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Should be "We Still Don't Get Everything Done". Obvious point, but it is crucial to recognize. Lots of stuff gets done, just not everything you thought would.

Should be "We Still Don't Get Everything Done". Obvious point, but it is crucial to recognize. Lots of stuff gets done, just not everything you thought would. Which is why TODO lists can be useful (for me, anyway), but don't get any more complicated than just a list (I use a chalkboard for non-work and a txt file for work). 1) I need to not forget to do this thing 2) but I can only do one thing right now 3) put the other things on the list, and start working on the one at the top 4) occasionally, the list gets too long, so delete things that you've decided will not get done after all That's all I expect a todo list to do for me, and that is plenty. The less baroque, the better, and frankly it doesn't merit an "app".

randycupertino 5y ago
The plain ole todo list works for me as well, but where I really tend to stall out is on the things I don't really want to do and don't really need to do but probably should do at some point. ie- getting the knives sharpened. Eh, I guess they could go another couple weeks/months but on the other hand the big knife was so dull I almost sliced a divot in my finger the other day so maybe I should prioritize actually getting that done! Same with scanning and digitally filing/archiving a bunch of old family paperwork my mom just snail mailed me. I don't need a better todo list app. I need a personal assistant! :P
netjiro 5y ago
Agree. Misaligned expectations. A todo list is an overhead. It is only helpful if it actually helps you remember / plan / coordinate / communicate more than the cost of maintenance. Common misconception / misuse: a todo list is a hard set plan of things that have to get done. For most, this is simply not reality. Reality, for most ppl: it is a wishlist. It is better to have that realisation from the start and avoid the negative psychological effect of unfinished todo items or miscommunication / malcoordination of mistaking it for future reality. One startup I was helping a while back had serious todo-itis, with the common negative effects. To help: I bought shitty post-it stickers with very poor glue. They would fall to the floor in random fashion after a week or two [1]. This created a ridiculous exercise where the founder would update the notes that were still important to new stickys. But he would also start throwing things away. Stuff that was no longer that important. Wishlist. Always work on the most important stuff. Items of lower priority can be allowed to fall off the list. By the time you might get around to them the circumstances have probably changed, rendering the original task irrelevant anyway. 1) occasionally by sabotage
- rossdavidh 5y ago
  I really like this example. If it's not worth the effort to re-write on a Post-it, it's probably not worth doing.

randycupertino 5y ago

The plain ole todo list works for me as well, but where I really tend to stall out is on the things I don't really want to do and don't really need to do but probably should do at some point. ie- getting the knives sharpened. Eh, I guess they could go another couple weeks/months but on the other hand the big knife was so dull I almost sliced a divot in my finger the other day so maybe I should prioritize actually getting that done! Same with scanning and digitally filing/archiving a bunch of old family paperwork my mom just snail mailed me. I don't need a better todo list app. I need a personal assistant! :P

netjiro 5y ago

Agree. Misaligned expectations. A todo list is an overhead. It is only helpful if it actually helps you remember / plan / coordinate / communicate more than the cost of maintenance. Common misconception / misuse: a todo list is a hard set plan of things that have to get done. For most, this is simply not reality. Reality, for most ppl: it is a wishlist. It is better to have that realisation from the start and avoid the negative psychological effect of unfinished todo items or miscommunication / malcoordination of mistaking it for future reality. One startup I was helping a while back had serious todo-itis, with the common negative effects. To help: I bought shitty post-it stickers with very poor glue. They would fall to the floor in random fashion after a week or two [1]. This created a ridiculous exercise where the founder would update the notes that were still important to new stickys. But he would also start throwing things away. Stuff that was no longer that important. Wishlist. Always work on the most important stuff. Items of lower priority can be allowed to fall off the list. By the time you might get around to them the circumstances have probably changed, rendering the original task irrelevant anyway. 1) occasionally by sabotage

rossdavidh 5y ago
I really like this example. If it's not worth the effort to re-write on a Post-it, it's probably not worth doing.