To-do list hack helps this working mom stay focused, organized

A California mom who works from a home office says a particular kind of to-do list saves her days. 

Nanci Bergman, founder and CEO of customizable 3D accessories company ACCENT, makes lists for work responsibilities and mom duties. She wasn't always a list maker, but had to find a better way to stay organized as she built her company concept last year. 

"Earlier in my career, I was capable of keeping tasks and action items organized in my head," Bergman said. "But now trying to run my own business in which I am responsible for most all tasks, coupled with parenting, have made these to-do lists imperative."

The secret? Bergman, mom to 9-year-old son, Dalton, prioritizes items based on importance: urgent, end of day and end of week. 

And she tries to not overload any particular category. 

"I always try to be very honest with myself when placing tasks in their respective buckets of urgent/end of day/end of week," Bergman said. 

"There can be a tendency to feel that everything is urgent. But if you overload that bucket, then it loses meaning and the real critical tasks don’t get completed in a timely manner."

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Mom Bod is a USA TODAY video series featuring tips from moms on fitness, nutrition and mental health. The goal? Let's be real about the struggle to "healthy" and learn to love our mom bods.