That morning of waking is an incredible opportunity, and it’s quite a tragedy if you go straight to your to-do list. – David Whyte, Anglo-Irish poet

Remember the to-do list but don’t forget the to-be list. – Richard Branson, British business magnate 

As your day is, so shall your strength be – Deuteronomy 33:25

There has rarely been a time when I completed all the things I wanted to accomplish on any particular day.  For as long as I can remember, probably dating back to my school years, I’ve made a to-do list. Things that don’t get done on the list get moved to the next day and sometimes the next week and sometimes the next month or not at all. It’s discouraging to see the same items on the list time after time. Other needs are moved to top priority or the day runs out of hours, or I run out of energy for the tasks. Some items I may simply procrastinate because I just don’t want to do them or don’t want to do them just now.

Recently I came up with a different way of looking at my list. Often my list gets longer and longer because I keep adding to it. Since there’s no way I can get everything done before the day is out, I’m getting further and further behind. Then I’m frustrated because there’s no time to do the things I need to do or time for what I’d like to do.

I came up with a bright idea. I’ll prepare two separate lists. One list has everything I want to accomplish, the whole list. It would not matter how long or how many pages it would be. From that list I would pull out the top three to four major things needing to be done that day. Everything else would go to another day. Once those items were finished, I’d mark them off the list. It’s very rewarding to check items off and then choose a few things I’d enjoy doing for myself. Knowing my day would not be entirely taken up with chores, work, commitments, appointments or errands, would actually increase my energy and not deplete it.      

And there’s another thing. Instead of calling my list a to-do list I’m calling it my “goals for the day.” A to-do list feels like an obligation even though I am completely in charge of my day. But “goals,” that’s a different matter altogether. No one expects to reach all their “goals” in a day. Should you strive to complete a few goals and have success, the day is a winner. The spirit is lifted all by changing the way you look at your day and your activities.

It may be the perfect season to look at to-do lists differently. There are some things due to sickness, isolation, weather, shortages, we simply cannot do; look over your goals and see what you can do to juggle the goal list. What was a priority before may not be one now and something else may have become a greater priority. So, before you get overwhelmed, complete your few daily goals; then do something, anything, that is enjoyable to you. If we’ve learned anything in these last couple of years it has been to use our available resources in the best way possible.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected]