To-do list or not to-do List

By Dorothy Rosby

I used to add tasks to my to-do list even if they’d only take a few minutes to accomplish just for the joy of crossing them off. For example, along with “finish column,” and “reconcile bank statement” my to-do list might include “hang up your coat” or “pick up dirty sock that’s been laying on the bedroom floor for three days.”

It took longer to write some tasks than it would have taken to do them. The result was I spent more time making my to-do list than actually doing anything. Worse, a very long list makes me feel overwhelmed—even if it just contains tasks like “hang up your coat” and “pick up dirty sock.” And when I feel overwhelmed, I have to go lie down.

Then I received some good advice: If a particular task would take 10 minutes or less, don’t add it to your to-do list; just do it at that moment. I’m not sure who said it, but I suspect it was someone who witnessed me writing “put stamp on letter” or “tie shoes” on my to-do list.

I would say that little bit of wisdom has turned me into an organized and productive person, but I hate to lie this early in a column. At least the dirty sock is in the hamper and my coat is in the closet. The four-foot stack of filing I had on top of the filing cabinet is, well, still four feet tall because it would take a lot longer than 10 minutes to file it all. But once I get it taken care of, it will never get that high again because it only takes a few minutes to file one item—if I can find the file folder it goes in. I’ve spent upwards of two hours looking for them in the past.

To read more of Dorothy’s story subscribe today.