10 ways To Do lists can work against you

Are you a fan of the good old To Do lists? It is proven that if used wisely a To Do list can be an effective time management tool. But there are dangers to consider as well. In the following you will find 10 ways To Do lists can work against you. Take a look and learn how to avoid them!

To Do lists are intentions, not commitments

Writing things down on the list only ensures that you won’t forget them; but it doesn’t mean you will do them. Making an appointment with yourself is more of a commitment. You have reserved the time in which to do them. People could have a list of things to do today and they could be in a meeting or seminar all day.

To Do lists are only one-dimensional

They remind you of all the things you want to do, but don’t tell you how long they’re going to take or when you are going to actually do them. Scheduled activities, on the other hand, are three-dimensional and provide a more realistic indication of when they will be completed.

To Do lists are open-ended

They don’t give you any sense of closure or accomplishment since the list is never completed. Items are always being added. The tendency is to cross off as many items as possible – encouraging you to go for quantity of items as opposed to the important items.

To do lists are present oriented as opposed to future oriented

They keep you focused on the immediate things that have to be done as supposed to scheduled tasks, which force you to look at future days and weeks. By scheduling in the future you can see how the various tasks will affect the time you have available for other projects, activities and events.

To Do lists are difficult to prioritize

It is impossible to list things in order of priority since you are always adding more things. People have tried rating them as A, B or C or highlighting the most important ones. Doing so still doesn’t guarantee they will be done in that order. By scheduling, on the other hand, you are automatically prioritizing when you schedule something this week as opposed to next week, for instance. You are giving it priority treatment. And only important items should be scheduled anyway. So scheduling involves a selection process.

To Do lists can be both stressful and overwhelming

To-do lists are never ending. It is depressing and de-motivational to have tasks that are never finished. The brain seeks closure, but that is impossible with a To Do list.

To Do lists encourage overtime

Because of the brain’s search for closure, the tendency is to complete everything on our To Do list, which of course is impossible. Daily To Do lists are even worse than weekly To Do lists. One study, conducted many years ago among pastors revealed that those who used daily To Do lists work longer hours than those who used weekly To Do lists. That’s the reason we originally designed our planner with only a weekly To Do list.

To Do lists separate the jobs you have to do from the time in which you will have to do them

In fact many people keep separate To Do lists on pads or forms – separated altogether from their planners. If your planner does not include time for the priorities on your To Do list, that time will frequently be filled by other people’s priorities. Items that are scheduled usually get done while items on a To Do list are usually postponed or abandoned.

To Do lists are like buffets as opposed to planned dinners

With buffets it is easy to take on too much, choose the tasty items instead of the healthy ones, and waste time making choices. Planned the dinners require no decision. You get to eat what you have in front of you. And the planning allows those items to be the best ones for you – the priorities, so to speak.

To Do lists are open invitations to natural tendencies that are counterproductive

For instance, we tend to work on those items that are easy, brief, pleasant and urgent, as well as those that please other people, rather than those that will further our own personal goals.

Now I have to say that To Do lists are better than trying to remember all the things you have to do. At least, it gets your intentions into writing. You can always put everything on a To Do list and then select the most important ones to schedule. But To Do lists by themselves give you a false sense of accomplishment because people tend to measure progress by the number of items crossed off as opposed to the importance of the tasks completed. A recent survey by Linkedin found that only 11% of professionals actually complete all the tasks on their daily To Do lists. (Globe and Mail, June 15, 2012.)

There is a lot more to learn about what does and what doesn’t work in terms of time management. If you are interested in this topic, you can download the free eBook “Time to be productive – Develop your time management skills” written by Harold Taylor.

Download “Develop your time management skills” right here