Stop Making To-do Lists — You Need A “Got Done” List

They Harm You In Subtle Ways

To-do lists suck.

Stop making them.

I know they come from a good place.

… but they harm you in subtle ways.

Rather than make you feel more fulfilled, they make you feel overwhelmed and anxious — “Oh my gosh. I got soo much to do.”

Then you don’t do it. You now have a constant reminder of all the things you haven’t done.

That sucks.

That’s not what being more productive feels like.

Instead of to-do lists, create a “got-done” list.

This is how you give yourself the sense of gratification you deserve for being productive

Why to-do lists suck

To-do lists are what they say on the tin: a bunch of things you have to do in a certain timeframe — typically a day.

No person is one-dimensional, meaning there’s a whole leap of things that qualify to be on your to-do list.

And here’s where the problem is at…

Putting something on your to-do list doesn’t make it any more or less important, which creates conflict and causes several other issues.

For example…

It reminds you of your losses

People create to-do lists with an ideal version of themselves in mind — It’s about who they want to be not who they are now.

For example, you may wanna be a reader so you put “read 10 pages” on your list.

That’s cool.

This Huffington Post article cites “a LinkedIn survey of more than 6,000 global professionals found that just 11 percent of respondents regularly accomplish all the tasks on their daily to-do lists.”

If your to-do list is created with your ideal self in mind and you’re not completing the tasks, what do you think you’re telling your brain?

“I’m not that person.”

As long as you continue to remind yourself you’re not that person, you’ll never become them.

Doesn’t prioritize your future self

We have urgent tasks and important tasks (there’s also non-urgent and non-important, but don’t worry about them for now).

Urgent tasks include “doing the house shopping,” or “topping up the electric.”

Important tasks are things like “going to the gym,” or “writing a blog post.”

Urgent tasks are for survival. Important tasks are for fulfillment.

To-do lists don’t distinguish between the two. It’s just a bunch of things you’ve got to do.

When faced with such a dilemma, our brain opts for low-hanging fruit. We are hard-wired to follow the path of least resistance.

With that said…

Guess which one you’re more likely to do? Urgent.

Guess which one prioritizes your future self? Important.

Confuses the present and future self

Piggybacking off the last point…

I like to think of myself as existing in three states: the past, present, and future.

The past state defines who I was (e.g. a footballer).

The present state defines who I am — a Medium writer.

The future state defines who I want to be — a business owner.

Depending on the lens you’re looking at yourself from, your objectives will be different.

Basically, what I’m saying is…

Each state has a to-do list.

This is why you see people with extremely long to-do lists.

They’re flicking between the past, present, and future (or maybe just two) cos they have no clarity on what state they’re trying to optimize for.

If your mind is scattered, you’ll never be fulfilled as you tick things off your list, especially if they aren’t moving you closer to the future state.

The “got-done” list

A got-done list is how you give yourself a sense of gratification at the end of each day.

It comprises all the activities you’ve completed that move you closer to the person you ideally want to be (i.e., less than 20% body fat).

“When you can see your wins at the end of each day, you won’t get stuck focusing on the bad feelings of not getting stuff done.”

Completing tasks from your got-done list reinforces the belief you’re already the person you’re striving to become — all that’s left to happen is the physical manifestation.

The idea is to be ruthlessly aggressive about the tasks that will make you feel most fulfilled at the end of each day, which is almost always in alignment with the ideal version of yourself.

How to start with a got-done list

Step 1: Set your North Star

A got-done list is useless if you don’t have a clear vision of your future self.

You need something you’re striving towards.

This doesn’t have to be your ideal self in 5 years — 3 months is still in the future.

Longer-term visions tend to develop as you start doing the things you know you’re supposed to be doing (e.g., going to the gym or reading each night) cos it reinforces the idea you’re already the person you wish to become in the future.

Step 2: Structure your day

What’s the one or two (never more than three) things you can do to move closer to the person you want to become in the future?

I ask myself this question every night before I sleep.

You must find time for the activities that move you closer to who you want to become. Everyday.

I’m an early bird so this is normally in the morning, but it’s always best to do it when you have the most energy.

Step 3: Reflect and celebrate

The whole point of a got-done list is to see your wins each day.

This is your daily reminder that you’re the person you dream of in your mind — all you’re waiting on is reality to catch up.

Final thoughts

To-do lists rarely work.

Instead of to-do’s, write your “got-done’s.”

This will give you a shot of joy at the end of each day, and reaffirm to your already the person you want to become.

These small wins accumulate over time until one day you’re unrecognizable.

Thanks for reading!

Get your hands on a FREE copy of “Don’t Just Set Goals. Build Systems” if you’re tired of setting goals and not achieving them.