There are definitely days when I am not at all happy with what I've managed to cross off my to-do list!
Today would be one of those days.
Personally, I like having a to-do list.
It feels good to cross things off the list and then look at your accomplishments at the end of the day!
There are those who would argue — and they actually include time management specialists — that to-do lists are actually a distraction; a way to keep ourselves busy writing and worrying about lists rather than actually working on what we need to be working on.
I would have to respectfully disagree with that assessment. But perhaps it's not disagreement for the reason most people would think... I disagree because if I didn't make a list I would totally forget what is important and what I need to get done!
In other words, I don't use to do list as a motivational tool so much as a genuine remembering tool.
Language is very interesting. In my native Danish we don't actually have to-do lists. Loosely translated, we have "remember lists."
I can't help but think that there's a bit of a cultural commentary buried there. In Danish culture making a list — at least as I remember it — is literally a tool to help you remember what you need to get done, like a shopping list. In US culture, to-do lists are about achievement and accomplishment, far more than about remembering things. Somehow, that seems like it is representative of what values are more important within the culture.
But getting back to my very American to-do list, I'm not really happy with the state of it because even though I got a large portion of a substantial yard work project done, there was a whole bunch of other stuff I didn't have time to get around to. And in that sense, I would have to say that having a to-do list today was actually a de-motivator rather than a motivator!
Sometimes it feels like the pressure to succeed is everywhere around us.
Our cultural orientation is all towards success, rather than happiness. It is almost as if it is assumed that we will automatically be happy, if we are "successful."
Frankly, I'd rather be working towards living a happy life than living a successful one. I'm not even sure what a successful life looks like, other than maybe the hyped up Hollywood caricature version we see in movies and on TV which is actually nothing I'm particularly aspiring to!
It almost feels like that old dilemma: Do you work to live or do you live to work? Personally, I work to live and I work as little as possible as long as I can still get by!
Now if I only had a better memory, I could do away with the lists...
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
How about you? Do you use to-do-lists? Is is mostly to remember things, or for a motivational tool? Do leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 2023.05.24 23:27 PST
x572
I worked with a friend for a while and he used a to-do list, like the one you use, it just itemized what he had to do for the day. He got a big smile every time he checked an item, so i guess it was great for him. I never got the habit, I am not very organized and rely on my memory. As you can imagine, some days its not that i didn't get to finalize a to-do list, it is just that I do not have one and forgot a few things I had to do. In summary I think a to do list is great, just that I don't like them.
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