Why "To Do" Lists Stink.

Making a To Do list can feel great. Doing that brain dump and getting everything on paper is very cathartic. But the problem with lists is that they get so loooooong. Once all that stuff is on paper and you look a list as long as your arm it can be kind of daunting. "How will I ever get all of this done?"

But we start in like good Do Bees and hack away at the list -- crossing things off as we go. And, in all likelihood, adding things to the bottom as we go, too.

So we can work diligently for a day...or two...or three, doing things on that list. And while we'll have some things crossed off, we'll still have a bunch of stuff left to do. And that's depressing. It can make us focus on what we haven't done rather than what we've accomplished.

I compare the To Do list phenomenon to facing a closet full of clothes that don't fit anymore. You decide to lose weight because your favorite clothes are a tad tight. But you leave the too-small clothes in the closet. Now every morning you wake up, throw open the closet door -- and are instantly confronted with what you are not. You are not able to fit into your favorite clothes. And that's depressing.

To do lists are OK if they are reasonable, based on what you can accomplish today. Sure, you can have that big list -- and should, because things left to memory are things that may never get done. (On time, anyway.) But your list for today should be do-able.

And as for the too-small clothes. Box them up and put them out of sight until you've reached your goal. And you know what happens then, don't you? You're so happy to have lost the weight you buy new clothes to celebrate!