Ah, the to-do list. It’s a magical place where you can jot down all the tasks you need to complete and then promptly forget about them. You create a to-do list to feel in control and organized, but before you know it, you’re drowning in a sea of Post-it notes and forgotten tasks.
You start with one list, maybe two, and suddenly you have a list for everything. A list for work tasks, a list for personal tasks, a list for home improvement projects, and the list goes on. You feel like you have your life together, but the reality is you’re just creating more chaos for yourself.
You write down all the tasks you need to complete, but you never seem to catch up. You have failed again and again to complete those lists or even start them. The more lists you create, the more overwhelmed you feel, and the less likely you are to complete any of them.
You get momentary pleasure from creating the list and feeling like you have a plan, but the satisfaction is short-lived. Before you know it, you’ve forgotten about the list entirely and have moved on to the next one.
It's a new week and you say to yourself “Don’t let the chaos of endless lists control you. Take control of your tasks and tackle them one by one.”. And with that, you start your Monday with a new to-do list for the new week.
Maybe getting a professional tool will help, you think. Spending money on fancy to-do lists and note-taking apps that promise to solve all your productivity problems, will cut it this time it seems. You fall for their sleek designs and flashy features, thinking that this time, you’ll finally be able to get everything done. But once again, you fail to catch up and end up forgetting about the app altogether.
It’s a vicious cycle that you can’t seem to break. You create more and more to-do lists, convinced that this time will be different. You convince yourself that if you just write everything down and stay organized, you’ll finally be able to achieve all your goals. But you have failed again and again to complete those lists. But undeterred, you march your way into more lists.
Maybe next month better tools are coming out? You shrug off your pain and feel all warm and fuzzy about spending more money on new apps and notebooks, only to be disappointed once again.
After a month’s time, you’ll start all over again, this time with more determination and motivation to create cleaner and leaner lists and accomplish it all. But before that, it’s time for a short vacation. After all, you deserve it for all the hard work you’ve done… or haven’t done.
