Checking Things Off

I think people often lose sight of the functionality of to do lists. The true purpose of a to do list is to have a list that provides us guidance for the tasks we are trying to accomplish during the day. Ideally, we're going to end the day with fewer things on the list than we started with. The adding of things to this list aside, the balance of 'old' tasks SHOULD go down on a daily basis. If things aren't happening in this manner, then the system is flawed. If the original items that you began the day with are still to be done at the end of the day, the system is self-defeating. You're getting nowhere. So what causes this? Sometimes there are things that are beyond our control. Family emergencies might pop up, which otherwise prevent us from making progress on what we had set out to accomplish during the course of the day. Resources might not be available. But it might also be in the scope of the items that are being added to the list. If 'remodel house' is a to do item, how in the hell can that be accomplished in a day? What about all the subordinate tasks that make up that meta task? What about the individual rooms? The systems and appliances? The exterior? What are those things? The to do lists should track tasks on that more detailed level. Other to do items that are flawed in terms of scope: Cure all diseases Negotiate world peace Solve the problem of untied shoelaces that plagues our youth See where I'm going with this? These are all attainable, but that's not the point. They are attainable because of the individual tasks that make them up. That contribute to the overall achievement of these... goals. They're not tasks. They're the larger goals. We need to be able to keep these goals in mind (lists, anyone?) in some way or another, but our daily concern is not to look at everything in such a wide scope. It would be overwhelming. Where would we start? The day is about making progress. It is about taking those baby steps necessary to get to those goals. And as long as you're making progress during the day, even if it only means checking off one thing, then you're getting somewhere. And if you're not, then it is time to evaluate your system. What are your true priorities? Are there things on your list that are being disregarded for less meaningful endeavors? If you want to learn to play the guitar, and your to do list for the day includes one hour of practicing scales, you'll practice those scales for that hour if it is important enough to you. But if you're not doing it because other things are coming up, what are those other things? And are they things that are already on the list, or things that just end up being time vampires? Five minutes here or there surfing the net, or playing games, or whatever else counts for electronic leisure adds up to HOURS over time. Hell, it can add up to hours just in the course of one day. Let's consider another example. A guy goes to Taco Bell and spends $3 on a couple of tacos. Not a big hit to the wallet. Inconsequential, really. But what about this amount over time? The next day he does the same. And the next day. And the next. So at some point down the road he's trying to figure out why he's unhealthy and overweight and he doesn't think that any one habit is getting him into trouble. Until he sorts his expenditures by vendor and figures out he's been giving the fine folks over at Taco Bell what has amounted to over $500 in the course of a six month period. A six month period! Now, these sorts of exercises can be a very eye-opening experience. But how do we measure the impact of aggregated time spent on social media? We need to be more deliberate. Again, it comes down to priorities. And every little bit counts. If you want to be able to keep track of things, start scheduling them. If they're important enough to you, then they're worth scheduling. If there are specific things you want to accomplish, then you need to do those things before you give yourself the luxury of time spent on recreation. That's not to say we don't all need recreation of some form, because of course we do. We need some sort of release. But if things aren't getting done then we need to take the hard line sometimes to make sure they are getting done. Particularly if these things directly impact our health and well being or the health and well being of our families. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. That's what we're talking about. One could look at it another way, as 'nice to haves' or 'need to haves.' I need a roof over my head. It is nice to have a break and watch YouTube videos. And yet the things on my work to do list are not getting done, and this is jeopardizing my ability to remain gainfully employed. It is about priorities.