The New To-Do

I am the king of the to-do list. I love the feeling of crossing something off. Sometimes I do something and then add it to my to-do list just so I can cross it off.

Most of my list consists of work-related tasks, but recently I’ve been adding more abstract things to do, such as:

• Make someone laugh.
• Find time to think.
• Create a true connection.
• Dig deeper.

While this may seem foolish, I have found that it helps me live more intentionally. It can be easy to have tunnel vision on work productivity. If something isn’t a priority to get done then, not only do I not do it, but I look at it as a distraction. Yet, these more meaningful activities always have a greater return on investment than many of the tasks I think I need to do.

Holding myself accountable to actually do them has helped me prioritize them. Seeing them on my to-do list also weirdly gives me the reminder that they are important and sort of permission to do them.

Lastly, it means my checklist is something I am proud of. If I go to bed each night having known I made someone laugh or having created a true connection with a client or a colleague, then it was a good day.

And I find myself truly looking forward to attacking my to-do list tomorrow.