Rare take: To-Do Lists Suck.
1. Feed the dog
2. Study for SAT, Math
3. Vacuum room and change bedding
Send email to School Counselor for class change and don’t forget to mention current schedule conflicts
Sign up for volunteer opportunity, make sure to check calendar beforehand and sign up for appropriate slot time and tell other members about it and
Oh gosh.
I am going to share a very controversial perspective that I hold toward To-Do lists. I know celebrities, influencers, self-help books, and any ‘how to stay productive’ search engine answer advocates for to-do lists and their motivation-inducing effects. But my experience has been just the opposite. If you have felt these lists have not been pivotal in increasing productivity or have instead influenced anxiety amongst you and your impending responsibilities — you have come to the right place. Let’s uncover the science behind list taking and mental health effects — how, as much as I hate to admit, how helpful they can actually be — alternatives and how to correctly do to-do lists.
It’s important to note the extensive research that has found to-do lists to serve as limelights and positive guides for individuals; they encourage people to stay on track and reduce the frenzy floating around our ever-busy minds. In fact, a 2011 study by Baumeister and Masicampo on the cognitive effects of to-do lists, asserts how “when a goal is unfinished it might be a weight on your mind in terms of anxiety or worry and it colors how you see the world because it’s sort of tugging at the sleeve of your conscious attention.” We are commonly unaware of all the tasks we feel compelled to complete, and as they surface in our minds and flee, we lose track of which goals hold priority and even what tasks we need to complete and why. This is where the nature and need for to-do lists come in. They allow our minds’ constant traffic to be finally laid out in front of us, where we can select what goal holds true importance in that moment, and even introduce a plan-making process for getting the most tedious tasks out of the way. Baumeister and Masicampo even found how “you don’t have to finish the goal to offload it – you really could just make a specific plan for how to attain it to get it to stop occupying that mental space.” To-do lists give us the space to breathe, unload our minds, and gain a new perspective of all that runs around our heads. Yolanda Gil and Varun Ratnakar state in their 2008 study, that “To-do lists are external artifacts that augment human cognition in that they serve as memory enhancers by reminding people of what needs to be done.” But when does the list no longer constitute a feeling of ease and organization, and instead elicit even more anxiety?
Two years ago I was confronted with the busiest lifestyle I had ever managed. I was constantly running around from volunteering events to school meetings, studying to violin or piano practicing, violin students to dance and lacrosse, and barely gathering 5 minutes between each commitment to just take a breath. And while all of the goals, tasks, and communities I was a part of had all been enjoyable and positive experiences for me: I began to resent them. I was burnt out, had a million things I still needed to get done, and a hundred places I still needed to be. In an effort to organize my life, cleanse my head and strengthen my mental well-being, I turned to the art of to-do listing! My close friend and brother highly recommended this practice to me, highlighting the positive impact it's had on their own organizational processes and overall life smoothness. I abided. I had never really considered this act prior to being verbally pitched the idea, mainly because naïve me believed my to-do list was in my head, and that's all I needed. We all see how that worked out. My to-do list adventure worked out perfectly — for a few weeks, that is. I mean, I felt a lot more confident about my impending tasks and noticed I was seriously staying on top of my need-to-send emails, classwork, service events, sports, and teaching. My mind felt uncluttered, and as a result of writing all my tasks down, I was able to increase those 5 minutes into a well-needed 20-30 minutes for me to eat and breathe before another commitment emerged. But slowly these lists began to turn from a rough draft of my mind and schedule for that day, into an obligation. In this regard, I began to subconsciously measure how well that day went by counting the number of tasks I was able to complete, striving for an unattainable quantity each day. I truly was basing my self-worth on my external and material accomplishments, placing seemingly no emphasis on my internal well-being: losing myself in the midst of it all. Each bullet point that went unchecked through the night hung over my head, as I had failed to fulfill my own and others’ expectations of the day prior. My mind grew to be cluttered and burned out once again, as the pressure that emerged from each lingering-unfinished-goal would present as negative and cynical thoughts to force accomplishments upon my over-run mind and physically exhausted body. In addition to this, I began to notice the number of tasks and goals on my list increasing and increasing. This was not due to my increased involvement with additional activities, but instead, the act of to-do listing inspired my brain to draw on each little ‘need’ or ‘want’ floating around. My mind had unintentionally projected each bullet point as a required accomplishment, and if not fulfilled, I fell into a depression and cycle of self-deterioration. I felt unproductive, unaccomplished, lazy, and insubstantial. I envied to-do lists and schedules. If I was late, missed a task, left something unfinished, or decided to prioritize sleep and self-care — which are completely human behaviors and I now understand going easy on oneself is vital — my day would immediately be mentally labeled as a failure. Each unchecked task felt like just another expectation unfulfilled.
