119—Let's get productive,
and feel satisfied.
119

Healthy vs. unhealthy
to-do lists

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To-do Lists, are they actually ticking you off?

To-do lists sound like a great idea, right?

With these you’re able to get all the tasks that you need to complete — that are currently swirling around in your noggin creating confusion and inaction — and output them somewhere tangible.

With to-do lists you can stop wasting precious energy fretting about trying to remember everything that you have to do, and just move onto the task of completing your — well — tasks.

However, once you’ve done this activity — once you’ve downloaded your brain — and you’re physically able to see everything that you need to do, this unfortunately can stress you out even more.

This happens especially when your to-do list starts getting longer. You keep adding to it, but you don’t tick off many of your chores in the meantime…

What I’m saying is, a poorly managed to-do list can actually make you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and ineffectual. To the point where you simply can’t relax and enjoy any time-off. Because your never-ending to-do list haunts you neverendingly. 📜👻🌚🌞😝

Much a-do about your to-do list

So, how do we achieve an ongoing feeling of daily satisfaction; of feeling productive?

By making to-do lists work for us!

You need to firstly acknowledge that you never get everything done. There will always be something new to add to your to-do list. You. will. never. not. have. a. to-do list.

And secondly, they should be easily achievable, and you must actually acknowledge (or even celebrate 🥳) their completion… rather than simply crossing-out, ticking-off, and moving-on to the next chore.

(Put your hand up if you perform an ‘unlisted’ chore, then add that to your to-do list, purely to gain the momentary satisfaction of being able to tick it off 🙋🏼‍♀️)

Lists of lists

Too Boo List

This is a list that is unhealthy because it’s either:

Unachievable
To do today

Impossible
Too long, and/or too hard

Complicated
It has too many parts to it.

This type of list makes you feel shit: stressed, overwhelmed, unproductive, and unable to fully relax.

 

 

Ta Dah List

This is a list that is healthy because it is:

Achievable
To do today

Possible

Simplistic 

This  type of list makes you feel like you are the shit. And, as odd as this sounds… it actually feels ace x

Note: Ace means organised, productive, and satisfied.

Here's a what-to-do list...

Yup.

  1. If you have a Too-Boo List

    I highly recommend that you just rip it up! (I mean, if these tasks were that bloody important… they wouldn’t still be sat there on the list, right?)

    Then give yourself permission to go and do the things you would do if only you didn’t have all those chores to do.

    When you’re feeling refreshed, or sick of having fun, create a more achievable list that makes you feel motivated — not immobilised.

    How do you do this?

  2. Create a 'TA-DAH' List

    Only pop stuff on here if it’s easily achievable to do today. Don’t put things on your list if you can’t do them now.

    Have no more than five things to do. (Although 3 things is ideal, I find.)

    Then get busy crossing-out, and ticking-off things. ╳✔️╳✔️╳✔️╳✔️╳✔️

    This will make you feel great: productive, and full of confidence. It will also inspire you to create a whole new list – but don’t…

    Not  just yet, anyway.

    Note: If, for any reason, you don’t complete something from that day, simply add it to the top of your Ta-Dah List tomorrow, and make sure you attend to it that day — come.hell.or.high.water. Never let it rollover to a third day, otherwise you’ll start distrusting your abilities to get-shit-done. ☝️👊

    It’s important that once you complete a ‘TA-DAH List’ that you get rid of it! Never add to your list.

    Either rip it up, shred it, burn it, throw it away, make it into a paper plane, or an origami crane. Or, if you’re more sensible than me (and also less dramatic) and you have your list on a device — then simply delete it.

    Then give yourself some space to just enjoy what completion actually feels like — at least until tomorrow.😉

    Note: Completion feels like relief.

  3. Rea-LIST-ically...
    you'll need to have a reminder list also

    However, you’ll keep this master list in a drawer.

    On it, you’ll have a number of things that you need and/or want to do. And this is how you’ll work it —

    For big things/ongoing things/and even fun things: When you’re in a good position to do so, transfer no more than three things from your reminder list onto your Ta-Dah List.
    Complete these tasks.
    Rip up your Ta-Dah List.
    Then start a new Ta-Dah List.

    Note: If you don’t do this with your fun stuff as well, then unfortunately these things will actually start to feel more like chores — which really sucks.🤓

When lists become too-dur...

Because many of us spend a lot of our time working from home now — rather than at the office — you might be in a position where you’re lucky enough to just attend to chores as they occur.

No daily list of chores necessary.
Just you living & doing in the now 😉

Want to read more life-style advice from me?

Then please check out this link:

https://lisasaidso.co.nz/category/advice

Make an appointment with Lisa

Lisa Fitzgibbon is a degree qualified (2006), experienced and registered Naturopath & Medical Herbalist. She runs her own private practice – OOMPH in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand.

Lisa has been involved in the Natural Health industry for 16 years. She draws on her professional training and experience, as well as her own personal experience to bring you realistic, holistic health advice.

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