Todo lists, bah humbug.
To-do lists are useless for people like us. After all, the main reason for making a list is to remember things we might otherwise forget.
But we know we haven’t forgotten that task we needed to do three weeks ago. We know the deadline is coming up; it’s been nagging at us—either as a subtle, unsettling thought that disturbs our sleep or right up front, pressing on us day after day. The problem isn’t remembering the task—it’s that the thought of doing it fills us with dread. So, we either ignore it or start, only to feel overwhelmed and retreat to something more enjoyable instead.
For years, I struggled with procrastination. I was a hardcore procrastinator, choosing indulgence over action, even when things were overdue or left me feeling frustrated. I even titled my previous blog The Ramblings of a Long-Time Procrastinator, proudly wearing my procrastination as a badge of honor.
In my personal life, I’d do anything other than tackle what needed to be done. I’d watch TV, play computer games, or browse the web—anything to avoid that nagging task or a conversation I dreaded. I’d put off washing dishes, cleaning my room, doing homework. I’d delay paying bills, shopping—you name it, I postponed it.
Only when I had no other choice would I finally take care of business and move a task from the “to-do” to the “done” column. Then, and only then, could I stop scolding myself for being unproductive or wasting time.
Honestly, it bored even me. I could predict within seconds whether I’d approach something in a time-efficient, progressive way or just…avoid it.
When it came to school or college work, I’d spend entire evenings lying on top of my papers and books, daydreaming and listening to music. My family thought I was being studious; they’d see everything spread out across my bed as if I were working, but I wasn’t.
If this sounds familiar, then you know the drill. As deadlines loomed, I’d pull all-nighters to get things done, berating myself for not starting earlier. But at the same time, I’d pat myself on the back because at least I’d done something.
Oddly, the only place I didn’t procrastinate was work. If a project had a deadline, I was on it from the start—planning, designing, building, and delivering. My professional pride wouldn’t allow a slapdash job. I was building a reputation for excellence, and nothing would get in the way of that. There were moments when we skated close to failure, but I’d pull out all the stops, drafting as much help as I could to ensure we delivered on time, every time.
For years, I’d make lists of things I needed to do, only to see each list remain 90% undone. Eventually, I got the message: To-do lists are rubbish—at least for procrastinators like me!
But I wanted to change, so I embarked on a journey of exploration. I read articles, watched videos, and devoured books on productivity. I even attended training courses where they introduced productivity tools that were supposed to help me become the person I wanted to be.
To be honest, most of these tools were as useless as to-do lists. They just didn’t work. If you’re on your own journey with procrastination, you may have come to the same conclusion.
But I did eventually discover tools and techniques that worked. After my quest, I’m much better at taking care of my business.
I believe the keys to my success were:
- Stopping the lies I told myself
- Understanding actions and triggers
- Building a daily practice
These three things helped me reduce procrastination. I won’t lie—it’s not fully conquered, but it’s much better than it used to be. Instead of to-do lists, I started an achievements list. I began recording everything I completed each day, big or small. This helped me see that I wasn’t spending my days idly, flitting from one distraction to the next. To make it easier, I even built an app to journal my daily achievements1.
Using this app, I could give myself a little boost at the end of each day and celebrate my achievements. If you struggle with procrastination, give it a try. You may find, as I did, that focusing on what you have done rather than what you haven’t can change your outlook.