i have a friend who writes her to-do list in the middle of the day, after she’s already completed some things that she can immediately mark OFF the list as she writes it.
yes, you read that correctly. she makes a to-do list that includes things she’s ALREADY done just to have the satisfaction of marking ‘em off.
i, personally, don’t even LIKE to-do lists bc the pressure just gets to me – makes me so stressed out.
but, there are times in my life when to-do lists are absolutely necessary. like, say, this week. i can’t figure out why i have 30 items on my to-do list… i feel like i’m staring at a wall that cannot be scaled – like a mountain that simply cannot be climbed – like an ocean that cannot be crossed – like a … anyway, you get the picture.
what about you? do you have a love/hate relationship with your to-do list?
I add stuff to my to-do list that I have already done JUST so I can cross it off and feel more productive!
adam: gasp! there’s more than one of you crazy list people???!!!
I like lists becasuse otherwise I’ll honestly forget about something. I’ll write it out in small parts. I won’t put “finish project” but “finish step 1″, “finish step 2″ – that way I have the satisfaction of crossing it off the list and a feeling of accomplishment. Otherwise it can be overwhelming.
I’m not a great “to-do” list person either … although I need to be better. I’ve tried about 10 times to learn the “GTD” system .. even downloaded the audio book on iTunes, which is perhaps the most boring, sleep inducing piece of audio I’ve ever heard.
For when I *DO* make the list, I use the freebie account at Vitalist.Com
http://www.viatlist.com
Fred
Fred: i’m thinking that different personalities work differently. (duh)…. some (maybe more organized/administrative) like/embrace/use to-dos & others (maybe those of us who are more “artsy”) like to go with the whim/passion/inspiration of the moment.
all depends!
I think I’m one of your organized people, Mandy. I love to-do lists, probably because I have HORRIBLE short-term memory. There’s a huge part of me that’s task-oriented and I hate it when I feel like I’ve done nothing with my day. But, my favorite is when I’ve crossed off a lot of things on my list. I make a new list with just the tasks that I haven’t yet completed on it. It’s so nice and clean and pretty. I love it, plus it makes me think I have less to do. (Am I really confessing this on the world wide web?) I’m neurotic, OCD, and a little quirky … but hey, you already knew that, didn’t you?
rachelpage: and THIS is why i love you!
I rarely keep a to-do list becuase I never get to all the things on the list, thus leaving me feeling like a complete failure so I don’t subject myself to that kind of pressure
my wife makes my to do lists
ronpai: can i share that with my husband?
Natalie: it sounds like us creative types just freak out under the pressure. hmmm…..
What I usually use instead of a to do list is the calendar function in Outlook or on my Blackberry. I need to have the actual reminder go off 15 mins before I’m suppossed to do something in order to remember.
I keep one daily. It is a must. I love the checking off things and dread the rewriting of thing the next day….
I keep mine in my daily journal.
Summer: mine is attached to my gmail account: rememberthemilk.com
Debra: WOW! an organized artist!!!!! can i have your autograph? you’re like an anomaly!
I don’t have a to-do list. I don’t need the stress. But I used to run around all the time trying to get everything done all at once. Then, I got sick. Really sick. I survived, of course. But since then I decided my health and my life are more important than what I have to do. I am ME. I am NOT what I do.
love hate. it is necessary for getting things off your mind..but i end up needing to write: “make to do list” on my actual to do list. I KNOW! it’s crazy. I’m just too spontaneous for my own good. and yeah. i’ve tried different websites out there. liked them for a day. and then just go back to paper.
Retired. No more “To Do” lists. Don’t hate me.
Uggh… I can become paralyzed by my “to do” lists. As the saying goes, I can’t live with them and I can’t live without them. I create to do lists for my weekends. My husband thinks it’s a disease!
Ed: HA!!!!!
Jenni: yes yes yes… paralyzed. sometimes i just pretend i don’t have a to-do list!
bamboo: i’m with ya. i keep a running list in my gmail, but have a paper list for those manic days. paper works best, ’cause then i can CROSS IT OFF and see it CROSSED OFF: “take THAT, stupid to-do’s!!!”