On To-Do Lists

I use to-do lists out of necessity.

I don’t trust myself to actually remember anything. But I do trust myself to stare crazily at a list of things I know to be important. When I was completely broke, I started using Mint to keep track of my money. I saved money really well. Not because I’m a super saver, but because I could stare at a budget for hours. It kept me calm and collected.

Fellow Automatticians recently mentioned using Wunderlist, a to-do application. It’s been a strong ally in my fight against procrastination. Hearing the ‘ding’ with every item completed is incredibly motivating. Whenever I find my mind wandering, I open up Wunderlist and gather my thoughts at my list.

But I uncovered something even more powerful recently. Clearing out every single item in my “Today” list is incredibly satisfying. Better than gettings things done is getting everything done. Good sets of goals are better than larger sets of goals.

“Just right” is the best.