Two Characteristics of an Effective Artist’s To Do List
Leonardo Da Vinci kept what we would now call a “to do list.” His to do list has two very important lessons for artists:
- Be curious.
- Be specific.
You can read the entire translated excerpt of one of his early to do lists here.
Look closely and you will find that Da Vinci had an intense curiosity about the world. He knew exactly what he needed to learn in order to create his art. Almost the entire list consists of finding sources of information rather than things to create:
- “a book that treats of Milan and its churches”
- “a master of arithmetic”
- “a master of hydraulics”
But he goes much further than this. To do lists tend to be mostly incomplete. They are often just one word or a few words to help remind yourself of something you will need to do. This has been proven to be ineffective by many productivity experts.
David Allen’s popular Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, for example, suggests tagging each task (project) with a specific “next action” so that you know exactly what to do when attempting to complete a given tasks. Without that detail, you will procrastinate or avoid the task altogether not knowing exactly what to do next to complete it.
Da Vinci’s clearly knew this. His to do list is very detailed, saving him the time and energy it would take later to think through how to complete his research.
He didn’t just search for “a book that treats of Milan and its churches.” He made a note to find a book “which is to be had at the stationer’s on the way to Cordusio.” He was that specific about where to find a book like the one he was looking for.
Likewise, he identifies specific individuals to whom he will go to learn:
- “Get Messer Fazio to show you about proportion”
- “Get Brera Friar to show you De Ponderibus”
- “Giannino, the Bombardier, re: the means by which the tower of Ferara is walled without loopholes.”
- etc.
Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest artists of all time. He approached his work without an overwhelming curiosity and a specific plan to learn as much as he could as efficiently as possible.
His to do list reveals a clue for all artists to follow when designing their days. The artist must focus on learning and identify specific sources for the discovery of information needed to complete a project.
- What books will help you understand your project better? Where can you find it?
- Who should you ask to teach you about a specific topic?
Inspired by Jonathan Crow’s article in Open Culture, which was shared by Tim Ferriss in his weekly email newsletter and Facebook page.
