Which tool to choose
You don't need ten apps. Choose based on what you need to do with it:
- You need a one-off plan (organize a move, prepare an event, unblock a stalled project): a chatbot in chat is the fastest way. ChatGPT or Claude, both free, take your disordered brain dump and give it back structured in a few seconds.
- You need a list that lives and updates every day: Notion. Generate the structure with AI, then keep it there where it concerns you. Notion syncs your workspace across computer, phone, and web, so tasks and progress stay aligned everywhere.
- You want to dictate tasks by voice and find them organized in a dedicated app: you need an app that connects to AI. Superlist, for example, connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible agent, and creates tasks, sets deadlines, and manages lists with natural-language prompts. It's the choice for someone already inside an advanced workflow, not for someone starting from scratch.
For most people the pairing that works is chatbot to think + Notion to keep. The rest of this guide works on this pairing.
How to do it
Phase 1 — Empty your head and have the AI structure it
Don't waste time ordering things first. Write everything in a jumble, even with half-finished sentences: the AI will put it in order.
- Open ChatGPT (chatgpt.com) or Claude (claude.ai). From browser or app, the path doesn't change: open a new conversation.
- Paste the prompt below and, in place of the example block, write your things to do just as they come to you.
The operational syntax:
Act as my organization assistant. Below you'll find everything I have in my head, written in disorder.
I want you to:
1. Group the entries by theme (e.g. Work, Home, Health, Personal).
2. Within each theme, sort the tasks by urgency, using the Eisenhower matrix: Urgent+Important (do now), Important not urgent (plan), Urgent not important (delegate), neither urgent nor important (eliminate).
3. Break each big goal into 2-4 concrete steps that can be started today.
4. Flag me if I forgot to consider something.
Return everything as a bulleted list with checkboxes. Don't add tasks I didn't mention. If something isn't clear, ask me a question instead of inventing.
Here's my disordered list:
[write your things to do here]
Feedback: you should get a list divided by area, with precise tasks (not vague) and a few questions. If the AI gives you back generic phrases like "organize work", reply:
Be more specific: tell me the exact action to do first.
Phase 2 — Turn the plan into a list that stays
The list in chat disappears as soon as you close it. To keep it within reach:
- Go to notion.com and start from a ready-made list template instead of building it from scratch. Notion's official template is the fastest way: it includes a table view with task name, assignee, and deadline, nothing more; you duplicate it, rename a few fields, and you have a working list in no time.
- To duplicate it: open the shared template link and look for the command to duplicate it, usually near the title. It ends up in your workspace, and from there it's yours to edit.
- Copy the entries generated by the AI into the template.
Feedback: if you see your tasks with a checkbox, deadline, and category, and you can check them off, you're there. The list now follows you on phone and computer.
Concrete example
Marta has to organize her daughter's birthday in three weeks, but she also has a work deadline and the car to take to the mechanic. All mixed together, panic.
She pastes into Claude: "Sofia's party October 18, I don't have the cake yet, I need to invite the classmates but I don't have the parents' contacts, client presentation Thursday to finish, car makes a strange noise to take to the shop, buy a gift, decide whether at home or at the park, slides almost ready missing the quarter's numbers."
The AI returns three areas. Under Party: first thing, decide the location (it unblocks everything else); then get the contacts from the class group; then order the cake by the 14th; buy the gift over the weekend. Under Work: ask the colleague for the quarter's numbers today, because without those the slides can't be finished — a step Marta hadn't brought into focus. Under Home: call the shop for an appointment, urgent but delegable to the partner.
Marta copies the three areas into the Notion template, puts in the dates, and in ten minutes she's gone from a block to a list with three clear next actions for today.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI invents tasks you didn't ask for
It happens that the model "embellishes" the list by adding plausible tasks that don't concern you. The prompt already has the line "Don't add tasks I didn't mention": if it slips up anyway, reply:
Remove everything I didn't write myself and show me only my entries, reorganized.
If the tasks stay too vague
"Sort out my finances" isn't an action, it's a wish. Ask:
For each vague entry, tell me what the very first 10-minute step is that I can do right now.
The AI goes from "sort out finances" to "open the bank statement and write down the three highest expenses of the month".
If you need recurring tasks in Notion
Here there's a limit to know: Notion doesn't have native recurring tasks. You have two real ways out. The first, if there are few, is to duplicate them by hand every time. The second, more solid, is to choose a template that already handles them: the free Ultimate Tasks template by Thomas Frank gives an inbox for quick capture, filtered views (Today, Next 7 days, Overdue), sub-tasks, recurring tasks, and project boards, without paying a cent.
If you hoped ChatGPT would remind you of deadlines like an alarm
An expectation to scale back. OpenAI launched Tasks in beta in January 2025: you can ask ChatGPT for a daily briefing or a reminder, and it works, but little beyond that. For reliable push alerts, send the deadlines to your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook) or use the to-do app you already have. The AI serves to organize thinking, not to replace the alarm.
A tip from someone who really uses it
The value isn't in the nice list: it's in the question "what's the next single action?". When you feel overwhelmed, don't ask the AI to organize everything. Ask:
Look at this list and tell me the one thing to do right now, ignore the rest.
Breaking the paralysis is worth more than any four-quadrant matrix. And once a week paste the old list and ask "what can I eliminate because it no longer matters?": lists grow on their own, but they don't prune themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the paid version of ChatGPT or Claude to do this?
No. Organizing lists and creating action plans falls fully within the capabilities of the free versions of both. The paid difference is in usage limits and more powerful models, not in this function.
Is Notion AI included or does it cost extra?
It's a separate feature. But to generate the list you don't need it: the structure is created by the free chatbot and you paste it. If you then want help inside Notion, know that Notion AI can summarize tasks, generate checklists, and help you plan the day based on deadlines and workload.
Which Notion template should I take if I get confused easily?
Go minimal. The Eisenhower Matrix template sorts each task into one of the four quadrants by urgency and importance, and works well for those who struggle with priorities. Avoid the giant dashboards with thirty views: the most useful list is the one you open without thinking, not the most complete one.
Isn't it faster to write the list myself on a sheet of paper, instead of going through the AI?
For five things, yes, grab pen and paper. The AI wins when you're in the quagmire: twenty mixed entries, overlapping deadlines, the feeling of not knowing where to start. There the blank sheet blocks you, while the AI groups, sorts by priority, and pulls out the first move in a few seconds. The tool doesn't replace your judgment: it removes the friction of starting, the moment when almost everyone gives up.