The Article Club – Week 4
April 30, 2010 by Marci
Welcome to The Article Club! This is the Overcoming Busy version of a book club. I’m not asking you to carve out time to read 400 pages (that you may or may not like) then find the time to summarize it all for me in a sentence or two or tell me how it changed your life . Once a week, I link to an article that I think the Overcoming Busy audience would find useful or at least interesting. You read it. We discuss it in the comments. Easy!
This week’s article is Kill Your To-Do List by Zen Habits. If you haven’t read it yet, go now! I’ll wait.
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Several times this week, even before I read this post, I have made the comment “My to-do list is just too long!” So, when I read this post, it really struck home. It got me thinking. Why do I have a to-do list? Why do I make it so long? Why do I feel I have to finish it each day and then beat myself up when I don’t. I love what the author says about the “one-thing”. There are days when my to-do list gets in the way of my one, most important thing.
How did this article affect you? Do you make lengthy, unrealistic to-do lists, also? Would life be easier and more enjoyable if we just concentrated on the “one-thing” or would our house and kids get away from us?
What are your thoughts?
Comments (9)
I keep several to do lists on Todoist, but most of the things on the list are reminders to do what I need to do anyway (make lunches, practice piano, put meat out for dinner, stuff for my business). It just keeps me on track and helps me remember everything. I have, just this week, started deleting yesterday’s to dos that didn’t get done. Otherwise, I get overwhelmed. If it needs to be rescheduled, I do that, but most things just weren’t that important to begin with.
Because of the way I use my to do lists, I don’t know that I could get by with the “one thing” theory. I think I’ll start referring to the lists as my reminder lists.
Sheena – I find that so true about most of the stuff that goes onto my to-do list! I like your idea of making a “reminder” list. Takes the pressure off accomplishing everything.
I thought that this author definately had some valid points and I agree if your To-Do List is stressing you out than its kind of counter-productive. For me, its important to have a REALISTIC To-Do List because it allows me to get everything out of my head so that I can QUIT stressing about it. Something I’ve learned from having ongoing work projects is that if you don’t get something done today it will still be there tomorrow and I try to keep that same view of my list. Something else that I’ve found helpful is to have a separate projects list. For months I had “Buy new heating vent covers” on my weekly To-Do List even though I knew that wasn’t something I was going to do anytime in the near future. I just didn’t want to forget about it. So now I keep a To-Do List that stays with me and a project list on my computer that I look at only when I have spare time that needs filled. This has really simplified my life on a daily basis. I do have to say that I think the author is onto something with his “One Thing” idea. I think a lot of us would actually find ourselves being more productive if we tried to just accomplish one important thing a day!
I ,ove a good to do list, but I generally keep my list limited to things I want to accomplish this week!
I think it is helpful to sit and create a “Done List” for those days we feel really overwhelmed.
Sometimes seeing our basic (little or big) accomplishments is enough to make us feel stronger to go forward the next day with more resolve and a happier blessed spirit.
I love to-do lists, especially the satisfaction of seeing the items crossed off. Not every accomplishment has a visual reward and seeing an item marked off my list gives me that. I do try to include fun stuff in my list because it is important to balance to-do activities with want-to-do activities and the list keeps me accountable there as well.