
To don't (2012) - erbdex
http://blog.codinghorror.com/todont/
======
jmnicolas
I don't agree with the author. A to-do list is a way to reduce the cognitive
burden of to-do ideas popping at the wrong time when you can do nothing about
them and then forgetting about them when it's the right time to do them..

I agree that most of us (and I include myself in us) are incompetent at
managing our to-dos though.

I think we need a better methodology than GTD to tackle to-do list.

~~~
ak39
What Jeff is saying, and I agree, is that our human brain is quite capable of
keeping a list of things to do - if that's all it takes to get things done.
Unfortunately, it isn't.

It's not that we forget about the tasks, but that we subconsciously do not
have any interest to complete them. He suggests that we ask ourselves why that
may be the case. Fixing THAT, by some introspection, instead of introducing a
contrived method of managing your tasks such as a list is the only reliable
and lasting method of getting things done.

Boy is this relevant to me right now!

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lmm
I find a to-do list is great as long as you don't take it too seriously. When
I have a sort-of-good idea - not good enough to drop what I'm doing now, but
good enough that I don't want to forget it - I add it to the list. When I have
some free time and want something to do, I check the list - and usually nuke
most of it, because I've come up with better ideas, but occasionally there's a
good one working there. Why waste brain capacity remembering things when I can
outsource the job?

~~~
jasallen
I'm wouldn't call that a "to-do" list, more of an ideas list. Pedantic
difference maybe, but to-do lists imply responsibility to do it along with the
stress that goes with that. Or at least I feel that way (as it seems, does
Jeff).

~~~
maaku
I think making that distinction is a mistake. All lists are obsolete the
moment they are written down, but so what? The point is to review the list
often enough that no problems are caused.

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taude
The concept of a to-do isn't necessarily bad, but not having a personal
workflow of reviewing and prioritizing stuff at a regular interval (consider
it a personal scrum meeting) renders it useless.

I prefer the concept of Monday (sometimes Sunday night) for planning and
prioritizing my week. And a Friday review (or postmortem for the week).

There's some good stuff over at Scott Hanselmans's blog [1]

Also, this concept of three items and a flow is discussed in the following,
"Getting Results the Agile Way" book [2]

[1]
[http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ScottHanselmansCompleteListOfP...](http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ScottHanselmansCompleteListOfProductivityTips.aspx)

[2] [http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Results-Agile-Way-
Personal/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Results-Agile-Way-
Personal/dp/0984548203/)

------
subpixel
A big win for me was separating my "todo list" (a list of lists that covers
all my responsibilities) from my "agenda" (a non-negotiable contract with
myself regarding today, and only today). If my agenda has more than 3 things
on it, I consider that a red flag, e.g. I'm playing catchup or overestimating
what I'll accomplish in one day.

Todo lists are important as reference documents. But my agenda is what I use
to set and keep focus and maintain 'now' productivity (as opposed to 'when I
get organized' productivity, which is what a giant todo list promises).

FWIW I use Trello for todo list(s) and TeuxDeux (as a pinned Fluid app) for my
agenda.

~~~
aymeric
Check out [http://weekplan.net](http://weekplan.net) that allows you to do
exactly that. It is inspired by the 7 habits and some bits of GTD. (and a
fellow HNer made it :))

~~~
subpixel
I will. As much as I love TeuxDeux's simplicity, I believe it's not under
active development anymore.

------
raldi
Without a todo list, how would you remember to pay your property tax before
the deadline?

~~~
maaku
Strictly speaking, that should go on your calendar...

~~~
raldi
My calendar _is_ my todo list. If I don't get the thing done, I drag it
forward a couple days.

~~~
maaku
You could be much more efficient by separating next actions from date-
triggered actions.

~~~
raldi
Why? If I have some free time and I'm looking for work to do, I can always
just look at the calendar entries for upcoming days.

~~~
maaku
Because everytime you review your future calendar entries you have to read,
process, and skip over all the stuff that actually is tied to the time it is
written down (e.g. appointments and such). By keeping your list of next
actions separate from your calendar entries you make sure that at any given
time you are reviewing just what you need to.