“To-do lists are interesting because they sometimes become commitments. Once you write an activity or goal down on a piece of paper, it’s work undone,” said Jordan Etkin, an associate professor of marketing at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and an expert on goals.
In fact, that same Baumeister and Masicampo study we drew from earlier — which defends to-do list practices — even asserts that “to-do lists are mental graveyards.” They go on, “[to-do lists] increase perceived goal progress, thereby decreasing the urgency of the goal and causing goal-inconsistent behavior.” Not only do they conceptualize our goals as obligatory, but impede our actual goal completion, actually decreasing how much we follow through with these plans. And when these written tasks hang untouched, it causes our mental health to fluctuate and worry even more about these events, despite the thought being fully structured and out of our minds. Now, the experience I shared with you all can be attributed to my current mental state at that time in my life, my outside habits, and really, my negative mindset! This could also be credited to the style of to-do listing I was utilizing — yes, apparently there are styles — as well as the narration of forced commitment instead of gratitude towards each event and person I had the opportunity to come across. It's taken me a while to even consider making a list of ‘reminders’ or ‘things to get done’ in fear of a similar cycle emerging, but recently I have looked to scheduling and rough-outlining my days as creating value through every hour I have. Let's discuss how-to-do to-do lists — the right way. Or should I say — the write way. Okay, I won’t do that again I apologize sincerely.
According to Kelsey Alpaio of the Harvard Business Review - there are four different to-do listing methods. Last year she tested and worked with all of them, applying them to her work and personal routines, and drew the pros and cons from each. Read more about this here. To-do list methods are just that — circumstantial and unique to every person and that person’s commitments. This strategy is not a ‘one size fits all’ artifact, but instead can be tweaked and played with until you land on a method that is just-right for you.
Of course, after doing further research, experimenting with some methods myself, and using my past experience: these are the methods I believe accurately depict each organization and list-taking approach.
Method #1 - The Classic To-Do List
The Classic To-Do List is most likely the one you work with now or have worked with in the past. It’s just that — a list with the words ‘To-Do’ labeled at the top. This approach is merely universal, and according to a research study performed by Microsoft, 76% of all Americans depend on this same to-do list to navigate through their daily lives and routines. What’s awesome about this straightforward method is that planning, time dedication, and any outside work are not immediately expected to occur. This scratch piece of paper merely serves us a copy of your mind at that moment, and the responsibilities we believe to be the most important. Or perhaps, we simply fear losing track of all tasks that need to be completed, so we scribble down a checklist of completely unsequenced events we know we do need to take initiative towards. This frees our minds of worry and goal-oriented restraint, allowing us to live in the present moment more, while highlighting what the future holds, too. But of course, with no purposeful planning, deadlines, or additional efforts, the list can become taunting — the unchecked boxes teasing us and our lack of motivation. In my experience, and others, the list either turns unexpectedly obligatory, or its significance simply dwindles, and no efforts ever really do come. I think the image to the right describes my experience with this ‘Classic’ method the best.
Method #2 - Scheduling - The Calendar Motive
Now as I discuss this approach, I am going to let you know I am definitely biased as this is truly how I live most of my days. The Scheduling Method is just that - it’s a solidified plan of action for what we feel we need to-do. By dedicating specific hours (or minutes) out of our day to accomplishing our goals, we are far more compelled to follow through with these ambitions. A friend I studied with in Cambridge this summer introduced me to this idea, and let me just say, I thought this kid was freaking nuts. I’m talking complete neat freak, probably on the verge of some insane-asylum-OCD, and this hyper-fixated-organizational-googlecalendar-psycho. Now, by my past definitions, I too am that same psychopath. At this time in my life, the only thing on my calendar were really my friend’s birthdays, some class meeting times, and upcoming violin student lessons (usually of just that same week). So when I saw this dude’s calendar shaded with colors and commitments everywhere I looked, I was completely caught off guard. I was weirded out and impressed at the same time. I told him about my experience with to-do listing and trying to stay on track like that, and how each event or task turned out to be unfulfilling and unrewarding for me. I let him know that I felt I couldn’t breathe with a million things waiting for me to do, and I always felt held back. He explained his perspective, that its important to always schedule in self-care time, and block out parts to just do absolutely nothing! He also reasoned that he felt that without this self-made contract, he felt he wouldn’t be able to get anything truly productive done, and it helps him stay self-disciplined when it comes to his goals. I was stunned. Well, shit, I thought, that’s the dopest thing yet. I experimented with it and started getting into a healthy study, lifting, self-care, and writing routine. An example of what ‘scheduled’ days would look like is pictured to the left. Time is often left in between events, and being completely transparent with you, I didn’t always follow this exact regimen to a T! I would go to dinner earlier, or maybe not even get around to practicing, and so forth. I give myself the freedom to do what I want when I want, while also staying motivated for things I strive to accomplish.
