I usually made my "to do list" on the morning. It was efficient, however I tried dr.  Barbara Oakley tip and that made it even better. I realized how much precious time I spend every morning on thinking what I have to do instead of using my most productive part of a day. I also recommend  placing the most important activities in the top of your list so that you will, for sure, have time to do them. It's also a great tool to counteract procrastination. I can promise you, the better you plan your "to do list" the less time you'll have to contemplate about things you don't want to do.