Continuing from the last week, I'm sharing my personal experience with the morning to-do list that I've been diligently doing for quite some time but only recently discovered a subtle but powerful new outlook. Earlier, when I did the to-do lists, I did them with the intent to complete the tasks for the day. It was like a grocery list that I kept ticking as soon as I completed the respective task. But, also like in grocery when one item is not found on that particular shelf, it makes us jittery, not being able to complete the task also made me jittery and edgy.
I still maintain my to-do list. But what my recent discovery has done is to eliminate the factor of jitteriness. The only change is in my outlook. We're, since our childhood, taught never to postpone any task for tomorrow. Sure, it's important and has value in it. But then, today more than ever before, we're bombarded with so many tasks that everything seems important and everything demands attention. It becomes humanly impossible to accomplish the tasks on that list as time is a limited resource. If I operated from focussing on everything, that was even worst as I wasn't able to achieve anything. And, whatever I was even able to complete was not by best output.
What I do now is along with when I formulate my to-do list from the morning, I revisit the incomplete tasks from the previous day. I acknowledge them and jot them on my list again. Then I add the tasks for today. I spare a few more minutes just pondering upon them in which order and sequence I'm going to tackle them. Some demand immediate attention and some are urgent but are also circumstantial and require us to align with others' presence or availability. Some are important but not urgent and others are just something on our mind which we want to be done with. Some are in the personal and some in the professional domain. Based on overlooking the entire tasks, I set one path - this path may not be the best one, but what seems to be relevant at that point in time.
The path is not etched in stone! This approach allows me to adapt through the day depending on unintended or unforeseen situations. And, I keep tackling the tasks as planned. This approach too demands my discipline. But, unlike earlier when I deviate and get distracted, I allow myself that window depending on the situation and the context. What it has done is allowed me to be compassionate towards myself and towards people with whom I work.
While it is important to accomplish all the tasks on that list, it's not the end of the world if some of them are left untouched. It is important that I enjoy the act of participating. And, when I bring intensity and discipline, I've noticed that when I go to bed that evening I'm able to sleep peacefully, like a baby! Consistently delivering on each day's promise allows us to, without realising, improve day by day, little by little. This, I believe will serve in the long run. The key is to be compassionate and easy on oneself while bringing intensity and discipline into the work we're upto.
P.S. There are several tools to maintain the tasks -from notebooks to mobile apps. Try and test and see what system best suits you. I use Microsoft's To Do app as it offers cross-platform connectivity between my android phone, iPad, Mac and Windows platforms. It's a simple yet powerful tool that has a simple, easy to use interface.
Reference: https://todo.microsoft.com/tasks/
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