The beauty of the “could-do” list + stress-free productivity
Cover photo credit: Ionut Vancea
I’m pretty much the exact opposite of a procrastinator.
That means that any time I get an idea of something I need (or want) to do, I feel compelled to immediately take action on it.
I squeeze it into my already packed to-do list for the day or week, and suddenly this random new task becomes extremely urgent, regardless of how important it actually is.
And inevitably, most of the time I’d either stress myself out trying to fulfill some arbitrary deadline or feel disappointed that I didn’t meet that arbitrary deadline.
This happens a lot with things like:
A great topic for a blog post
Wanting to mindmap a new creative idea
Looking into how to incorporate a new piece of tech into my process
Updating some copy on one of my website pages
If I didn’t slot this task into my current schedule, I felt like it was going to fall into a crevice of my mind I’d never visit again or stay on an abandoned page in a notebook.
And then I thought of the idea of a “could-do” list
While my “to-do” list is precious and reserved for things I absolutely have to get done, I needed a space for tasks that are more of an “it’d be cool if I could get to this at some point” vibe.
This was semi-inspired by the Getting Things Done method of creating a “pending” folder for tasks that depend on other things getting done first.
Whenever I have an idea for a non-urgent task that I want to make sure that I don’t forget, I add it to this list.
Writing a great idea down on this list helps fulfill that need to take immediate action on an idea, without feeling the pressure to meaningfully act on it if I’m not in the perfect headspace for it.
Then, if I have some spare time and find myself feeling particularly creative, or if I’m looking for a few logistical tasks to check off the list, I can reference this list for some guidance.
The benefits are threefold
I’m not burning myself out for literally no good reason
I can make sure that these little things that pop up don’t disappear into vague memories
And when I’m left with some free time, I’m not left sitting there trying to rack my brain for something productive to do, inevitably filling that time with something completely random and non-beneficial. (The curse of the empty to-do list, amirite?) I have a full list of valuable ideas for me to take action on.
Where should you keep this list?
If you’re a pen-and-paper person, I’d recommend keeping this in a notebook that you have access to in your productive space (i.e. your desk or office). But you may also want to create a note in your phone to jot down notes when you’re out and about, and then transfer them later.
If you’re like me, you may appreciate having a digital record that can sync across devices. This could be a note in your phone, or you could use a tool like Notion like I do. I keep a folder in my “Projects” database with all of these ideas.
