The silent to-do list

I believe that many people, just like me, feel constantly pressured to complete tasks, that sometimes pile up and accumulate, and tasks that we must create so that life continues in the best possible and preferably organized way.

What many people do not realize is that feeling pressured, anxious, and losing focus as we struggle to focus on an activity that is on our schedule can be a consequence that is very visible, literally noticeable.

Pay attention to your environment, your physical space. Can you list the things that are right in front of you? The more things we have around us, the more silent messages we receive from those things and the less we are able to focus on a particular activity that requires concentration and discipline.

By silent messages I mean: maybe you’ve a book sitting on your shelf that you haven’t had a chance to finish, telling you, “You should try to finish me, I’m waiting.” or unread emails, dirty dishes you haven’t washed yet, papers waiting to be evaluated, clothes that need to be donated, things that need to be repaired or replaced, movies you’ve saved and haven’t seen yet but you keep remembering and putting into mental storage to do in the future that we swear is very near.

I'm proud of what we don't do as I am of what we do.
- Steve Jobs

All these unfinished things form a queue in your mind, just waiting for you to do them soon. And remember that the more things pile up, the harder it’s to prioritize your real tasks. So try to reduce your silent to-do list as much as possible, and make room physically and mentally for the really important things to take over.

Thanks for reading!

If you would like to discuss more, share feedback or ask any questions, drop me a line or connect on LinkedIn. Or don’t, that's ok.