My To Do List Obsession

Do you have a to do list?

I’m in love with them. It seems I can’t get anything done unless I have one.  My problem is I often make a mental list in my head and then repeat it over and over and over and over until there is no room for anything else in my brain except the list. It’s not the best approach, so I’ve started with trying to write out a to do list. Mostly for my blog, but on busy days I do add the day to day stuff there too. Sometimes I’ll write out complete lists of every single little thing I need to do until I fill the page, then spend the next day, week, month, whatever, finishing it up. Other times I’ll create a daily to do list. Sometimes I’ll create multiple to do lists for different aspects of my life. As chaotic as that sounds, it works great for me because my personality finds great rewards in crossing an item off my list.

That’s right, I gain great satisfaction to cross an item off my to do list. It gives me a sense of accomplishment just completing the task alone doesn’t give me. I never said it made sense, just that it works for me. I’m even known to add an already accomplished item to my list just so I can cross it off…yeah, crazy, I know.

Lately, since I’ve been working on taking back my life, I’ve discovered great comfort in the to do list. It’s something I look forward to every day. I love to grab my list and see what I can cross off next! I have some plans for making some highly detailed lists I can use for blogging chores, which I think will help me keep up on my day to day work.

Sometimes, without the guidance of the list I find myself getting overwhelmed. It’s almost like I don’t know where to start. When that happens it’s time to either write a new list or rework the one I’ve already started so I have a fresh focus. The important tasks sometimes get lost in the sea of crossed off items. Sometimes it’s important items that I’m procrastinating.

Speaking of procrastination? If you find that to do lists work for you like they do for me AND you have trouble putting off that one big item on the list that you know should be done but you just can’t bring yourself to do it. Read Brian Tracy’s book Eat that Frog. It’s one of my favorites and I’ve mentioned it before when I wrote about creative motivation boosters.  Here’s a little video to give you some insight into what Eat that Frog is all about. If you’re up for it, they even offer a thirty day challenge to take part in!

Now that I’ve finished writing this, it’s just one more item I get to cross off my to do list. Man, that feels good!

Do you make to do lists? Tell me about your tips and tricks to make them work for you. I go a bit overboard on them.