Why Your To-Do List May Not Be Helping You

Your long to-do list is overwhelming and makes you less productive. By having a more precise list with only what matters, you are more likely to get things done.

We are forever inundated with an ongoing list of things we need to get around to doing, not being able to find the time for any of them. There’s a constant dichotomy within us, not having time for the important things while simultaneously wasting hours at a time seemingly doing nothing.

Our to-do list keeps getting longer. We tend to almost be too optimistic when it comes to what we think we can get done. When we fill it with crazy big projects, we get overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Procrastination becomes our weapon of choice. The important tasks get muddled with the “someday, maybe?” projects. But it’s helpful to realize that not everything is equally important, some tasks you could do without. Having them on your list does nothing but overwhelm you or make you feel like you have failed for not doing them.

We pick up our phone to check one thing and before we know it, an hour has passed and we can’t figure out where the time went. When our time is spent on something that we didn’t intend to, we are riddled with guilt or feelings of disappointment with ourselves. We have nothing to show for the time we lost and we are annoyed we’ve wasted it. As a result, the amount of negative feelings we have is doubled, and we feel regret because we didn’t do what we should have and on top of that, we feel guilty for wasting time on something frivolous.

A good way to figure out what truly matters is by asking yourself: At the end of the day or week, which task will I be relieved if accomplished? And which will I be stressed about not having done? Those are tasks that are best tackled first so you eliminate the nagging feeling of worry. Even when a task is unpleasant at the moment or dreadful, if accomplishing it will give you a bigger relief than the short-lived uneasiness associated with it is worth getting it over with.

You may want to tackle a huge project, but realistically it isn’t the right time for it. Give yourself permission to remove it from your list. Only keep what’s important. The fewer tasks you have the more likely you are to get them done. Start with the most important task and only move on to the next one when you are fully done with the first task. By focusing on one task at a time you’re able to finish it in less time and more effectively. Checking off important tasks from your list will give you feelings of accomplishment and productivity pride. Any downtime spent afterward is no longer associated with guilt. You are free to do whatever and enjoy it instead of constantly worrying about not getting something done. It’s a double win, you will add feelings of accomplishment to your reservoir and eliminate the worrying you’ve been constantly feeling about not getting that thing done. By adding positive feelings and subtracting negative feelings you increase your happiness, which is the ultimate goal.