Ditch Your “To-Do” List

Technically speaking, you don't HAVE to do anything—except for eat, drink water, and sleep. But life isn’t just about survival, it’s about living—relationships, friendships, hobbies, entertainment, etc.. Along with those aspects of life come duties, responsibilities, and tasks to maintain and grow ourselves.

Avoiding your duties is easy. It's comfortable. Often times though, procrastinating our annoying tasks makes us more anxious than the task itself. Nobody wants to take out the garbage, or clean the dishes, or start that paper that's due next Tuesday. However, it isn't a matter of wanting to do something, it's a matter of having to do them.

The problem is that our relationship with the words "have to” becomes sour over time.

I have to write an article, but I don't want to.

I have to study for an exam, but I don't want to.

I have to fix a problem with a client, but I don't want to.

Satisfaction is hard to achieve when you can't feel gratitude towards the small things.

At the top of a new page everyday in my pocket journal, I write "Get To-Do". Underneath, I write my daily tasks, responsibilities, and chores. Just the simple addition of "get" before my "to-do" reminds me of what a privilege it is to be able to do whatever I must.

I get to write an article for my blog.

I get to study for an exam.

I get to solve problems for my own businesses.

When we pivot our language from have to and want to to get to, we unlock a newfound sense of gratitude and appreciation for the small things in life. It reminds me of the honor and privilege it is to have gone to college, or run my own businesses, or take out the garbage of scraps from food I was privileged enough to eat.

Final Thoughts

Reinforcing a sense of gratitude in our day-to-day lives makes taking action easier and more desirable.