How ‘To-Be’s Can Enhance Your To-Do List

From doing to being

I have used to-do lists to manage my projects and tasks for quite some time.

I have almost become a slave to my to-do lists.

Although it works well, without any problems.

I would check off the tasks every day without really feeling accomplished.

Of course, I was happy that I had completed the task.

But the fulfillment of achieving something worthwhile had to be included.

I am currently reading the book “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty, a well-known motivational speaker and coach.

Jay mentions that you should add “goals” to “tasks.”

How could adding more tasks to my busy list make a difference?

It’s not about adding more tasks, but about consciously doing what we already do.

Jay Shetty says this often,

What you want to become is just as important as what you want to do.

He emphasizes that we must align our actions with our values and inner selves.

He encourages us to look beyond the simple getting things done and explore the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of our actions.

For example, add “be compassionate and understanding” to “send emails to customers.”

This simple shift in perspective transforms a routine task into a journey to personal excellence.

When we are mindful, we can transform even the most ordinary task into something extraordinary.

The book explores overcoming negative thoughts and habits and aligning our lives with our values and goals.

I was surprised when I realized I could redesign my usual to-do lists to make them even more effective.

It was a matter of making minor adjustments to what I was already doing.

It was about shifting my focus from getting things done to improving how I do them.

Jay mentions that this impacts the quality of the work and how you feel about it.

I decided to give this advice a try.

This approach has the potential to transform the mundane into something meaningful.

Understanding the To-Be’s

Think of the To-Be’s as goals for the person you want to be.

For example, while your to-do list might say,

“Record your first YouTube video,” your to-be list would say, “Be more focused and confident.”

On my to-do list, “Work out at the gym” became “Be consistent and mindful.”

When I had “find a niche for blogging’ on my list,” I added, “Be patient and thorough.”

When I added “be mindful” to “read a book before bed,” a routine task became an opportunity for new reading experiments.

This mindset shift turned my workout routine from a slog to a valuable time of self-care and discipline.

By applying this mindset to my life, not only did the quality of my daily work improve, but it also felt more fulfilling.

It allowed me to see beyond ticking off tasks and focus on how I was developing.

I have combined digital and conventional methods to integrate this approach into my routine.

I use the Todoist app for digital organization.

Todoist is perfect for me to bring the ‘to-do’s’ and ‘to-be’s’ under one roof.

I could easily link each task to a corresponding ‘to-be”, ensuring that my daily goals align with my personal growth goals.

The app’s simple interface allowed me to categorize and prioritize both aspects seamlessly.

For a more traditional approach, I keep a journal.

Every morning, I write down my tasks and the qualities I want to develop in completing those tasks.

This practice is not just about planning my day.

This daily ritual is a moment of introspection that helps me internalize my experiences and lessons.

It is a daily affirmation of the person I want to evolve into.

The impact of traditional To-Do lists

Looking back, I was robotically ticking off tasks like “writing an article,” “working at the gym,” or “reading a book.”

I realized that I had overlooked something crucial.

I was doing a lot without being who I wanted to be.

The impact of conventional to-do lists on my life was more profound than I initially realized.

These lists led me to focus solely on implementation and neglect the equally important aspect of personal growth.

Yes, I felt efficient, but this task-oriented approach often drained me.

At the end of the day, I’d sleep unfilled even though I’d accomplished everything on my list.

The more tasks I completed, the more they piled up.

It was like a never-ending cycle of busyness without any purpose.

This realization was a wake-up call.

The traditional to-do lists were great for organizing my daily activities.

I was maintaining productivity but at the expense of my growth and well-being.

It was not about ditching the to-do list but evolving it to include what I had to do and what I wanted to become.

This required a shift in thinking about planning and completing tasks.

This approach was no longer about clearing out old clutter.

At first, deciding which tasks to put on my to-do list was challenging.

Gradually, I learned that I needed to practice patience and mindfulness.

After spending a few days doing this, I liked the process.

Now, I remember old memories related to some of the things I sorted.

It was not just a ticked box on my list.

Each goal felt like a step towards the person I wanted to be.

How to practically implement To-Be’s?

Implementing ‘To-Be’s into my daily routine required a mix of purpose and practicality.

At first, this seemed daunting.

How can you add abstract qualities to concrete tasks?

But as I experimented, I found simple but effective ways to achieve this.

The key was to start small.

For each task on my to-do list, I assigned a corresponding ‘should” that reflected a personal quality I wanted to develop.

This gave me a clear idea of how I wanted to complete the task and allowed me to focus on developing these qualities.

Another practical step was to review my ‘To-Do’ list regularly.

Every morning, I routinely looked at my list and envisioned how to embody these qualities throughout the day.

This practice helped me stay connected to my personal growth goals.

They were kept away from the hustle and bustle of daily tasks.

Final thoughts

Adding To-Be’s to your usual to-do list is more than just getting things done.

It’s about growing as a person and feeling good about what you’re doing.

Every task is an opportunity to work on being the person we want to be.

This gives the days more meaning and the opportunity to learn more about yourself.

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Originally published at my blog: https://hardikraval.com