A To-Do List Can Set You Free!

Yes, I'm serious. The dreaded to-do list can actually be the thing that brings you good feelings, peace and freedom. I've been working without a net (no to-do list) the last few weeks, letting myself 'wing it' to make sure I wasn't stifling creativity and to make sure I stayed focused on completing a particular project. So in my mind the only thing on my to do list was the next step in the project.

Seems simple. Seems like it should be really stress free. And there's no dreaded to-do list hanging over my head.

But that's not the way it worked out. Instead I never felt like I had finished my work for the day. I also knew there were other things to do and I was just carrying them around in my head. So now I ended up feeling stressed, unable to write, and rarely feeling good about what I accomplished in my day.

So yesterday I wrote out a to-do list for today - and I already feel great! My creativity came back so I was able to write, I feel great because it's not even 9am and I've checked a few things off the list. I will also know when I'm done for the day and I can feel good about knowing I "did enough".

Bottom line: Having a reasonable to-do list will help you finish off your day and let you know you did the most important things.