Is it a "To Do" list, or a "Forget" list
Some people write "To Do" lists and do an incredible job of completing each task quickly. You know who you are. And if that's you, congrats. You're a rare bird.
But for most people, "To Do" lists are more like "Forget" lists. You're making it much more likely you'll lose your focus, lose your momentum and eventually lose the actual list... ensuring you never finish.
Here's the reason.
People have done studies with waiters and waitresses with strong working memories. You know, the ones who take your order without writing them down, and still get everything right, including setting the right meal in front of the right person.
What they notice is that although the waiter can remember your order long enough to tell the kitchen and to deliver it under your nose... 15 minutes later, and they may have completely forgotten.
Why? Because the order was in the waiters WORKING MEMORY. A relatively small, and temporary place to store facts, figures and... orders.
Items tend to stay in working memory until something bumps them out, OR until you put the matter to rest. (In copywriting, we take advantage of this by using the zeigarnik effect.)
Once the waiter delivers the food, they no longer have to remember the order, and it leaves their working memory.
Another way an order can leave the working memory is to WRITE IT DOWN. Once written down, the matter is put to rest and no longer has to be remembered. (This is why waiters and waitresses who write down their orders often forget who ordered what.)
Well...
What do you think happens when you write down your most important tasks? You're putting these matters to rest. You're giving them permission to leave your working memory. You're giving yourself permission to stop thinking about them.
And you know what? It may even feel good to do! By writing everything down, you let go of the stress of holding all these thoughts inside, but you've also committed to forgetting about them! And maybe even forgetting about the list entirely. (If you've ever started a to-do list without finishing the last one, you know exactly what I mean.)
I propose you come up with a better solution. Write things down, but find a way to put them back in your working memory routinely (I have a solution I'll share later).
This way, you can relieve the stress of carrying all these tasks in your mind... but they don't stop being important and you certainly don't forget them. And even more, your subconscious will work on these tasks so that when you sit down to do them... you can zip through the task.
Anyway, that's my take.
Cheers,
Stephen Dean
But for most people, "To Do" lists are more like "Forget" lists. You're making it much more likely you'll lose your focus, lose your momentum and eventually lose the actual list... ensuring you never finish.
Here's the reason.
People have done studies with waiters and waitresses with strong working memories. You know, the ones who take your order without writing them down, and still get everything right, including setting the right meal in front of the right person.
What they notice is that although the waiter can remember your order long enough to tell the kitchen and to deliver it under your nose... 15 minutes later, and they may have completely forgotten.
Why? Because the order was in the waiters WORKING MEMORY. A relatively small, and temporary place to store facts, figures and... orders.
Items tend to stay in working memory until something bumps them out, OR until you put the matter to rest. (In copywriting, we take advantage of this by using the zeigarnik effect.)
Once the waiter delivers the food, they no longer have to remember the order, and it leaves their working memory.
Another way an order can leave the working memory is to WRITE IT DOWN. Once written down, the matter is put to rest and no longer has to be remembered. (This is why waiters and waitresses who write down their orders often forget who ordered what.)
Well...
What do you think happens when you write down your most important tasks? You're putting these matters to rest. You're giving them permission to leave your working memory. You're giving yourself permission to stop thinking about them.
And you know what? It may even feel good to do! By writing everything down, you let go of the stress of holding all these thoughts inside, but you've also committed to forgetting about them! And maybe even forgetting about the list entirely. (If you've ever started a to-do list without finishing the last one, you know exactly what I mean.)
I propose you come up with a better solution. Write things down, but find a way to put them back in your working memory routinely (I have a solution I'll share later).
This way, you can relieve the stress of carrying all these tasks in your mind... but they don't stop being important and you certainly don't forget them. And even more, your subconscious will work on these tasks so that when you sit down to do them... you can zip through the task.
Anyway, that's my take.
Cheers,
Stephen Dean
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