------
gms7777
Jeff seems to claim that having things written down in a list is mentally
taxing, and perhaps for him it is, but I find I have the exact opposite
experience. When I have too many little things that I need to do, I find that
writing them down and then tucking the list away while I'm working really
helps me reduce my stress levels. While I'm working I'm not constantly anxious
that there is something I'm forgetting to do or thinking that there is
something that I should be doing, and if I think of something while I'm
working, I just add it to the list, instead of having to stop and think if I
should do it now or if I'm going to forget it.

Also, for me (as someone with ADD), having a list with the exact next thing I
should be doing as soon as I finish something seriously reduces the chance
that I get completely distracted and waste a half hour switching between
tasks.

------
AndrewDucker
I have about 25 items on my to-do list. All serious tasks, that need to be
completed, for customers/co-workers, over the next couple of weeks.

What on earth makes anyone think that I could just "Do one thing"? Unless that
one thing is "Check my to-do list, and get the next item on it done."

~~~
Delmania
" All serious tasks, that need to be completed, for customers/co-workers, over
the next couple of weeks."

Are they all inherently serious tasks? Or have these people told you there are
important? Have you ever tried to simply ignore a request? I personally have
found that in most cases, if a request is truly urgent, you will know it.

~~~
jeffreyrogers
I can't speak for the GP, but I've found (as a student), that writing down the
things I have due or have to accomplish by a certain date on my calendar frees
up a lot of mental energy.

