To do, or not to do, a to-do list

I deleted my to-do list and something counterintuitive happened.

I had a very long to-do list, lots of tasks, ideas, projects, bits of work… and not enough time in the day to do it all. I would look at my list and often have no idea where to start. It was daunting and sometimes depressing. Ideas I wanted to create were turning into a chore.

So I decided to delete the list. 

One click of a button and it disappeared. I was free.

Strangely what followed seems counterintuitive - but I got more things done.

Reflecting on this It seems to me that to-do lists are useful when:

• you’re working in teams and you need everyone to be aligned and know what’s happening and what needs to happen

• you are following a process and a checklist of activities

• you get more joy in planning than in doing

So it seems that to-do lists are not useful when:

• you are collecting ideas

• the tasks being created are all different sizes - some might take 10 minutes and some 10 weeks

• you are measuring your self-worth from what you’ve ticked off each day

Having a huge to-do list made me feel more overwhelmed. Seeing all the things I still hadn’t done was not motivating.

When I deleted my to-do list, I kept a ‘don’t forget’ list with a few small admin things to remember. It might sound like the same but it wasn’t about collecting the things I have to do, it was about reminding myself of the things I couldn’t forget — like sending dad a card or calling the dentist.

I discovered that all the things I wanted to do I would end up doing because I actually wanted to do them. I didn’t need to have a list.

Life without a to-do list has felt a lot more expansive.

To do, or not to do, a to-do list? That is a question.

Does your to-do list help or hinder you? If it’s causing more stress, I dare you to delete your to-do list.