Add Meaning and Purpose to your everyday Todo List
Recently I've made a slight upgrade to my old fashioned paper todo list and I thought I'd share as a way of capturing this moment in time and to learn more from all you brilliant people that I'm connected to here.
I call it a “meaningful todo list”
Here’s a quick snapshot which you can click on to make your own copy as a Google Sheet.
Meaningful ToDo List tip: You can print the list and have it easy to see on your desk.
My recent "innovation" is that I've added two columns to my basic todo list. I’ve also forced myself to limit my list to only 3 items. If I get them all done, I can of course make a new list.
In my list example above, I added a "Why this is meaningful (to me)?" column.
This question helps me stay connected to why this todo item matters to me today.
I find this small extra step helps add clarity and motivates me in a new way.
To save you time, you can click here to make your very own Google Sheets copy
I later added a “Milestone” column as some projects can only get so far in a given day and yet I still want to create that sense of completion.
Some common milestones include:
First draft done, template created
New system (or template) designed
Spend 1 hour learning something important to me
These milestones help me feel that I have completed some part of my intention for that day.
As I forced myself to limit myself to 3 at a time, my mind started to do it’s “not enough” thing and wanted me to move more mountains.
I wrestle with distraction when using screens, so I decided to create a good old-fashioned backlog section. This way, I can record new ideas, upgrades, and improvements but not feel compelled to act on them.
Here is the backlog section of the above document:
Since I get a lot of new ideas, upgrades and random thoughts. By writing them down, I don’t have to act on them and can let them go “for now” and perhaps forever.
Notice that I added a couple questions to have me check-in with myself as I record these ideas.
Why Now?
Why now is my chance to interrupt the original list. Sometimes we have to change our minds and disagree with our past planning self. New stuff has come to light! We realize something we’ve forgotten or something happens along the way that is so urgent we need to act.
Sudden urgency is rare however and so I remind myself daily “if not urgent, you must wait!”
This is similar to Eisenhower’s Important vs. Urgent principle where you draw an XY graph with Urgent and Important and only work in the upper right Urgent AND Important section until it is complete.
My last question on the list is asking me a timing question of “When would be a good time for this new idea?
The odd thing is that I find many of my ideas are not at all urgent. They tend to be revolving around upgrades, nice-to-haves, more busy work that isn’t exactly connected to my current objectives or purpose.
Overall this new workflow is really helping reduce my distractibility. If I know that I have captured and briefly considered my new idea, then I can let it go for now as I move my focus back to the original top 3.
What are your best practices when it comes to making todo lists and staying organized? I’d love to hear from you if you would like to share.
In case you are looking for more thoughts on todo lists, here’s a second post on compiling, organizing, and reviewing your list(s).