I'm not a big fan of todo lists, but I am a proponent of keeping yourself
organized. By writing things down I stop worrying about forgetting to do
something. Of course, that's not the same as a todo list. Usually I just look
at my calendar each morning and pick 2-3 things to get done for the day. That
way I get the benefit of focusing on only a few things while having the peace
of mind of knowing that I'm not missing anything important.

~~~
aestra
That really is exactly the same as a to-do list. A daily to-do list.

------
aestra
My to-do list is on a paper. I wrote it with a pen.

I'm not cramming my entire life in there, just the crappy errands and chores
that I need to do. Otherwise I'd forget to do something, or be distracted by
something I need to do later. Also when I finish my tasks I know that I'm
really finished, and I'm not constantly thinking "did I forget something?" or
"What else did I have to do while I was out?"

I feel there would be no use for a to-do app. To-do lists are just too low
tech. Making it an app just makes it too complicated. Note: that doesn't mean
don't digitize it if you want to.

------
aymeric
Todos don't work because they suck at helping people plan and focus on what
really matters.

I like some of the concepts taught in the 7 habits of highly effective, like:

\- Instead of a todo list, use a weekly planner to get a higher level of
perspective on your planning and achievements.

\- List all your areas of responsibilities (husband, friend, brother, etc...)
and set goals to make progress in these areas every week. This helps you lead
a balanced life. No area go neglected for too long (like it is easy to do when
you obsess over your business)

\- Schedule the tasks that help you make progress towards your goals in your
calendar, to prevent other less important things to get in the way. (First
Things First)

I believe that some people on HN would benefit from the tool I developed
[http://weekplan.net](http://weekplan.net) which tries to use software to
encourage a better planning behaviour. Please check it out if you are looking
for an alternative to todolists or your own brain (please stop thinking you
are ok with keeping it in your head. The day you dump everything you have got
in your head into a system you trust, you will feel the relief and will never
come back. Without a good external system to store your tasks, your brain is
constantly reminding of what you need to do, and this is a waste).

------
gkya
> If you can't wake up every day and, using your 100% original equipment God-
> given organic brain, come up with the three most important things you need
> to do that day – then you should seriously work on fixing that.

This is simply the stupidest argument I've encountered recently. People
possess various mental abilities, and the condition of one's mind is not
necessarily stable throughout their life, every single day. I've had some
days, wherein I woke up 5 minutes before the alarm went off, with the exact
plan of that day I've made before sleeping in my head. But there are only so
many of these days in my life; I am usually very forgetful, and a to-do list
is way more precious than anything for me [1].

Mr. Atwood may bear a superior brain similar to that of Tesla's, but what most
mortals bear is better for processing than storage.

[1] In case anybody is in pursuance of a decent note-taking workflow, I use
Any.do and Zim (OSS desktop wiki) in combination. I've found out that a
personal wiki is quite handy, especially if one is careful and ardent about
organisation, and the software allows for efficient search.

------
semerda
Keeping stuff to do in your head is a terrible idea.

Writing stuff down is hard. This is common. The process of solidifying ones
garbled thoughts that sound ok in their head onto paper/app into meaningful
notes is hard and thus people avoid it. Not that lists are ineffective.
Getting into a habit helps and is usually the start.

I like to think of to-do lists as an extension of my memory. Just like other
tech and products I now rely on daily to get stuff done. Even this computer I
write this on to communicate long distance.

Our brains are incapable of holding (depending on who you ask) a lot of stuff
in short term memory. And naturally the stuff you try to hold in your brain
over time fades away into nertherworld. Only to resurface later as a feeling
that you forgot to do something. Panic sets in. You might remember it. And
under stress while stressed you plow through it as though it is a priority
pushing everything aside. Later realizing the stuff you pushed aside was just
as important and you missed that too.. sounds all too familiar? yes an
unorganized mind is constantly reactive vs proactive.

We know from GTD that all to-do list items need to be processed (filed) and
then possibly pushed into a reminder system i.e. calendar. Then it has an
urgency attached to it.

Furthermore, to-do lists are awesome for the moments you sit there wondering
what to do next. Open your to-do list app and bingo. Work assigned to you
immediately. Get stuff done! :-)

btw, if anyone wants to give my to-do list app with pomodoro technique a shot
and provide feedback please do. iPhone only:
[http://www.gsdfaster.com/](http://www.gsdfaster.com/)

Maybe this is the app some of u here needed to finally get into the habit of
getting stuff done using to-do lists ;-)

------
jayhuang
I too, have tried countless amount of to-do apps, and none of them stuck with
me for more than a week or so. It's frustrating. I look around me and see so
many people use to-do lists, and it seems to work for them. So why then, does
it not work for me?

I have no idea, but I have more or less abandoned trying to use a to-do list
at all, simply because I work perfectly fine without one, so why change that?

Jeff mentioned 3 things, but I give myself a little more flexibility with
that. Sometimes I can have 4 or even 5 if it's really necessary. But these are
events or tasks that are really important to me. In fact, my mental to-do list
usually takes at least a week or two to get fully "checked".

I wake up in morning reminding myself of the 3~5 most important things within
my next week or week and a half. Things like securing a major contract, giving
the best man's speech at my friend's wedding, maybe even writing a blog post
(or simply coming up with ideas for one). Although I've been incredibly busy
lately and have had no time to blog, I keep putting that on my mental to-do
list every week, and it becomes part of the way I live. I start to notice
things I want to talk about, give it some time to circulate in my head, then
either discard it or write down the general idea for when I have time to write
it. This works SO much better for me than the alternative.

How do I keep track of everything else? Simple. I make them routines. If I
want to dedicate a year to learning chess, I dedicate time to it every week
and treat it like any other important event in my life; it cannot be cut out
unless it's absolutely critical. Having routines like these help me a lot with
managing stress and frees my brain to consciously work on other things.
Everything else that does not fall into the routine category or my top 3~5 to-
dos is simply not important enough, and I cut them.

~~~
gkya
> I too, have tried countless amount of to-do apps, and none of them stuck
> with me for more than a week or so.

> How do I keep track of everything else? Simple. I make them routines.

Maybe it would be beneficial for you to apply idea in the second quote to the
situation explained in the first one. There is no perfect to-do application,
but getting used to one and exploiting it is better than having none.

------
logfromblammo
I don't have a to-do list, so much as I have a to-do priority queue. New tasks
enter at one end, and the thing I do next comes out the other end. But more
important, more urgent, and lower cost things can jump ahead in the line.
There are probably a few things in there that have been waiting for years to
get done, simply because they have such a low urgency, low importance, and
high cost. Things like "build cool thing X without buying more power tools" or
"learn to speak the tourist-relevant subset of language X" or "binge-watch
show X on streaming service Y" consistently get shoved back behind "file tax
returns" and "find and eliminate the smell" and "kill those rassafrassin',
arglefarglin' ants before mowing again".

