I Don’t Use To-Do Lists; Here’s Why

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

The to-do list is one of the most widely used productivity tactics. For years, I also had a list of dozens of items. When I started researching productivity, I thought the to-do list was a must.

“Everyone uses them, so it must work!” That’s what we often think. But just because everyone does something, it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for you. At some point, my to-do lists got out of hand. I couldn’t keep up with the items on my list and I started looking for ways to organize my list.

I once read an article that shared 15 steps for working with a to-do list! Fifteen. I think you could probably build a rocket in fifteen steps.

Why do we overcomplicate personal productivity? Why do we come up with a 15-step system for something as simple as a list? There is a better way to organize your life. Ever since I started my blog, I’ve received dozens of questions about using a to-do list. In this article, I share my take on it.

Do Lists Work?

Sure, they can work. I’m not going to argue with that. There’s also scientific evidence that writing down uncompleted tasks also decreases anxiety. And people have been…