I came across a really lovely way of thinking about activity last week that helped me change my relationship to to-do lists. It’s easy to get a bir tortured by them I sense, it’s a common problem for people to feel they are never getting there, never quite achieving what they should, that they are somehow lacking because not everything got done. That’s not the greatest experience to have.
So, are the things on your list requirements, or intentions? Do the things you are going to do feel like a choice? Do they birth something you want to bring in to being? Do they leave you feeling good about yourself, others and your world?
Now these might seem ‘fluffy’ questions, because the shopping just has to get done, right? In one sense, of course, you need to eat. But in another, no. Feeding yourself and your loved ones is an act of nurturance. It’s a way to care. Food connects you to the wider world through a whole chain of people who have contributed to create what you buy and consume. When you really reflect on it, it’s quite something.
The same can be said for all of the pesky tasks that need to get done, when you take a moment to connect with what they really represent, why they matter, and what they contribute to and cause. For the tasks where this is not true, perhaps there are questions about why you’re doing them, because if you can’t chunk up to a good reason, perhaps there are other things you can be doing with your time.
How about this week you offer simple intentions for each day, a few important, meaningful things that you want to make happen. For each, take just a moment to reflect on their purpose and how you connect to them. It just might make your to-do list something you honour, rather than something that haunts you.
