Nightly worry lists and college student well-being: Strong effects from a simple intervention

The present study provides the first test of the use of a nighttime to-do list known as a worry list to support college students' mental health, subjective well-being, and productivity. A worry list is a tool used in cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia that involves writing a short list of tasks to be completed the following day. In two waves, students completed a baseline survey, five nights of worry lists, and an end-of-week survey. Participants reported strong and significant gains in mental health, well-being, and productivity and evaluated the activity positively (with over 80% reporting that they would continue to write worry lists before bed in the future). Recommendations for the implementation of this simple and low-cost intervention by college health professionals are discussed.