To Do Or Not To Do?
Are "to-do" lists a waste of time for anyone else besides me? I mean, ostensibly the whole point of a to-do list is so you can focus and get stuff done that you need to get done, and then you can check those things off when you do them and feel a sense of accomplishment, right? Well, on the rare occasions where I actually have my act together enough to know what I need to put on such a list at all, I'll write all this stuff down and then forget all about it. Or I'll look at it at some point in the day and think, "Actually that can wait til tomorrow, and so can that and that and that." Before I know it, the whole list is a carryover to tomorrow, a victim of my finely honed procrastinatory tendencies.
Or even better, I'll sometimes write stuff on the list that I've already done that day. Then I cross those things off immediately so that if by some amazing chance I remember to look at it in the evening, I'll see the crossed-off activities and think, "Yeah, I did something! Go me!"
Sad, isn't it.
One of my co-workers has a "To Don't" pad hanging up in her cubicle. I need to get me one of those. Maybe I'll put it on my next "To Do" list.
Maybe not.
Or even better, I'll sometimes write stuff on the list that I've already done that day. Then I cross those things off immediately so that if by some amazing chance I remember to look at it in the evening, I'll see the crossed-off activities and think, "Yeah, I did something! Go me!"
Sad, isn't it.
One of my co-workers has a "To Don't" pad hanging up in her cubicle. I need to get me one of those. Maybe I'll put it on my next "To Do" list.
Maybe not.
posted by grackyfrogg @ 9:45 PM
5 Comments:
At 3:12 AM ,
Kelsey said...
I, too, have finely tuned procrastinatory tendencies. And also often add already completed things to To Do lists. Clearly we are so productive we don't even need these lists!
At 9:24 AM ,
Drew said...
I come from a long line of to-do listmakers...pretty much everyone on my dad's side of the family does it, with my dad being perhaps the best at it--hell he tracks everything from electric consumption to daily high/low temps and snowfall.
For me, To-do lists keep me from being as procrastinary as usual; oh I still procrastinate a lot, but to-do lists keep me from forgetting to do something important.
I don't, however, merge deadlines with to-do dates, unless it's a birthday or something.
Currently I use the Tasks feature within my gmail account; it works real well, and isn't a pain to use.
At 10:24 AM ,
Beth said...
To Do lists work maybe 50% of the time for me. :) Usually, I'm like you and think, "Well, that can be done tomorrow...and that...and, oh, hey that one too!" Or, I'll put down things on my list that I've already done just so I can cross them off. (Like you!) We procrastinators need to get together...tomorrow? ;)
At 6:38 PM ,
Anonymous said...
Instead of a to do list or a to don't list, I had a ta da list. If I get it done "ta da" if I don't something better came along and "ta da" it was a good day!
BTW did you get my message about July?
Aunt B
At 6:28 PM ,
Carl G. said...
Well put - I resonate with your ambivalence about To Do lists. I much prefer To Be lists.
Post a Comment
<< Home