8 ms·

Why is a todo list a good idea?

by 0xdeadbeefbabe 8y ago

craftyguy 8y ago
It helps some folks stay organized and manage their time effectively.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  True. But it's also easy of falling into the trap of getting things done, but failing to be productive. Doing things and doing the right things are two different things.
  - tonyarkles 8y ago
    I've got a pretty massive list of stuff in org-mode. Some of it makes sense to do now to achieve goals right now, and some of it is interesting stuff that I want to think about later (or maybe never). Dumping it all into org-mode GTD style helped made me feel noticeably lighter. All of this stuff that's been bouncing around in my brain is now stored in a place that I trust to keep it. It's all organized in a relatively hierarchical fashion (projects & sub-projects), with next actions identified for most projects. Every week (usually Sunday morning), I spent a 0.5-1 hr looking at the week that has passed and looking at the week ahead. Specifically looking at "doing the right things" is the point of this. I look at my overall goals and try to figure out whether or not the tasks (and the containing projects) are what I should actually be working on. If there's tasks that I think should be done in the following week, I schedule those tasks for a particular day so that each morning when I wake up I've got a manageable list of things to accomplish that I've already decided help move the needle in some way. During that review I also give a look through the list of projects that don't currently have scheduled tasks and figure out if there's one there that should get included in the following week's schedule. I keep everything driven in there. Some of them are recurring tasks/chores (walk the dogs, clean furnace filter, call Grandma), while some are more tactical (get feature X specced out, touch base with old client X), and some are more strategic (review financial plan). The beauty of all of this is that the "doing the right things" evaluation and the "what should I be doing today" evaluations are separated but still pretty close in time. This, for me, helps me from getting too caught up in the moment and spending a lot of time doing the wrong things.
  - cowpewter 8y ago
    That's why traditional GTD has the daily/weekly review steps. You look over your tasks, and make sure they align with your longer term goals, and decide if the things on your list really help you achieve them.
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    Sure, but you can still 'do things' that are not productive without any sort of task tracker involved. That's a different issue entirely, and not one that software like this is even trying to solve.
  - kchr 8y ago
    I consider TODO lists the means of being able to prioritize/select the "right tasks" at all, rather than having to come up with the right ones on the spot and re-thinking the priority each time I complete one.
awavering 8y ago
At the most basic, it makes sure you don't forget things you have to do. There are secondary benefits like prioritizing and identifying blockers which help you work more efficiently.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  I'm tending to believe a traditional ToDo is too naive, too one-dimensional. Tasks are a function of: - priority - completion time - complexity For example, if I'm fresh I should choose something that's complex and I have the time for. A higher priority (depending on deadline) might take less brain CPUs so maybe it waits. Thinking of things simply in terms of priority ignores the most important component: your brain.
  - Shank 8y ago
    This is actually a primary motivator behind how GTD works. Offload things you'll forget to a system you trust. Prioritize based on importance, completion time, complexity, and when and where you can do the work. If something requires your utmost attention and focus, you probably can't do it an hour before bedtime. You also can't do it in the middle of the freeway. If you just have a todo list, though, you run the risk of stressing yourself out about the items on the list. And that's kinda defeating the point.
marpstar 8y ago
For me, it's peace-of-mind. If I write it down, I don't have to keep it in memory.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 8y ago
  Yes I can see that happening, but do you also get stressed out by a long list of things to do? This maybe leads to avoiding the todos and then you are worse off for making a list in the first place?
  - marpstar 8y ago
    I don't. I've got the rest of my life to tackle some tasks on my list. I have deadlines and personal priorities, which naturally float to the top of those lists, but until I decide that I'll never do one of them, I just let them fall to the bottom of the list. No big deal.
  - grincho 8y ago
    Yes. My strategy is to do a daily review. In the first few minutes of the day, I pull maybe 14 tasks out of the big list and into a Today list. Then I see only a manageable number the rest of the day.
  - insensible 8y ago
    Genuinely curious: how do you manage commitments etc. without a todo list?
    - 0xdeadbeefbabe 8y ago
      Easy, I just make a list of things to do. I also use a calendar. Seriously though, I'm just annoyed by some aspects of them: 1. I feel spread too thin: item 1 doesn't get the attention it deserves because I was thinking of doing item 2. The GTD book itself seems to say, "I'm a victim of this problem." 2. The longer an item stays on a list the less likely I am to do it. 3. I'm annoyed by having a long list of things to do. 4. I was optimistic when I made the list, but later when I'm doing things I become more pessimistic. 5. I like the days when I lose track of time and suddenly it's 17:00 when I thought it was 11:00. I don't usually have that kind of day when I operate from a list.
the_af 8y ago
I understand why the TODO list is a good idea. My memory is terrible, I get confused if I don't write down everything I was doing and everything I was planning to do the next day. What I'm unsure about is whether the actual tech behind the TODO list matters. It seems we love to discuss this (or reimplement it!) because we're programmers and/or tech people, and tech naturally appeals to us. But I'm unsure Taskwarrior or any particular tool actually matters. I think what matters is that you keep a TODO list in whatever format is useful to you. To me, the discipline matters; the actual tech/UI behind it is pretty much irrelevant.
- Shank 8y ago
  > I think what matters is that you keep a TODO list in whatever format is useful to you. It's just that. That's why programmers keep making todo lists. Because some people want more flexibility, some want less. Some need some specific feature set, and some think other features are stupid. They're simple enough systems that people can build whatever flavor they want -- and it'll work for them -- rather than be constrained to whatever is available.
Shank 8y ago
The motivation behind a task manager (and things like GTD) is that your brain has much more important things to worry about than what you have to do. If you get to the point where you really trust the system you use, you can get to the point where you're not stressed about remembering upcoming things. Instead, you just consult your system and see what's up. I started using Things (https://culturedcode.com/things/ https://culturedcode.com/things/) because it's so flighty on what it offers in terms of scheduling. You can set tasks to be done today, and deadlines separately. You can't set certain due times or hours -- and you can basically turn off all nagging. It's become projects and tasks that I both need and want to do, but it frees me from dealing with them in my head. So, it's liberating when done right. It can be done wrong, though. Tasks that aren't actionable make these systems rough, because they set deadlines on immeasurable amounts of work, which creates stress. The trick is to make sure tasks are actionable, and that you aren't remembering them yourself.
bachmeier 8y ago
By itself, a todo list is poison, because your day turns into a game of "check the box" and you spend your time doing things that you shouldn't. In combination with a todon't list, which tells you what doesn't get a place on your todo list, you can be productive.
- kchr 8y ago
  I don't get why checkboxes would lead to being counterproductive. Personally, I try to estimate time needed for a given task when adding it and assign to a project/label. Then, each morning, I decide which project to work on and filter out any other projects. Now I can start working, and I usually pick a couple of small ones just to get stuff out of the way - these tasks are often about replying to e-mail or delegating to others, and because of that they are often more time/deadlne based (do it asap) than the bigger ones (research this, implement that etc).
  - bachmeier 8y ago
    I think you're going beyond the todo list as it's normally used. The purpose of the other list is to make you selective about what goes on the todo list. What you describe more or less does the same thing as the other list.

