Anyone using "to do" lists?

[BboogieXVII]

It seems a to do list may help one get organized and get going. I've seen various "to do" lists in affluent people's homes (mostly about preparing for a trip or leaving entirely during the brutal Phoenix summers) but I digress.

Is a "to do" list helpful for you or is it merely another useless thing to clutter up one's day? I've also read recently, on talkbass that someone found it motivational to put a few easy things on the list first and just by getting those things done they were soon on a roll and are able to tackle more ambitious projects.... Next things on my list are easy; take a shower, turn off broth on stove, go to the gym.

 

[ZenG]

I don't use one myself....but I think they work...

My wife uses one all the time for herself...and she gets a ton of stuff done..

I think when you write something down on a list, there's the urge to get it done so you can cross it off.

 

[Richland123]

Yeah. I have one in my office for my business to keep things in order and one at home for house projects. Of course, I deviate from both lists often.

 

[El Güero]

My to do list is more of a won't happen list.

I should lower my goals to coincide with reality.

 

[Johnny Crab]

VERY Helpful, sometimes overwhelming.
One at work for projects' management(on work PC), a folded-up sheet of paper with 1/4 section per day of stuff that MUST or I want to get done after work lives in my back pocket(been doing this for 30+ years), and a lamenated listing of two gear sets with one of which MUST be put in the vehicle prior to leaving to a gig is on the left side of my bathroom mirror(BOSE gear gig or FOH-provided gig). Gigs are 90~160 miles away(180~320 rountrip). Folks have said "I don't know how you get it all done". Lists work as do time management plans(used in college to handle engineering load + family + band to grad 7th in my class).

Example from yesterday's pocket list:
Motorcycle Insurance
Bills
Feed & water chickens
Ibanez SRX Repair
Purchase, download, & put new band song on mp3 player
Lube Chevy Tracker rear door hinges(VERY tight, 15 years old)
Lube Chevy pickup truck hood springs & pivots AND windshield wiper linkage(1985 C10)

The SRX didn't get done b/c Wednesday's we operate on 5 hours of sleep(Tuesday night gig) and it wasn't a HAVE TO(it needs the 9 volt battery connector replaced).

 

[bolophonic]

I use to-do lists extensively. I have always had difficulties with my attention span and I used to write lists off as something that other people use effectively. I keep a pile of small lists stapled together, so that I can always flip back to see my progress as I check things off. My system also allows me to write completely new, unrelated lists, so that I always have something new to tackle, as well as something old that I have been putting off. Sometimes coming back to approach a task during a different time of year or after other things are completed can change everything. I genuinely wish that I had started finding my own system of list-making earlier in life.

Speaking of lists, my next task is to figure out how to stucco the inside of a fireplace, so I am going to go do that now. If that project rolls along, I have some roof joists to put together on a barn, and a phone call about a washing machine part I ordered. See you later!

 

[Jim Nazium]

Oh, heck yes. I keep a master list with several categories - music practice goals, home & garden projects, exercise goals, fun things I want to do on weekends, etc. Every day (well, almost) I make a list of things to do that day. The next day I review the list and make one of three marks next to each item: check (done), arrow (moved it to another day), or X (decided not to do it). I got that system from the Franklin Planner. I find it's helpful, because for one thing it helps me be clear about what I've decided to do. Making a conscious decision not to do something, instead of just postponing it over and over, feels good and helps free up mental energy for more important things. YMMV.

 

[DwaynieAD]

I've read some science behind to do lists and they seem to be very helpful. I used to use them and they definitely help me if I actually write one.

To do list:
1- write to do list
2-

 

[Selta]

Yup. At work, I use one in Outlook. I can flag emails and they get added to the ToDo list, and I can add my own tasks to it as well. I also use the calendar to schedule things out.
At home, I've "gamified" my ToDo list by playing HabitRPG (Habitica | Your Life the Role Playing Game It's a neat concept, targeted kind of at gamers. It "rewards" your completion of tasks by giving your in-game character items and currency. There's also challenge groups that help keep you accountable for say, that work out you skipped (again) or that 30 minutes of music practice that you forgot about. Beyond that, I use a simple calendar to keep track of things as well.

