Are you an avid “to-do” list maker?
Perhaps you have a special notepad where you write your to-dos, maybe you use a calendar or planner, you have a great app on your phone, or maybe you have post-its littered all over your workspace reminding you of what you need to do.
To-do list can be so helpful, but often, “to-do lists” can actually add stress into your life. Do you know the difference? Do you want to know how to make sure your to-do lists are working to relieve stress, rather than adding to feeling overwhelmed? If so, then keep reading…
There’s one really good reason for making a to-do list: you don’t want to forget something that is important. So, a list is helpful, when your list helps you complete that which is IMPORTANT.
The problem with to-do list making is that little thought is often put into importance. It’s not that the list itself isn’t important, but instead, the problem is that every item on the to-do list is deemed as having equal importance. And this is rarely true.
To be sure your to-do list is working for you, you want to first be sure you’re aware of your goal. Your goal needs to have more substance than ” I want to get things done”. Ask yourself why do you want to get things done? Why is this important? What is the one reason? And yes, you want to really narrow it down to “one” reason.
Once you identify that one reason, instead of calling it a “to-do list”, maybe you can rename it. Maybe it turns into a “How to Stay Employed List” or a “Take Care of My Household List”, or even a “I Love My Life” list. But keep the goal in mind.
Next, you want to go through your list and make sure everything actually aligns with the goal. This is so important because crossing off an item on a to-do list usually feels really good. You gain a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of pride, and a boost of self-esteem when you can check a item off the list. But this fades if the task isn’t related to your overall goal. You may get some instant gratification, but this is not sustainable gratification since the reality is that you are no closer to success in your goal.
The next big thing to do is to prioritize your list. Not all tasks hold the same amount of importance. It’s easy to choose tasks that are quick and don’t take much effort to do first, but these often aren’t tasks which hold the most importance. Prioritizing is so important in making sure the list-making process is helping you.
Start making to-do lists which actually help you be successful rather than just feel accomplished by following the above steps. Identify the important goal, rename the list to fit the important goal, remove any list items that don’t align with your goal, and then prioritize what is most important. You got this!
If you want more support in de-stressing your life, check out the services I offer. You can stay updated about when I’m offering groups, workshops, classes, and other services by subscribing to my newsletter here.
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