The New To-Do List – How to Design a Day You Will Love
So, you’re looking at the list. Come on, I know you have one, that lonnnggg to-do list that helps you stay organized, keeps you going, reminds you of your goals and stresses you out.
I put everything on the list. I mean everything. I stack it up until it’s impossible to get it done.
But, today I’m interested in the things you are leaving off your list. Often, the things that make us happy, fill our days with wonder and peace are the last things we do during our day – that is if we have time.
Today, rewrite your To-Do List. Pare down the must-dos and add on a few of the things that make for a better life. Instead of being wiped out at the end of the day you’ll feel revitalized and raring to go.
Here are five of the things that I now put on my to-do list each day. It just makes me happier.
1. Exercise. If I put it down I get it done. Sometimes this means an hour at the gym, sometimes it’s a 20 minute stroll around the neighborhood, but when I move my body I get a physical and mental boost.
2. Gratitude. Put it down so you don’t forget. Pause at least once a day to rattle off five items (new ones each time) that you are grateful for, things you appreciate. The pause is calming and by connecting to the goodness in life we are actually more motivated and inspired and more likely to make good on our goals.
3. Eat something. I get so stuck in my work routine that I put off lunch. “I’ll eat just after I finish last e-mail,” I’ll think. But, I try to fit in one more thing or it takes longer that I expect. Finally I’m slurping something down at the kitchen counter at 2 p.m. when my body and brain are lagging. Not good. Stop, eat something, drink lots of water, and fill up on fruit and vegies or a handful of nuts. You’ll think clearly and have enough energy to sustain you the rest of the day.
4. Notice the awesome. I saw a hummingbird sucking nectar from the geraniums today, its wings glittered green in the sunlight. Mouth-dropping amazing. When my daughter hopped out of the tub, wrapped in her towel and smelling soapy clean, and hugged me close I felt the warmth move through my body in a way that’s tough to describe. In short, my day is filled with awesome moments like these and so is yours. All you have to do is notice. When we notice the awesome in our lives we feel good and our lives take on greater meaning. That leads to a more satisfying life, according to researchers like Michael Steger and Dacher Keltner, PhD., a psychology professor at the University of California. As Keltner explains in his research, awe makes us feel as though we are a part of something bigger, connected. Those feelings also increase oxytocin levels and that inspires us to connect and care for others, which banishes feelings of overwhelm and isolation and infuses us with good feeling.
So, put a little awe on your to-do list. Take a minute at lunchtime to stop and notice something awesome and your day will be filled with the goodness. Creativity and inspiration also emerge out of awe, so when you connect to the awesome you also will be more innovative.
5. Do something you love. We mark out our days by the things we see as “essential.” The essentials are often chores and deadlines and bill paying and obligations imposed by others. Make sure that each day you also do something you love, something that fires you up. Don’t wait until the sun is down to do it either. Build it in during prime time, the good feelings generated will help you be more productive through the rest of the day.
Add these things to your to-do list and you will feel exhilarated rather than exhausted at the end of the day.
Image from stock.xchng
