The dreaded to-do list

Don’t grow a to-do list

I made a huge list for today. I just can't figure out who is going to do it.

While to-do lists are a popular time management hack, they should be used cautiously. When used excessively, they can quickly become a hindrance to productivity.

So, let’s see why.

We often feel that there is so much to do that it is hard to capture everything. This is why it is easy to get lost in capturing stuff or creating list after list after list. The problem is that just executing your to-do list is not enough. When there is no structure or process behind what you will do after creating a to-do list, productivity can quickly fall apart.

Let’s look at 2 of the most common issues arising from misusing to-do lists.

The first one is becoming overwhelmed. Unmanaged to-do lists can quickly become ever-growing beasts. A long list creates a false sense of busyness, whereas an easily doable, half-hour to-do list visually could look like it would take much longer to accomplish. This false sense of busyness causes many issues, such as taking the focus away from important things or sabotaging a healthy prioritisation process, ultimately leading to overwhelm.

The other problem with creating lists after lists or very long lists is that an unmanaged list becomes a breeding ground for mistakes and duplicates. In a team, this can cause frustration, double up in work, and misunderstandings that will affect the quality of the delivered work.

Using a to-do list without a clear strategy or process in mind, can be an unnoticed saboteur of your productivity. Just like with any tool, using it wisely can drastically improve productivity, but misusing it can lead to overwhelm and procrastination.

Ildi Racz-Prosser - Productivity Coach and Pooja Kelkar - Habit Change Coach

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