Why we still need to-do lists and how to get the most out of them
Miscellaneous / / August 21, 2023
Our brains love orderly tasks, even if we don't think so.
Why do we need to-do lists
Much has been written about the benefits of to-do lists. However, some still resist and do not like to structure tasks. They think it will hinder their creativity or prevent them from being flexible during the day. From the point of view of the creator methods GTD and author bestseller How to Get Things Done by David Allen, such people are wrong. He is sure that anyone with a busy schedule but no clear structure will find it difficult to manage everything.
It can be difficult for any person to start a task and complete it, but for someone, problems begin even earlier - at the stage when you need to understand what exactly should be done. It would seem that this is the perfect moment for compiling a to-do list. This time-tested system allows us to respect our time, and it's beautiful in its simplicity. You just need to write down all the tasks in order, and then methodically complete them and cross them off the list.
If our days were less busy, we could trust our memory. An outstanding psychologist, one of the founders of the Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University, Bluma Zeigarnik, at the beginning of the 20th century, noticed the obsession of our brain with urgent tasks and described the effect, which was later named the Zeigarnik effect in her honor: we remember better what we have not done yet than what we have already fulfilled.
Find out more✅
- The Zeigarnik effect will help you complete all tasks
In 2011 scientists figured outthat even though unfinished tasks distract us, when we simply make a plan for their implementation, this frees us from anxiety. Study participants performed poorly on a task if they were unable to complete the preparation ahead of it. But once they wrote down a specific plan to complete the preparatory phase, work on the task progressed much better. According to one of the authors of the study, even just writing down tasks, we become more efficient.
How to make useful to-do lists
So, to-do lists ease anxiety about the chaos of life, give us a plan to stick to, and are proof of what we've accomplished in a day, week, or month. But none notes with the words "mom" or "bank" will not help. To make lists useful, you need to make them well.
1. Include more details
What is the purpose of the task? To complete it, do you need to call, send a letter or meet in person? If your to-do list isn't clear and concise enough, chances are you won't be able to prioritize tasks and end up doing nothing.
2. Set realistic deadlines
You need to estimate how long each task will take to create a viable schedule for the day. At the same time, you must also take into account that at some point you may become too carried away by social networks or other distractions that you have a weakness for.
3. Break big tasks into small steps
We are often afraid of large projects and endlessly put them off until later. The best way to overcome this is divide them into small blocks that are easier to handle. The "write a novel" task sounds intimidating, while the "outline the first chapter" task is more pleasurable and therefore more likely to be completed.
Read also🧐
- How to rewrite your to-do list to worry less and get more done
- 8 mistakes that make to-do lists not work
- How to use a to-do list to re-create your personality