Make a List

What should we do, who do we want to become, and what should we aim at?

These are all big questions that we have touched upon in previous articles, and we will probably talk about them again going forward, but today we will make things a bit simpler. Most of the bigger questions can be broken down into smaller tasks, and these tasks can be written down on a task list.

So far so good… so, how should this list be made and how do we implement it? Well, the short answer is—that it’s up to us. We all have different schedules and ambitions, so, this will vary from individual to individual and from household to household. But there are some general notions that are useful to explore.

The first question you might ask is why do a task list? And is it really necessary to write these things down?

The problem when we want to better ourselves is that we’re often not willing to set the bar low enough. What we want is not better goals, but better systems and better habits, and this is where a list is quite useful.

Firstly, a task list forces us to break our goals into tasks—and the good thing about tasks, is that they’re more tangible. We can only write “run a marathon” on our task list if we actually are running a marathon this Sunday. There’s no room for hopes and dreams on our task list—only stuff that we’re willing and able to do.

Secondly, it gives an overview of how many tasks lie in front of us and will help us prioritize them. We often live in blissful ignorance concerning what needs to get done, and what we should be focusing on. Doing the right thing in the right sequence is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal, and a task list reminds us of those things we’re avoiding. It’s hard to ignore the thing that has been on top of our list for weeks, and there’s no room for excuses—because we knew it and we still avoided it.

Thirdly, we get to check things off our list. This last point is often overlooked but is extremely powerful and satisfying. Getting to check things off a list is a tactile and physical reminder that we’re doing what we’re supposed to, and that we’re working towards our goal.

Many think that happiness comes from achieving our goals or getting that thing we wanted. It’s quite the opposite, studies show that the feeling of happiness primarily comes from the feeling of moving in the right direction in life—and the simplest way of achieving this is to figure out what we should be doing and what we’re willing to do, write it down, do it, and check it off your list.

Good luck,

Until next time

Scott and Lennart