Why is a todo list a good idea?

craftyguy 8y ago

It helps some folks stay organized and manage their time effectively.

chiefalchemist 8y ago
True. But it's also easy of falling into the trap of getting things done, but failing to be productive. Doing things and doing the right things are two different things.
- tonyarkles 8y ago
  I've got a pretty massive list of stuff in org-mode. Some of it makes sense to do now to achieve goals right now, and some of it is interesting stuff that I want to think about later (or maybe never). Dumping it all into org-mode GTD style helped made me feel noticeably lighter. All of this stuff that's been bouncing around in my brain is now stored in a place that I trust to keep it. It's all organized in a relatively hierarchical fashion (projects & sub-projects), with next actions identified for most projects. Every week (usually Sunday morning), I spent a 0.5-1 hr looking at the week that has passed and looking at the week ahead. Specifically looking at "doing the right things" is the point of this. I look at my overall goals and try to figure out whether or not the tasks (and the containing projects) are what I should actually be working on. If there's tasks that I think should be done in the following week, I schedule those tasks for a particular day so that each morning when I wake up I've got a manageable list of things to accomplish that I've already decided help move the needle in some way. During that review I also give a look through the list of projects that don't currently have scheduled tasks and figure out if there's one there that should get included in the following week's schedule. I keep everything driven in there. Some of them are recurring tasks/chores (walk the dogs, clean furnace filter, call Grandma), while some are more tactical (get feature X specced out, touch base with old client X), and some are more strategic (review financial plan). The beauty of all of this is that the "doing the right things" evaluation and the "what should I be doing today" evaluations are separated but still pretty close in time. This, for me, helps me from getting too caught up in the moment and spending a lot of time doing the wrong things.
- cowpewter 8y ago
  That's why traditional GTD has the daily/weekly review steps. You look over your tasks, and make sure they align with your longer term goals, and decide if the things on your list really help you achieve them.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  Sure, but you can still 'do things' that are not productive without any sort of task tracker involved. That's a different issue entirely, and not one that software like this is even trying to solve.
- kchr 8y ago
  I consider TODO lists the means of being able to prioritize/select the "right tasks" at all, rather than having to come up with the right ones on the spot and re-thinking the priority each time I complete one.

awavering 8y ago

At the most basic, it makes sure you don't forget things you have to do. There are secondary benefits like prioritizing and identifying blockers which help you work more efficiently.

