The Never Ending To Do List

[Panic57]

I have a list of goals that I've made lists of things that i need to do to accomplish those goals.  The problem is that the list seemxious s to keep growing that at this point I feel like it's impossible to get it done. While I've chosen one to focus on doing for now, I'm strting to anxious that I'm wasting my time and should be focusing on the others..  But then I start feeling anxious that if change my focus without finishing my first project I'll feel like I left it unfinished and lost any progress I've been makng on it.  I think ultimaly though that I need to finish things one at a time.  Ultimately I'm worreid that I'll run out of time to complete everything I want to get done.   What about you?  Do you have ever growing list or are you just completeing them in a timely fashion?  Do you ever get anxious about accomplishing all your dreams before you die?  It's been on my mind lately and I always feel like I'm wasting my time and I'm worthless.

 

[x0xLikeMex0x]

Sometimes I feel like I don't dream about anything and just go with the flow.


At the moment I only have one "to-do" list. It's no really "to-do" list, it's more of a "places to visit" list. I keep adding places to the list, sometimes I even go in details about the sights to see there. I know that I'm probably not going to visit all those places, but at least I have a lot of other plans, when plan A doesn't work. I always leave an option of solotravel when writing those places down to the list, because I often don't manage to convince my friends to go with me. I've solotravelled twice now and I have to admit that maybe I like going solo more than going with other people.


What I'm trying to say that it's OK to focus on new things and let go of some things in your list of goals. You, as a person, grow everyday and so do your goals change. 

 

[Alex]

I used to have 'to do lists' and it was fine when I could cross them off, but when you can't, there is a feeling of failure. I ended up rewriting ones I couldn't complete, but it didn't feel the same.


I don't really use them any longer unless I have to because it's time sensitive, but I make a mental list. At times they can overwhelm you and create pressure, but are useful if you need structure and have deadlines. I used them at work because it was time sensitive, but plans don't always work out and you have to adapt.

 

[hades_leae]

I feel the same, I always think daily about new things to do with my life. I started doing audio clips of my day, and almost everyday writing out things that I I figured were good ideas for my future in my notepad on my cell phone. I have so many things to do, and I can only do one at a time, it seems like an ever growing list, but that doesn't mean I'll give up on them.


Just keep going.

 

[djanx]

I have a list of goals that I've made lists of things that i need to do to accomplish those goals.  The problem is that the list seemxious s to keep growing that at this point I feel like it's impossible to get it done. While I've chosen one to focus on doing for now, I'm strting to anxious that I'm wasting my time and should be focusing on the others..  But then I start feeling anxious that if change my focus without finishing my first project I'll feel like I left it unfinished and lost any progress I've been makng on it.  I think ultimaly though that I need to finish things one at a time.  Ultimately I'm worreid that I'll run out of time to complete everything I want to get done.   What about you?  Do you have ever growing list or are you just completeing them in a timely fashion?  Do you ever get anxious about accomplishing all your dreams before you die?  It's been on my mind lately and I always feel like I'm wasting my time and I'm worthless.

Well, the list itself will always stay long. What you need to do is pick out the top 3! This new priority list is what you need to focus on and if possible put a solid timeline on each task. Once the top 3 are done, move on to the next 3 and so on. As far as anxiety about goals is concerned, of course, I am always worried, anxious, looking around for ways to get things done, but I still keep taking action because that's the only way to ever get anything done.

 

[Choochoo]

I have this and I have been thinking bat these things ever since I was very young, probably way younger than most people do in terms of becoming aware of our limited time and what to do with it. Unfortunately I didn't really have much guidance so I just sort of got lost in the middle of it all and now that I am older and even more aware I feel it now have the capacity to finally do something about it and make my visions into reality. 

 

[MandyMarieB]

I have this issue as well... I do make lists to try and help me focus and get things done, but more often than not, I have a short period during the day when I'm super inspired and want to work on EVERYTHING... and thus nothing gets done because I can't focus enough to just work on one thing. And then the rest of the day I'm just in a fog and uninterested in doing anything. (And that short period is usually Adderall induced anyway.)


It's a pain! I just want to get things done.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I try to fashion my lists with short term, medium and long term goals. If I'm feeling anxious or stuck, I can work on something on the short term list, and feel an immediate sense of accomplishment, which then spurs me on to tackle other projects. We can sometimes get mired in the more in depth projects, particularly when it seems there is no end in sight, or when some aspects of those projects are out of our hands. I get very frustrated right now because I don't have the funds to do a lot of things I want and need to do, but since I'm doing all I can on that end and the situation isn't improving, I tend to keep those things going in the background while I work on what I can control, which tends to be the shorter term projects. 

 

[oportosanto]

Having a list of goals can certainly generate anxiety. I think it's great to achieve goals, but as important as achieving them is the way we achieve those goals, sometimes even more. This to say that we need to focus more on the process than on the ultimate goal because it's in the process that we lose ourselves.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I don't really have a particular list when it comes to my goals to accomplish, I think that most of the goals that I have are mid-term goals and I just stick with them the whole time until something new that's going to modify them changes something. I don't like to make a lot of plans because I'm scared of never getting to that point... and that would make me more anxious than I already am when it comes to the future. 

 

[Padre]

I have actually found the To Do list, in it's myriad forms, to be a helpful tool to keep organized, focused, and moving forward.  No, not everything gets done everyday or even most days, but what needs getting done happens and the motion is forward.  On the other hand, I know some can become slaves to such lists, and that is certainly a bad thing, but in general, I think they are helpful.

 

[amy88]

I've been a list writer for as long as I can remember - it's my way of staying organized - but I do find that it can be a fine line between helping me feel organized and just getting overwhelmed. These days I try and stick more to the idea of "three key tasks" to get accomplished per day.


It's just a bit easier than having 20 items on my list and not really getting anything done because I get overwhelmed and procrastinate!