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I thought this would actually be about maintaing a list of things not to do. Which actually seems like a great idea. As Jeff correctly notes, you don't need a

I thought this would actually be about maintaing a list of things not to do. Which actually seems like a great idea. As Jeff correctly notes, you don't need a to do list for the things which matter. The things which pile up on to-do lists are the small, unimportant minutia which don't have any material impact on your life. All they do is drag you down with the cognitive burden of things you "should" be doing. So, henceforth, I'm converting my "to do" list into a "to don't" list. A list of things I've given myself permission to never do and to never get distracted by.

semerda 13y ago
If you are running on autopilot doing the same stuff each day (daily routine) then yeah no need to write your to-dos. But if ideas & tasks pop into your head daily then writing it down is a must. You are fooling yourself thinking your short-term memory is a sufficient tool. Re the not to do list, aka Jack Dorsey's, yap its a great "daily reminder" when it comes to “changing habits”. But you still need a list to remind you what to do that isn't part of your daily routine.
- morgante 13y ago
  > But if ideas & tasks pop into your head daily then writing it down is a must. You are fooling yourself thinking your short-term memory is a sufficient tool. I see ideas and tasks as fundamentally very different beasts. Ideas do indeed pop into my head from time to time, but they're never something that requires immediate action—I note them down and can find them when I need inspiration. Tasks, on the other hand, are on the forefront of my mind if they're actually necessary.
  - semerda 13y ago
    Something becomes a task when there is an action associated with it. Let's call everything that comes into your mind as "stuff". Some of that stuff becomes actionable i.e. task, and some of it stored for later in a project bucket as say "business idea". Either way, both stuff should be collected. Once collecting stuff becomes a habit you will see how much stuff is actually in your head.

semerda 13y ago

If you are running on autopilot doing the same stuff each day (daily routine) then yeah no need to write your to-dos. But if ideas & tasks pop into your head daily then writing it down is a must. You are fooling yourself thinking your short-term memory is a sufficient tool. Re the not to do list, aka Jack Dorsey's, yap its a great "daily reminder" when it comes to “changing habits”. But you still need a list to remind you what to do that isn't part of your daily routine.

morgante 13y ago
> But if ideas & tasks pop into your head daily then writing it down is a must. You are fooling yourself thinking your short-term memory is a sufficient tool. I see ideas and tasks as fundamentally very different beasts. Ideas do indeed pop into my head from time to time, but they're never something that requires immediate action—I note them down and can find them when I need inspiration. Tasks, on the other hand, are on the forefront of my mind if they're actually necessary.
- semerda 13y ago
  Something becomes a task when there is an action associated with it. Let's call everything that comes into your mind as "stuff". Some of that stuff becomes actionable i.e. task, and some of it stored for later in a project bucket as say "business idea". Either way, both stuff should be collected. Once collecting stuff becomes a habit you will see how much stuff is actually in your head.