The Secret to Tackling Your To-Do List

The Secret to Tackling Your To-Do List

There is simply no way around it. We find ourselves constantly adding mental reminders to what seems like an unending to-do list of tasks that seem either too trivial, too time-consuming, or too overwhelming to tackle on any given day.

From a metaphysical perspective, illness occurs when there is distance from where you are and where you want to be.  This subconscious pull can cause you to lose energy in areas where you need it most, namely your immune system.

Simply wanting to accomplish something requires energy, draining us of our precious energy resources. So instead of adding more items to your to-do list, try to focus on eliminating these energy conflicts by either accomplishing specific tasks, or giving yourself a free pass to not accomplish them at all.  

HERE'S HOW:

1. Make a list of everything in your life you are “incomplete” with; that is, whatever is nagging at you, pulling your energy, attention, and consciousness away from being present and focused. Put these on the "other" list. (Note: This is your "completion" list, not a “to do” list.)
Places to look: Physical Environments, Relationships, Technology, Communications, Business, Health, Finances, Recreation, Relaxation     

Really take a moment and write it all down. You will be amazed at how just documenting your list in writing provides an experience of completion and begins to free you. Your list IS finite. There IS an end to it. Just putting these things on a list on a piece of paper to file away for the future will give you a sense of completion, of soundness, of centered wholeness.

Some examples of what might be on your completion list:

  • Clutter or mess in car or office or room
  • Phone calls you need to return
  • Taxes that need to be filed or paid
  • Communications you need to address in your relationships
  • Health appointments you need to make
  • Diet or exercise regime you have been meaning to start.
2. Complete three items on your list. There are various ways you can make this happen:
  • Do it. (Try the simple way, but not always the easy way. There is a difference!)   
  • Eliminate it. (Get real. Admit and decide you are never going to do it because you have no commitment to it.)      
  • Deem it “complete” exactly as it is now. (You are the one who gets to decide!)
  • Schedule it short-term or further in the future. (three days, three months, or three years. It's up to you!)      
  • Delegate it to someone else. (If you’re in a position to do that)      
  • Hire someone to do it. (There is an expert for any service you need.)      
  • Rethink it. (From a new perspective of what you originally thought it was worth, or exactly what the status of "complete" for this item really means)

It is important to focus on all the small accomplishments you make every day. Give yourself some peace of mind by acknowledging the weight you initially set on completing these tasks versus the actual importance of completing them. It is true, there is no way around certain commitments, we cannot simply ignore the dreaded list. But understanding yourself and the way you organize your thoughts and emotions around the tasks set out by you or others, can help build a more peaceful and fulfilled you.

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