chiefalchemist 8y ago
I'm tending to believe a traditional ToDo is too naive, too one-dimensional. Tasks are a function of: - priority - completion time - complexity For example, if I'm fresh I should choose something that's complex and I have the time for. A higher priority (depending on deadline) might take less brain CPUs so maybe it waits. Thinking of things simply in terms of priority ignores the most important component: your brain.
- Shank 8y ago
  This is actually a primary motivator behind how GTD works. Offload things you'll forget to a system you trust. Prioritize based on importance, completion time, complexity, and when and where you can do the work. If something requires your utmost attention and focus, you probably can't do it an hour before bedtime. You also can't do it in the middle of the freeway. If you just have a todo list, though, you run the risk of stressing yourself out about the items on the list. And that's kinda defeating the point.

marpstar 8y ago

For me, it's peace-of-mind. If I write it down, I don't have to keep it in memory.

0xdeadbeefbabe 8y ago
Yes I can see that happening, but do you also get stressed out by a long list of things to do? This maybe leads to avoiding the todos and then you are worse off for making a list in the first place?
- marpstar 8y ago
  I don't. I've got the rest of my life to tackle some tasks on my list. I have deadlines and personal priorities, which naturally float to the top of those lists, but until I decide that I'll never do one of them, I just let them fall to the bottom of the list. No big deal.
- grincho 8y ago
  Yes. My strategy is to do a daily review. In the first few minutes of the day, I pull maybe 14 tasks out of the big list and into a Today list. Then I see only a manageable number the rest of the day.
- insensible 8y ago
  Genuinely curious: how do you manage commitments etc. without a todo list?
  - 0xdeadbeefbabe 8y ago
    Easy, I just make a list of things to do. I also use a calendar. Seriously though, I'm just annoyed by some aspects of them: 1. I feel spread too thin: item 1 doesn't get the attention it deserves because I was thinking of doing item 2. The GTD book itself seems to say, "I'm a victim of this problem." 2. The longer an item stays on a list the less likely I am to do it. 3. I'm annoyed by having a long list of things to do. 4. I was optimistic when I made the list, but later when I'm doing things I become more pessimistic. 5. I like the days when I lose track of time and suddenly it's 17:00 when I thought it was 11:00. I don't usually have that kind of day when I operate from a list.

the_af 8y ago

I understand why the TODO list is a good idea. My memory is terrible, I get confused if I don't write down everything I was doing and everything I was planning to do the next day. What I'm unsure about is whether the actual tech behind the TODO list matters. It seems we love to discuss this (or reimplement it!) because we're programmers and/or tech people, and tech naturally appeals to us. But I'm unsure Taskwarrior or any particular tool actually matters. I think what matters is that you keep a TODO list in whatever format is useful to you. To me, the discipline matters; the actual tech/UI behind it is pretty much irrelevant.

Shank 8y ago
> I think what matters is that you keep a TODO list in whatever format is useful to you. It's just that. That's why programmers keep making todo lists. Because some people want more flexibility, some want less. Some need some specific feature set, and some think other features are stupid. They're simple enough systems that people can build whatever flavor they want -- and it'll work for them -- rather than be constrained to whatever is available.

Shank 8y ago

The motivation behind a task manager (and things like GTD) is that your brain has much more important things to worry about than what you have to do. If you get to the point where you really trust the system you use, you can get to the point where you're not stressed about remembering upcoming things. Instead, you just consult your system and see what's up. I started using Things (https://culturedcode.com/things/ https://culturedcode.com/things/) because it's so flighty on what it offers in terms of scheduling. You can set tasks to be done today, and deadlines separately. You can't set certain due times or hours -- and you can basically turn off all nagging. It's become projects and tasks that I both need and want to do, but it frees me from dealing with them in my head. So, it's liberating when done right. It can be done wrong, though. Tasks that aren't actionable make these systems rough, because they set deadlines on immeasurable amounts of work, which creates stress. The trick is to make sure tasks are actionable, and that you aren't remembering them yourself.

bachmeier 8y ago

By itself, a todo list is poison, because your day turns into a game of "check the box" and you spend your time doing things that you shouldn't. In combination with a todon't list, which tells you what doesn't get a place on your todo list, you can be productive.

kchr 8y ago
I don't get why checkboxes would lead to being counterproductive. Personally, I try to estimate time needed for a given task when adding it and assign to a project/label. Then, each morning, I decide which project to work on and filter out any other projects. Now I can start working, and I usually pick a couple of small ones just to get stuff out of the way - these tasks are often about replying to e-mail or delegating to others, and because of that they are often more time/deadlne based (do it asap) than the bigger ones (research this, implement that etc).
- bachmeier 8y ago
  I think you're going beyond the todo list as it's normally used. The purpose of the other list is to make you selective about what goes on the todo list. What you describe more or less does the same thing as the other list.