Why You Must Rewrite Your To Do List

I’m taking an hour off today to slip and slide with my daughter in our front yard. I didn’t plan on it. It’s not on my To-Do List.

I’ve got plenty of other stuff I should do like finish a blog post, prepare a workshop, clean out a cupboard, fold laundry. But, I’ll slip and slide instead.

It’s easy to get caught up in the should-dos. There are so many things that must be done to maintain a household and keep a job and care for a family that every moment can be filled in doing until we forget about being. We forget about the things that build relationship and create joy and demonstrate love.

We buy into this idea that it’s more important to do what we “should” rather than doing the things that make us feel good, the things we are passionate about.

But, when we take a few of those should-dos off the list and replace them with the things that we can’t wait to do, life becomes bolder, more interesting, more fun. Instead of being drained at the end of the day by all we had to do, we are elevated and rejuvenated by all we were able to do, by everything we experienced.

The nuances of this kind of life are subtle, but powerful. It’s the difference between be stressed about all you have to get done and be grateful for all that you did.

When we create. When we spend quality time with the people who matter; when we pause long enough to help others, care for ourselves, laugh really hard and play just because it’s fun, we are energized. And with all that energy we have plenty left to pay the bills and fold the clothes and finish should-do or two.

Sounds good in theory, right? But it does require a little management. It requires you to lead with your heart, trust yourself, open up to life, and rewrite your To-Do List just a bit. It requires you to commit to the experience.

Start today by writing down three essentials on your To-Do List. Just three. Be specific. Be brief.

Then, add three things you can’t wait to do. Things that make you feel good just thinking about ‘em. Perhaps you want to curl up with a book, paint the landscape, go for a run, eat pizza. Put it down. That’s where you start.

In Wednesday’s post we’ll add a few things to the list, but these are all things that will enhance your experience, add to the fun, make life easier and more productive. But now I’ve got to get going. The slip and slide is calling and so is my daughter.

 

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