The handwritten to-do list might seem archaic compared to the calendar on your smartphone, but it does have a purpose and value.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, entrepreneur, production worker, or even retired, the to-do list can be an essential tool if used properly. An old school to-do list can help you start each morning with a purpose or create a new healthy habit. Here are five reasons why you should bring it back.
If you write your to-do list the night before, you will wake with the list fresh in your mind. This nightly ritual can create excitement and help you stay on track, and the celebration that’s ignited with one little “check” is exhilarating.
There is so much to see, look at, and do in our society that our brains have a hard time staying focused. Turn to your to-do list when you become overwhelmed or distracted.
When trying to decide what to do next, check the list. Is everything checked off? If so, you can add one or two more to the list. If not, it’s time to get back on track.
Add the new activity or goal to your to-do list and keep it on there until it has become a habit. Mark your calendar for 21 days, adding the new routine to your to-do list each and every day until then. After that three-week cycle, check in with yourself to find out if the new activity is ingrained in your daily routine.
Limiting your to-do list can keep you from becoming overwhelmed. And once you’ve checked off these items, you will see how much you’ve accomplished.
Our smartphones are convenient, but hold on to those journals and pens, too. If you forget your journal, make the note in your phone to later transfer to paper. Take notes throughout the day, then minimize and prioritize the list later in the evening when your pace has slowed down.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, entrepreneur, production worker, or even retired, the to-do list can be an essential tool if used properly. An old school to-do list can help you start each morning with a purpose or create a new healthy habit. Here are five reasons why you should bring it back.
Rise with Purpose
Once your morning routine of meditation, coffee, and fixing breakfast for the family is complete, it can be easy to lose focus on the day ahead. Each day can flood you with a new set of challenges, including juggling your children’s teachers and projects as well as your own boss or work colleagues. Your personal goals can get lost in the shuffle.If you write your to-do list the night before, you will wake with the list fresh in your mind. This nightly ritual can create excitement and help you stay on track, and the celebration that’s ignited with one little “check” is exhilarating.
Steer Vata Brain
Vata brain can happen to anyone regardless of your dosha. Vata is movement, air, and space. We live in an extremely vata world, which can make us easily distracted.There is so much to see, look at, and do in our society that our brains have a hard time staying focused. Turn to your to-do list when you become overwhelmed or distracted.
When trying to decide what to do next, check the list. Is everything checked off? If so, you can add one or two more to the list. If not, it’s time to get back on track.
Create a New Healthy Habit
Perhaps you have decided you want to add a new healthy habit to your daily routine. This can be particularly difficult if you’re already busy with work, family, and friends. At the end of the day, when you have slowed down, you finally focus back on yourself only to remember all of those new plans were skipped or forgotten. Maybe you even forgot to meditate or skipped that yoga class.Add the new activity or goal to your to-do list and keep it on there until it has become a habit. Mark your calendar for 21 days, adding the new routine to your to-do list each and every day until then. After that three-week cycle, check in with yourself to find out if the new activity is ingrained in your daily routine.
Eases Anxiety
Anxiety is often a signal that tells you that you’re worried about your future. Your mind feels there is just so much to accomplish in a short amount of time. How will it all get done? The to-do list seems miles long in your mind. You can reduce your anxiety by keeping your to-do list to just 3 to 5 items.Limiting your to-do list can keep you from becoming overwhelmed. And once you’ve checked off these items, you will see how much you’ve accomplished.
Manifest with a Spell
Writing your goals down will make them clearer to you and the Universe. Your handwriting is unique, and it has a beauty and energy surrounding it that only you can provide. It is as if our written words are truly casting a spell.Our smartphones are convenient, but hold on to those journals and pens, too. If you forget your journal, make the note in your phone to later transfer to paper. Take notes throughout the day, then minimize and prioritize the list later in the evening when your pace has slowed down.