Method #3 - Only doing one thing on your List
Okay, this one sounds crazy, but hear me out. Or rather, hear Kelsey Alpaio out. This was one of the strategies she utilized when attempting to decipher the ‘best’ to-do list method, and this one turned out to be her favorite (spoiler alert). It goes like this: go down the classic to-do list method rabbit hole of outlining which tasks are roaming through your head, what responsibilities you have, and so forth. But then - combining Method #1 and #2 in a sense - put all your energy into tackling one item on that list. Alpaio went about this by writing said task onto a sticky note and pasting it directly in front of her and her workstation. This reminded her to stay focused when she felt like going about other tasks and drew her back in when she got distracted. She notes, “The best part? After finishing each assignment, I had the pleasure of tearing the Post-it off the wall AND crossing it off my list. Double dopamine!” This method can be especially beneficial to those who possess goals or assignments reigning in priority. It’s fun to get a larger quantity of smaller items out of the way, but we often avoid the bulkier and much more time-consuming facets. This strategy is great self-discipline for staying motivated and geared towards one specific goal — especially if it’s one we commonly put off or dread doing. But it takes willpower! It is easy to walk away, simply switch tabs, or scroll on our phones instead. This approach only works as hard as you do and setting up reasonable parameters for yourself to accomplish this task is crucial. Pictured to the right is Alpaio’s work area while she went about this approach.
Method #4 - Making more than one!
The title of this one may seem contradictory to my brush-off of the classic method noted previously. I mean, making more lists - adding more - shouldn’t more misery come? This is just the opposite! This allows organization and planning to turn into fun, because grouping relatable items together are always attainable, we just choose not to do it that much in fear of oversimplifying things. But we are allowed to simply clean up our lives! For this method, started off with Method #1 (you can see why I refer to it as a ‘classic’ now, right?) and honestly pile on as many tasks you feel need to get done as you can think of. Now, using this list, distribute each bullet point into its correct sub-list, resulting in maybe 3, 4, 5 - or more! - lists laying in front of you.
Each category should pertain to a different aspect or area of your life, work life, or whatever it may be. For instance — taking out the trash, unloading the dishwasher, mowing the lawn, and so forth, might fall under the House Organization or Clean Chore List. Sending or replying to emails, scheduling an appointment or meeting, or calling a friend or family member might be under the Networking or Social Organization list. Finishing a paper or article review, studying for an exam, editing a project, or creating a presentation; might fall under Productivity or Work-Related Endeavors. And of course, practicing an instrument, running to Home Depot to grab something for room redecorating, or preparing a meal — might fall under Personal Goals or Individual Interests. Separate parts of your life to ensure each aspect can blossom to its fullest without external and unrelated pressures. Try not to do yoga in the middle of preparing a lecture, or mix baking with watering plants — take it one step at a time. Make it a goal to do two or three things from each list every day, ensuring a healthy and happy balance of adventures in your everyday lifestyle.
Method #5 - Checklist not To-Do
It seems for this approach we are just switching up the name of to-do listing. You’re probably thinking okay now she is just running out of ideas. But a checklist is a completely different concept than what has been introduced previously, though may be a distant cousin to Method #2 (Schedule/Calendar). A to-do list, as we have established, is usually an unstructured draft of all commitments or tasks we know we need to complete or work towards. This usually has an invisible label of ‘in no particular order’ written at the top, and is not decisive on when or where these goals will take place, but just that they have got to eventually. A checklist is really, a sequential to-do list. It documents what must get done, before or after the next task. It acts as a guide in getting through the day, or week, and is looked to as a reminder to stay on track. What is awesome about checklists as they can be applied to any event or task within itself! They help solidify a plan for that pesky goal on your class to-do list, acting as a step-by-step process in getting it done. And of course, a checklist can act as simple as writing out your morning or night routine, acting as moral support where we all need it.
I hope your perception of these overwhelming lists has changed along with my own outlook. I really do believe the key to anything that confronts us in life is the way we choose to view it. If we view or label something as a drag, that’s all it’s going to be. But if we appreciate all the little tasks or movements we have the opportunity to take part in, then life tends to be a lot more bearable, and get this - even enjoyable. Thank you for reading.
