It's ok to have a short to-do list
How keeping my to-do list short helps me to keep my mental health in check
My to-do list for each day is very short. It usually only has one or two important items on it and if I get those things done, then I can give myself permission to rest. Today’s items include doing my German homework for my German course and going to the post office and posting my Mum’s birthday card and an essential document to my bank. That’s it. That’s the list. That’s everything I have to do today. Writing this is just a nice bonus task.
The reason my list only has a couple of tasks on it, is because I’m easily prone to burn out. As I said in another post, I only have a limited amount of energy, and so I have to do what I can to preserve it. If I’m too busy, I get easily agitated, cry often, can’t sleep and start hating the world. Keeping my to-do list short is the ultimate act of self-care for me. It also helps me take baby-steps towards my goals, which actually makes me more likely to achieve them, than if I give myself too much to do at once.
However, despite knowing that a short to-do list is the best way for me to actually get things done, and the best way for me to preserve my mental health, it’s sometimes hard to ignore the world always screaming at me to hustle more and be constantly productive.
Friends and family have often questioned why I don’t do more, why I’m not a go-getter, why I live at a such a slow pace. People think I’m lazy and that I should be more proactive. I would argue however that I’m not lazy – I’m just focused. I do one thing at a time and I usually try to do it well. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I do put effort in. For example, when I complete job applications, I spend hours wording my cover letters until I’m happy with them. When I’m teaching my ESL students, I don’t phone it in – I give them my full attention. When I spend time with my friends, I’m not distracted – I’m listening and trying to be as empathetic as I can. I’d rather do one thing as well as I can, than one hundred things poorly.
Now, I realise that I’m in a very privileged position to be able to take my time with things and not always be in a rush. For one thing, I don’t have kids, which makes a huge difference to the amount of time I have each day. I’m also not working much at the moment (I’m currently on the job hunt, but as with almost everything I do, I’m taking it slowly.) Other people have many more responsibilities than I do and much more stressful lives. This post is not meant to be annoying if you have a lot on your plate. I sympathise if you’re currently feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. I’ve been there myself many times.
Rather, this post is meant to be encouraging. I want to tell you that you don’t have to beat yourself up if you have a million things to do but only manage to get to one or two things each day. In my eyes, it’s still an achievement getting a few tasks done, no matter how small the task. Having a short to-do list doesn’t mean that you’re unproductive. It just means that you are prioritising which tasks are most important to you each day.
If you have to do much to do, I would suggest that rather than increasing your pace or adding more to your list, that instead you take a deep breath and go slower. Give yourself enough time to complete tasks. I promise you it will help you feel less overwhelmed and more able to tackle everything. And do give yourself breaks! If you can, remove some of the non-pressing tasks from your to-do list. Just pick one or two tasks to focus on and do them. You can always do more tasks if you really want to, but at the same time if you do everything on your (short) to-do list, you can also rest or do something fun if that’s what you need. Life’s more enjoyable when you’re not in a rush and you take it one step at a time. Your body will thank you for not running yourself ragged. As will your mind.