To do lists are highly popular, and it’s not hard to see why.
With a to do list, you get the benefit of putting all of the assorted tasks and errands that you have to work on in one place, so that you don’t have to constantly try to remember them all at the same time. There is often something really satisfying about crossing items off a to do list, as well.
In fact, just creating a to do list can help you to feel more productive and in control, even before you actually get around to dealing with any of the “to dos” themselves.
Your to do list may include urgent and important tasks such as investigating Water Damage Restoration Services for your home, or it might include something more run-of-the-mill, like grocery shopping.
In any event, though, it tends to be a very good idea to keep your to do list on the simpler side, rather than letting it get too complex.
Here are some reasons to simplify your to do list.
Because putting too much on your to do list will only make you disheartened, and will make you feel guilty about relaxing
When you put too much stuff on your to do list, this often ends up having more or less the complete opposite effect to making you more productive.
Instead, people who make a habit of overloading their to do lists very often find that they just feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of items on the list, and so find it difficult to get motivated to actually make any headway at all.
Even worse, if your to do list is always full of a huge number of different tasks, you will likely find yourself feeling guilty and unproductive any time you’re doing something else – like trying to relax and unwind in the evening, or enjoying some quality time with your family.
Because you’re likely to get more done when you are more focused
Having fewer items on your to do list at any given time can help to make you significantly more focused, while at the same time making it easier for you to maintain an active awareness of the tasks that you need to deal with.
Generally speaking, whenever you are more focused, you will tend to get more done, and to be more productive as well.
At the very least, consider having one “active” to do list, and another “for later” to do list that serves mostly as a catalogue of things that you want to get around to eventually, but that you’re not committing to addressing right now.
Because complex systems can seem nice in theory, but are often stressful in practice
Many different tools and systems out there for creating and managing to dos can seem very nice in theory, but – when the rubber hits the road – it’s actually quite stressful and energy draining to try and stay on top of those complex systems.
Simpler systems, by contrast, allow you to just “get down to business”. Without having to spend too much time thinking things over at each step along the way.
Until next time,