 

[BboogieXVII]

Cool, I'm glad that I am on to something here! Made it to the gym and back. Off to clean the kitchen. I will reward myself by checking it off the list.

 

[GIBrat51]

Unfortunately, as I get older, they do seem to get more useful. Assuming, of course, that I can remember:
1) What I need to do;
2) to write it all down; and
3) remember where I put the d**n list.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

When I worked on projects in the Oil & Gas sector, we were given agendas, and you had better have answers to how far along you've gotten on each item in your agenda at the next meeting, because time is money.

Now, my to-do list consists mostly of snail mail. I get prompts in my mail to do things & leave them on my desk for doing in the morning.
Things like paying the taxes on my vehicle.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I use them at work every day. I keep a folio on the desk with a white 8 1/2 x 11 pad on it, and any time I think of something that needs to get done that day or next I write it on the pad. Usually when I start writing, I think of several things that need to get done. When I complete a task, I cross it off with a blue highlighter. The tasks involved can be big things or little things, doesn't matter. I find this practice indispensable, especially as I get older and ten to forget things.

My wife argues that I should cross things off the list entirely rather than using a highlighter, but I kind of like being able to look down at the end of the day and see how many things actually got done. Before I did this, I would not only forget how many things I had to do before I had to do them, but how many things I had done after I did them. The way I do it now, I can leave without that worry about whether I forgot something or feeling like I didn't do enough. I also far prefer making the list physically rather than on a computer. Not sure why.

 

[Immigrant]

I'm over 50

I'm on painkillers

I smoke pot

So, yes.

 

[Phalex]

I have a hard time remembering to do the stuff I should do instead of just doing the stuff that I'm doing. To do lists are an important component of my life.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I'm an old-skool analog dog: I keep a spiral-bound notebook on my desk and write down To-Do tasks manually, with a blue or black pen. When I complete the task, I strike through it with a red pen. Seeing page after page of red strike-throughs gives me an incredibly satisfying sense of accomplishment.

I suspect there are plenty of way more high-tech versions of this that could run on my SmartPhone or laptop, but something about pen & paper just makes me feel like I'm really chipping away at a list.

 

[BboogieXVII]

I'm an old-skool analog dog: I keep a spiral-bound notebook on my desk and write down To-Do tasks manually, with a blue or black pen. When I complete the task, I strike through it with a red pen. Seeing page after page of red strike-throughs gives me an incredibly satisfying sense of accomplishment.

I suspect there are plenty of way more high-tech versions of this that could run on my SmartPhone or laptop, but something about pen & paper just makes me feel like I'm really chipping away at a list.

I'm using the cheesy notepad program that comes with windows, when something is done I put a couple of XX's after it, but the notebook sounds intriguing. The red pen is the cool part.

 

[guitar ed]

Yes I do. Being on "the list" does not guarantee that something will get done. Because reality does intrude sometimes. But it greatly improves the odds.

edg

 

[JMacBass65]

It seems a to do list may help one get organized and get going. I've seen various "to do" lists in affluent people's homes (mostly about preparing for a trip or leaving entirely during the brutal Phoenix summers) but I digress.

A "to do" list is one of many tools/habits/traits of highly successful people. It's no accident certain people are high achievers, it's the result of deliberate action.

BTW - I use "to do" lists, but not very successfully, it clashes with my tendency to procrastinate.

Note - I am not a high achiever.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I'm an old-skool analog dog: I keep a spiral-bound notebook on my desk and write down To-Do tasks manually, with a blue or black pen. When I complete the task, I strike through it with a red pen. Seeing page after page of red strike-throughs gives me an incredibly satisfying sense of accomplishment.

I suspect there are plenty of way more high-tech versions of this that could run on my SmartPhone or laptop, but something about pen & paper just makes me feel like I'm really chipping away at a list.

Your red pen is like my blue highlighter. Like you, I like being able to see that things have been getting done.