The great thing about a to-do list of any kind is that it serves as a persistent reminder of what you think you ought to get done. But the persistence of that reminder is both a blessing and a curse. In many cases, it can turn into a nagging reminder of things we thought were important at the time we made the list. But we still haven’t done those things. So how important are they really?
In my time using various productivity systems, I’ve been hesitant to just delete items from my longer list of tasks (which those of you in Level 2 know as the Simplified Scheduling System). The way I saw it, if something was important enough to put on the list at that time, it probably is now, right?
It’s time to re-think that.
When it comes to your S3 list, or longer to-do list, or next-action list—or whatever you call it in your own system—you decide what stays on there. The only things that should remain on there are the things that matter to you. And by that, I mean items that still matter to you—as you look at your (probably very long) list of tasks to tackle.
If you keep avoiding doing certain items, it may be time to remove them from your list. And if you feel strong resistance to that—perhaps guilt or second-guessing—you need to look at why. If you don’t question that resistance, but you continue to not take care of the item(s) in question, not understanding why that is will only make things worse.
And since the Today Card represents a fresh start each day, make a top item to go through your S3 (if you have one), or your long task list—and get rid of items that keep hanging around without getting addressed. If those things truly matter, they’ll find their way back on the list later—often in a way that’s more motivating to you.
If you have a lot of trouble doing that, try a trick from GTD: use an “incubator” list (aka a “someday/maybe” list). Put any projects or tasks on your long S3 or master list that haven’t been getting attention in the incubator. This way they’re still there, but they’re not clogging up your S3—which should be a list of actions ready to be done very soon.
Remember: you—the present-tense you—decide what matters. Don’t carry around the burdens of your past self unnecessarily.
