There Will Always Be Too Much To Do

Summary

The author reflects on the importance of prioritizing tasks and choosing what not to do, acknowledging the impossibility of accomplishing everything due to the ever-increasing demands on time.

Abstract

As the year concludes, the author contemplates the futility of trying to complete an ever-expanding list of tasks, a sentiment echoed by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian. Despite a productive year, the author grapples with the feeling of not doing enough, recognizing the need to shift focus from sheer productivity to consciously selecting what to neglect in favor of what truly matters. The article emphasizes the necessity of aligning actions with core values and re-evaluating priorities, especially during notional time cycles like the end of the year. The author advocates for a mindset change, moving away from measuring self-worth by productivity levels to determining which activities should be ceased.

Opinions

The author believes that the attempt to stay on top of all tasks is inherently flawed due to the constant influx of new demands.
There is an acknowledgment that the feeling of not accomplishing enough persists despite significant achievements.
The author suggests that the solution lies in proactively choosing what to neglect rather than trying to do everything.
The article posits that one's self-worth should not be tied to productivity but rather to the ability to discern and focus on what is most important.
The author endorses the idea that taking time to pause and reflect is crucial for maintaining alignment with one's core values and priorities.
The end of the year is seen as a symbolic juncture for reassessing one's activities and making conscious choices about what to continue or stop doing.

The trick is to figure out what not to do.

Ms. Jolly’s ToDo and NotToDo Lists by Neera Mahajan

We are reaching the end of yet another year. Each year, around this time, I review the current year and make plans for the next.

This year has been a weird one. Not just for me but everyone in the whole world. On the one hand, it was calamitous, restrictive, and depressing, while on the other hand, it was uninterrupted, quiet, content time perfect for learning and doing things that get put on the back burner.

I enjoyed these undisturbed months a lot and used them to learn and grow. I got a lot done, but the feeling of not accomplishing much wouldn’t go away. It is as if I haven’t even made a dent in what I wanted to do.

I am not the only one who feels like that. Oliver Burkeman wrote in The Guardian:

Today more than ever, there’s just no reason to assume any fit between the demands on your time — all the things you would like to do, or feel you ought to do — and the amount of time available. Thanks to capitalism, technology and human ambition, these demands keep increasing, while your capacities remain largely fixed. It follows that the attempt to “get on top of everything” is doomed. (Indeed, it’s worse than that — the more tasks you get done, the more you’ll generate.)

The upside is that you needn’t berate yourself for failing to do it all, since doing it all is structurally impossible. The only viable solution is to make a shift: from a life spent trying not to neglect anything, to one spent proactively and consciously choosing what to neglect, in favour of what matters most.

I used to be fixated on productivity. When I was able to strike-off all the items from my To-Do list are a good day. The same used to be the measure for the year. It would be a good year if I achieved all the goals I had set up for myself. But the problem was I would keep adding more goals all through the year.

I have finally started to see that I am staking my self-worth on my productivity levels. I don’t need to accomplish more. I need to figure out what are the things I need to stop doing.

The point Oliver Burkeman is trying to make is that we need to continue to align ourselves to our core, which is not easy. We go off tangent all the time. And the way to avoid that is to take a pause and think.

The end of the year is a good time for that. Although notional, this annual cycle of time is a good measure to re-evaluate priorities. To figure out what you want to continue doing and what you should stop doing.

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