Importance of To do list

The reason to-do lists make a difference with so many people

is because it relieves the Zeigarnik Effect.
This psychological phenomena, which describes the nagging
sensation we get from an unfinished task, was discovered by
Bluma Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist. In the 1920's she
observed that our subconscious keeps on "pining" our
conscious mind with interruptive reminders to get a task
done, as long as it remains incomplete.

In a nutshell, the reason a to-do list helps was discovered by

two researchers from the university of Florida. Drs. Ed
Masicampo and Roy Baumeister discovered that if you
manage an incomplete task skillfully, the Zeigarnik Effect
disappears.
Having a to-do list isn't the only option, of course. As I show
in this long article on Quora, you can also store an
unfinished task in a calendar, or a digital optimizer. That all
have the same effect - a freedom from the Zeigarnik Effect.
In the context of my response, goals are simply a collection
of unfinished tasks, once a new goal has been created.
People who experience overwhelm have created more
unfinished tasks than their system can manage, triggering
the Zeigarnik Effect. It's usually a sign that they need to
upgrade their methods.
My wok over the past few years has focused on the transition
people must make from one productivity tool to another
when this effect is triggered.
I trust that you find this helpful.