To-do Lists, Part 1:
In their 29.09 issue, WIRED featured an article about software for to-do lists (“Undone: Hundreds of Ways to Get S#!+ Done — and We Still Don’t” by Clive Thompson). This piece resonated particularly well with me because I have relied on to-do lists for years. For a person with poor memory, they are an integral part of my day to day life.
Anyway, the gist of the article is that for many people, creating to-do lists makes them feel good. However, most of the items on the lists end up undone. The items that do get checked off are likely trivial, easy tasks (aka things that can be completed in minutes). They seem to be there just so people have something to mark as done.
The article also talks about the Zeigarnik effect, where people cannot stop thinking about unfinished tasks. It really gets in the way of things like sleep and causes lots of stress / anxiety. It brings up how a good to-do list can initially relieve some of that stress. But interestingly enough, to-do lists can sometimes make things worse. Adding to the lists causes people to postpone their tasks, resulting in a “snowballing” effect.
Thompson finishes by talking about how using a calendar for time blocking or even a pen + paper could be better options than software to-do lists. The article doesn’t end up with a clear recommendation on what’s the best, but that’s because it implies that there isn’t one that’s right for everybody.
