I've found out recently that rather than being something you make or plan, TODO list is the end result of doing something else. Specifically, it's the result of taking notes about your life and your works, TODO list is just what left after you filter out all the actionable items.
For example, when I'm doing development work, I'm trying to keep a journal of what I'm doing, why I'm doing something, which step of the task I'm on, what the boss wanted to get done. With those info, when I get back to work tomorrow, it's simple to get back the "TODO item" in the task.
The difference being that a list of TODO things on its own is pretty hard to follow through and act: it's missing context (or the action is too vague), we tend to have certain routine anyway and an ordered list of everything isn't helpful since there is a limited number of tasks we can do at a certain context. There are some productivity that tries to fix the missing context problem by assigning context with a task, but they just amplify another issue when making todo list: it's not that simple to write an actionable item. At least 90% of the time I've tried, my item always ends up being broken down to several more items when I started working on them, or I'm missing the mark on planning the item. And they're always because I'm not in the mindset of a task when I'm making its TODO items -- I plan things at the start or end of week/ day, rather than when I'm actually doing the task.
I think TODO list is just a special kind of notes, and I think a lot of people would benefit from taking more notes about their lives, both for the past (journal) and future (planning). Although "past" and "future" is a bit of an unnecessary distinction here.
Don't make to-do list, just take more notes, write things down. You will notice all the bullet point in the article would apply if you change "writing to-do lists" into "taking notes".
Just a tangent, but that's also why I think org-mode is the only note-taking/to-do app that did it right: TODO item is both part of the normal notes, and well supported with multitude of features around it (all the agenda functionalities).
"I think TODO list is just a special kind of notes, and I think a lot of people would benefit from taking more notes about their lives, both for the past (journal) and future (planning)."
I think this is a really good point, in fact if I look at my TODO lists many if not most of the items get added after I complete them.
For example, when I'm doing development work, I'm trying to keep a journal of what I'm doing, why I'm doing something, which step of the task I'm on, what the boss wanted to get done. With those info, when I get back to work tomorrow, it's simple to get back the "TODO item" in the task.
The difference being that a list of TODO things on its own is pretty hard to follow through and act: it's missing context (or the action is too vague), we tend to have certain routine anyway and an ordered list of everything isn't helpful since there is a limited number of tasks we can do at a certain context. There are some productivity that tries to fix the missing context problem by assigning context with a task, but they just amplify another issue when making todo list: it's not that simple to write an actionable item. At least 90% of the time I've tried, my item always ends up being broken down to several more items when I started working on them, or I'm missing the mark on planning the item. And they're always because I'm not in the mindset of a task when I'm making its TODO items -- I plan things at the start or end of week/ day, rather than when I'm actually doing the task.
I think TODO list is just a special kind of notes, and I think a lot of people would benefit from taking more notes about their lives, both for the past (journal) and future (planning). Although "past" and "future" is a bit of an unnecessary distinction here.
Don't make to-do list, just take more notes, write things down. You will notice all the bullet point in the article would apply if you change "writing to-do lists" into "taking notes".
Just a tangent, but that's also why I think org-mode is the only note-taking/to-do app that did it right: TODO item is both part of the normal notes, and well supported with multitude of features around it (all the agenda functionalities).