You would be hard pressed to find a more dry subject to write or read about than to-do lists, but you would also have a hard time finding something that is as effective at keeping the ball rolling when there are a million things you need to do. It would be my guess that there is not a single successful corporate executive, start up founder, product manager or great employee out there who isn't using a to do list. There is no other tool that I'm aware of that allows you to have a clear picture of what needs to be done even when you feel like your world is spinning a million miles an hour or you're in such a deep hole it seems impossible you'll ever get out.
I started using to-do lists about 9 months ago in the office. My guess is that using them has helped improve my productivity by at least 3x, if not more. Whats more interesting is that it actually get me excited at the start and finish of every day. Knowing that I have a bunch of things to knock out in the morning and not leaving until everything is done (whatever time that ends up being) is a pretty rewarding experience.
What I still have to work on is prioritizing the lists. It's easy to try and finish the dozen little tasks and feel like you've accomplished a lot, while the 2-3 really big/painful things that are most pressing remain because you don't feel like attacking them. In reality no one really cares that you've done the little things if your company or department is now at a standstill because you haven't taken care of the most pressing issues.
If you're interested I would highly recommend reading The Checklist Manifesto , to see how important to-do lists can be if used properly.