Make To-do Lists Work for You

Work Happier is a limited series of newsletters I’m writing for LinkedIn. Each newsletter considers a different topic that can get in the way of happiness at work.

Today, I'm reflecting on to-do lists.

When it comes to productivity, one of the most common suggestions is, "Make a to-do list, and check off the items as you go." But does a to-do list work for everyone?

For me--and for many people--making a to-do list is an invaluable tool for productivity. (If you know the Four Tendencies// framework, you’ll realize that because I’m an Upholder, it's very predictable that to-do lists work for me.) But they don’t work for everyone.?

If to-do lists aren't useful for you, consider these variations:

A to-don’t list:

Often, we can predict what our biggest productivity stumbling blocks will be. Listing the things you don’t want to do (check social media, have a third cup of coffee, buy takeout, etc.) can help you stay on track.

Below is Johnny Cash’s to-do list. He’s added things not to do, as well as “worry” which I find fascinating.

A power hour:

Things that can be done at any time are often done at no time. So it’s easy to let a lot of “should-do” tasks add up. Each week, I do a “power hour” where I tackle the list of tedious or unattractive tasks that I’ve been avoiding. It's a big help to know that I have to work on the list for just one hour.

Time boxing:

Sometimes we don’t complete our to-do lists because we spend unnecessary time on the tasks we get to. Many decisions don’t require extensive research. And many tasks don’t need to be executed excellently—they just need to be completed.

Time box your to-do list by deciding how long you should spend on each task, setting a timer, and then moving on once the time is spent.

The Tackle Box

My Tackle Box of sticky pads was developed to help you tackle all types of tasks.

Inside is?a “To-Do” list but also a “To-day” List for urgent tasks, a “Could-Do” List for optional responsibilities (and for Rebels and Questioners who don’t want to be told what to do). There’s a “Ta-Da” List for celebration and a “To-Doodle” list for when your work is best served by taking a break.

The Tackle Box presents five different ways to tackle tasks. You can read more about it here.

40 Easy Tasks to Spark Productivity

Sometimes looking at a long to-do list of tedious chores can make us feel stuck. Having a few fun, unusual, or simple tasks on your to-do list can help you get started.

Below, I have 40 ideas that are quick, easy, and a bit whimsical. Consider adding them in when your lists become too daunting.

1. Clear off one shelf—for most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm; that’s why I wrote my book Outer Order, Inner Calm//
2. Make something, even if it's something as simple as a great cup of coffee
3. Help someone move forward—teach someone a skill, make an introduction, act as a sounding-board
4. Learn to do something new—I learned how to play the board game Ticket to Ride
5. Replace all burned-out light bulbs
6. Donate to a cause you believe in
7. Write a haiku
8. Eat a meal in an unusual spot or have family members switch from their normal chairs
9. Spend 30 minutes reading or listening to a book from your “to read” pile
10. After looking at your “to read” pile, decide that actually, you don’t want to read a certain book after all, and plan to give it away
11. Use an appliance that’s never or rarely been used--I finally tried making egg bites in my Dash Egg Bite Maker
12. Along the same lines, use something that’s been gathering dust—play the piano, cook in your wok, flex those exercise bands
13. Catch up on magazines—I still read physical magazines, does anyone else?
14. Take a moment to appreciate the flavor of ketchup (fun fact: ketchup offers the five taste sensations, in a blend of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami
15. Make a list of your 30 favorite TV shows, or movies, or books
16. Use a face, body, or hair product that you own but have never used
17. Wear something silly during a Zoom call to surprise people on the other side
18. Write an email or letter to someone you love
19. Sharpen your knives—my husband just did this
20. Download and use an app that you’ve been meaning to start using
21. Reorganize a space in your home to make it more comfortable or more suited to a new function—turn a walk-in closet into a meditation room or a phone booth; turn a tiny sun porch into a reading room, clean out the junk that's packed into a cabinet
22. In your smartphone, find a happy photo taken with some friends or family from a few years ago, and send it to everyone in the photo, to remind them of a great memory
23. Experiment with a new form of exercise
24. Have a “picnic,” in whatever form that might take—my sister Elizabeth’s family had a “car picnic”
25. Update your resume, LinkedIn profile, etc.
26. Unsubscribe from email newsletters you no longer read
27. Check under all the beds—you might find things you’ve lost, or that you forgot you had
28. Do 50 jumping jacks
29. Make a point of using up all the mostly-eaten containers of food; you’ll have more room and a better sense of your supplies—we had five cartons of mostly-eaten ice cream
30. Squeak some cornstarch between your fingers
31. Declare a Family Prank Day—like an extra April Fool’s day
32. Sit outside and listen to the birds
33. Re-read old journals or look through old photo albums
34. Make an Album of Now for 2022--take photos of everyday sights of your life, such as the inside of your refrigerator, your bedroom, your closet
35. Go for a 20-minute walk outside
36. Mail a handwritten postcard
37. Use the “good china” or fancy plates you don’t use often
38. Use something you’ve been saving like candles, a fancy cooking ingredient, or lotion
39. Do someone else’s chore, as a treat
40. Delete all unused apps from your phone

If you found these tips helpful, sign up for my biweekly newsletter with even more tips and hacks for happiness here.