Despite this cerebral self-encouragement, having some jobs left at the end of the day is perfectly fine. We can easily get obsessed with checking off every item on our list, especially when our brains release feel-good endorphins, namely dopamine, after you mark a beefy task as complete. A crucial component of effective working practice is the migration of incomplete tasks to future task-lists it’s a common occurrence in work journals, be it a weekly or monthly spread. Having unfinished tasks at the end of the day, week or month is not nearly as terrible as we make it out to be. You’re being too self-criticalĪn ‘all or nothing’ approach is a dangerous attitude towards to-do lists. With a more accurate, achievable to-do list, there’s much less anxiety about falling short. Plenty of research has shown the indisputable advantage of regular self-assessment in this case, it will likely make you more skillful at equating productivity in terms of the resources available. Remember to review how long your goals actually take to accomplish, as it can inform future task-lists. Suggestions vary between productivity systems: for example, the Ivy Lee method dictates a set of 6 items per day, whereas David Allen’s coveted Getting Things Done (GTD) method has no strict limit, recommending that you complete small tasks immediately, as they crop up. You don’t need more than 4 or 5 substantial jobs for a daily to-do list, with a few smaller tasks between in you can handle it. In such a case, the culprit is poor planning, not poor performance, often meaning we beat ourselves up for no reason. You might end up with a half-finished to-do list because you didn’t allow enough time for each task. It’s an inclination known as planning fallacy. When drafting up to-do list, this shows itself as our assumption that we can get 100 things done.Īs well as planning too many tasks, we are typically overly-optimistic about the time we need to finish tasks. Research decades ago showed that our motivation affects our ability to reason, meaning we often set ourselves targets that are actually less attainable than we perceive. Faced with a barrage of unfinished business, stress levels will rise. You’ll start to feel heavy if your list runs too long. If your lists are causing a lot of grief, it’s most likely you’ve got too many tasks or you’ve underestimated the time you’ll need to complete them. So, here’s three reasons why your to-do lists might be making you mad: 1. At first glance, a long list of tasks is evidence of a determined go-getter, but being too unrealistic with your estimates can quickly stress you out.įeelings of disappointment after failing to complete all tasks, or the endless guilt of not being productive enough, can discourage you from making future to-do lists. On the contrary, many find their to-do lists simply don’t work, or they are the cause of stress and anxiety.įor the same reasons that to-do lists are motivating, they can just as easily become overwhelming – the “too much of a good thing” proviso. Therefore, the current scientific understanding is that to-do lists are cognitively efficient, having a direct influence on likelihood of attaining objectives. That means your to-do list goes a long way towards automating your actions, which reduces the likelihood of getting distracted or procrastinating. The older research of Masicampo & Baumeister indicates that to-do lists have positive influence on goal pursuit as “a plan eliminates the need for further involvement from thoughts and attention.” Either way, the research tells us we should be whipping up a to-do list daily. The results would suggest that successful people have a greater tendency for planning, or that planning makes us more successful. One 2020 study showed students who regularly wrote down desired goals (of any type) and enacted a plan ended up with better academic results. To-do lists are merely a physical manifestation of our deep psychological need to plan, an absolute precondition for productivity and goal-achievement. Implementing healthier working practices is easier than you’d think, and should be number one on everyone’s agenda! The Power of To-Do Lists Although, they can suddenly become the cause of your anxiety if you’re overly-ambitious or ill-prepared. Get the mix just right, to-do lists are unmatched for organizing your life and reducing stress. Amidst the constant fluctuations of modern life, a few bullet points can be the difference between easy and difficult times. In a world of constant stimulus, being serious about to-do lists helps you stay in control and on course.
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