------
morgante
I thought this would actually be about maintaing a list of things _not_ to do.

Which actually seems like a great idea. As Jeff correctly notes, you don't
need a to do list for the things which matter. The things which pile up on to-
do lists are the small, unimportant minutia which don't have any material
impact on your life. All they do is drag you down with the cognitive burden of
things you "should" be doing.

So, henceforth, I'm converting my "to do" list into a "to don't" list. A list
of things I've given myself permission to never do and to never get distracted
by.

~~~
semerda
If you are running on autopilot doing the same stuff each day (daily routine)
then yeah no need to write your to-dos. But if ideas & tasks pop into your
head daily then writing it down is a must. You are fooling yourself thinking
your short-term memory is a sufficient tool.

Re the not to do list, aka Jack Dorsey's, yap its a great "daily reminder"
when it comes to “changing habits”.

But you still need a list to remind you what to do that isn't part of your
daily routine.

~~~
morgante
> But if ideas & tasks pop into your head daily then writing it down is a
> must. You are fooling yourself thinking your short-term memory is a
> sufficient tool.

I see ideas and tasks as fundamentally very different beasts. Ideas do indeed
pop into my head from time to time, but they're never something that requires
immediate action—I note them down and can find them when I need inspiration.

Tasks, on the other hand, are on the forefront of my mind if they're actually
necessary.

~~~
semerda
Something becomes a task when there is an action associated with it. Let's
call everything that comes into your mind as "stuff". Some of that stuff
becomes actionable i.e. task, and some of it stored for later in a project
bucket as say "business idea". Either way, both stuff should be collected.
Once collecting stuff becomes a habit you will see how much stuff is actually
in your head.

------
Grue3
I thought the recommendation would be use Discourse or something like that.
Seriously, this is like the first post in years by this guy that doesn't
mention Discourse (thank god).

~~~
3rd3
Please note that the article is from Oct 2012.

------
fjk
I get stressed out when I don't know what I need to do. A combination of
scheduling appointments and writing down everything I need to get done
dramatically increases my productivity by removing the "oh shit, I know I have
to do something but I can't remember what it is" moments.

I agree with Jeff about the fact you should know the top three things you need
to do each day, but lower priority items can - and do - find a way to slip
through the cracks without some kind of to do list.

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badman_ting
Seeing this cycle is tiring. People became obsessed with to-do apps (still not
sure why, I guess as a demo for trying different styles of app development),
then they all tried to be the most polished to-do app, now comes the to-do
backlash where people decide to-do apps were unnecessary to begin with. Jeesh.

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taeric
Only thing really hurting my "to do" list of org-mode is that I have about 3
different computers that would need to be synced with what I'm currently
"doing." I'm sure there is a good way to sync my settings, but I don't know it
right off.

~~~
jayhuang
I think it depends on what you need to sync, but I've also had this problem
and have found something that works for me.

I use Sublime Text for both development and quickly "jotting" things down. I
keep 2 copies in my Dropbox, which is installed on all my computers, and have
1 for work, another for personal. Anytime I need to jot something down, it
gets synced to all my computers regardless of whether I need it to or not. I
don't have to spend time thinking about it. It may seem weird at first but
it's become second nature for me.

~~~
taeric
I could do a drop box style sync. Not sure why I'm avoiding that route, to be
perfectly honest. There is even a route to do that with phones, if I recall.

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thejay
What works really well for me is an Untitled.txt with a list. Since it's not
saved there's always the risk of losing it but that's kind of the point. It
forces me to deal with the most important things.

------
pokstad
Better productivity tips:

1\. Use your todo app but don't obsess over it

2\. Stop reading asinine commentary blogs

------
bachback
TODO:

* write an AI which writes the todo list

* follow AI's todo list

------
shasta
I feel like I was just Rick-rolled.

