forget them. Storing those items in your New list allows you to capture it in a safe place to be processed later. 

Step 2: Process (EOD) 

All the items on your New list are processed at the end of the day.

To process your new list using the C4P template do the following:

1. Read the first item on the list 
2. Decide if the item is urgent or not urgent 
3. If it is urgent, move it to the Day list
4. If it is not urgent, move it to the EOW list 
5. Optionally, you can use the Project column in the template to assign the item to a project
6. Continue to the next item and repeat steps 1 through 5 until you’ve processed your entire list 

Now, the New list should be empty and ready for the new tasks that will come your way tomorrow.  

Step 3: Process (EOW) 

Your EOW list is processed at the end of the week. 

To process your EOW list: 

1. Read the first item on the list 
2. Use the Project column to assign the item to a project (Note: a project is two or more related actions on your to do list.  If you can’t think of a project for the item, label it “Admin” or “Misc”)
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you’ve assigned every item on the list to a project 
4. Sort the list by the project column. Action items for the same project should now be grouped together. 
5. Create a spreadsheet for each project 
6. Cut and paste the items from the EOW list to the appropriate project sheets (e.g., all your “Admin” task should go in the “Admin” project sheet.) 

At the end of this step, your EOW list should be emptied into several project lists. Processing your EOW list helps you chunk related action items into smaller more manageable lists that you can engage with independently from other unrelated items, reducing your cognitive load.

Step 4: Plan (Week)

In this planning step, you decide which tasks from each of your projects you will do in the upcoming week. 

To plan your week

1. Create a new list called Week
2. Review the first item on the first project list 
3. If you want to complete the task in the upcoming week add it to the Week list 
4. If not move on to the next task 
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you’ve gone through the first project list
6. Continue to the next project list and repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve gone through all your project lists

By the end of your planning session, you should have a list of items you want to complete during the week.

Try not to overload the Week list with too many items. Add the number of tasks you believe you can do in the next week. As you use this system, you’ll get better at estimating. If you have items left over at the end of the week, you can decide to either put them back in their project lists or to keep them on the Week list to tackle the following week.

Step 5: Plan (Day)

In this last planning step, you decide which tasks from the week you will do during the day.

To plan your day, create a new list called Day. Then add items to your Day list from the items on your Week list. Only add items you think can complete before the end of the day.

Once completed, you’re ready to tackle each item one-by-one until all done!

Summary

To start using the C4P you need to create four lists: New, Day, Week, and EOW. Then you’ll add project lists as needed. 

Once you have the lists ready: 

1. Capture all new to do’s in your New list 
2. Process your New list at the end of each day.
   1.  Review each item
   2. If the to do is urgent add it to the Day list
   3. If it is not urgent add it to the EOW list
3. Process your EOW at the end of each week  
   1. Review each item on the list 
   2. Assign it a project 
   3. Create a list for each project 
   4. Move items from the EOW list to the appropriate project list 
4. Plan your week at the beginning of each week
   1. Review each item in your project list 
   2. If you want to complete that task this week add it to the Week list 
   3. If not move on to the next item until you have gone through all the items in all the project lists
5. Plan your day at the beginning of each day by moving items from your Week list to your Day list

Tools 

You can use any to do list tool that you are most comfortable with. As long as the tool can create, name, sort, copy, paste, and delete items within the list you should be good. 

Free Google Sheets to do list template 

Click the button below to enter your email and get access to the Google Sheets template I’ve created to go along with the C4P process. 

Enter Email to Download

More Resources 

• Wikipedia article on cognitive load
• Nielsen/Norman Group article on Chunks and Chunking
• Amazon link to the book Getting Things Done by David Allen (affiliate link)