The Stoic approach on the To-do lists
We worship at the altar of productivity and tie our self-worth to how quickly we can clear our to-do lists or how many times we can reach inbox zero.
We track what’s easy to track — not what’s important — and falsely assume that if we hit these metrics, we’ve accomplished something valuable.
What is really important in To Do lists is that they should be organized to prioritize high-value tasks, activities, and goals. Assessing what is truly important to you and organizing your lists accordingly can help you focus your efforts on the tasks that will help move you towards those objectives. To do lists are also important in that they can help you create better work/life balance by providing a visual reminder to take breaks, and to allocate time for self-care.
Sometimes using a Stoic method on the To-Do list would help to improve the whole productivity in your tasks. Stoicism, as I mentioned, is a philosophy and it’s built on one simple belief. No matter your circumstances, a good life is available to you right now. Basically it’s this notion that if you have command over your mind, you can find positivity and resilience in any situation because our perception is what drives our feeling of happiness.
Stoicism, it’s all about two things. First living in the present and second controlling what you can control.
Focusing on the things that you can control and change by yourself will help you to motivate better and finalize your tasks. Trying to measure tasks and outcomes which results` are not directly correlated with you can easily bring you to a point where you will feel burned out.
Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself when you’ve accomplished tasks or even when you’ve made significant progress. Taking the time to mark your accomplishments will encourage you to keep going and provide motivation to keep moving forward on your goals.
Be careful what you measure.
Because the most valuable things in life often don’t come with units of measurement.
