To-Do lists can be too much, but a Can-Do list can give us hope, so build a can-do list today.
Are you superhuman? I’m not, and having multiple plates spinning at one time can create a lot of tension and stress in my life.
I remember as a kid watching someone spinning plates on the top of long poles. They would get the plate spinning, then move on to the next one and then the next one. All the time looking at all the plates spinning and rushing back to those that were slowing down.
Maybe it was this guy on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ (shows my age).
At times life can seem like a whole lot of spinning plates. You could probably list off a number of plates spinning in your grey matter right now.
Then you realize that you haven’t done this task and you really should do this and you could do this. On and on it goes, round and round, creating pressure. Then one of those plates falls, smashing on the floor.
Here is a trick I learned.
Only do what you can do. Not hope to do, should do, or could do.
And please stop shoulding on yourself.
One of the things you can do is create a task list. When your brain feels like it’s carrying too many unresolved problems at once, it helps to separate the problem from your sense of self before you even try to solve it.
7 Mental Health Benefits of Having a ‘Can-Do’ Task List
1. Unclutters your brain
Do you have too much traffic in your mind? So many things going around in the brain that you feel like you are just living in a whirlpool of things to do, ideas to chase, and ‘must do’ moments.
Perhaps having a task list will start to solidify what needs to be done.
2. Deflates the ‘overwhelmed’ feelings balloon
Feeling overwhelmed? So often, for me, the feeling of having a large number of things to do is greater than the actual reality of what those things require.
Having all these things to do seems daunting and overwhelming. The task becomes unrealistically out of proportion to the actual size.
Having that list and breaking down the list into smaller chunks deflates the feeling of it being too much — much like using a simple problem-solving sheet to tackle overwhelming problems little by little.
3. Makes creative space
I find that once you have got that task written down, then it creates a space in your thinking for you to turn your focus on how to do that task.
So often, after doing this, the task feels like it is already half done.
4. Pushes the pause button
Having to stop just for a minute to plan creates a sense of pause. You don’t need to rush at all the things to do.
Pause, focus, think, and plan. Develop a little mini habit of say ‘Spending one minute each day to pause and plan’ — the same millimetre steps of gradual progress that make lasting change possible.
5. Stimulates a sense of achievement
I love to be able to tick that box and draw a line through that task. It just feels good, and my brain enjoys the success.
It enjoys it so much that it will form a pathway that invites me to come and do it again.
Seriously, if you are deeply depressed, then having a task list with one item such as ‘brush teeth’ may be the gold medal award task for you today. Just because it may seem small doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Don’t let others’ expectations or even your own diminish the power of taking one small step. Maybe even getting dressed may be a feat of heroic proportions. Well done, tick it off, cross it out, and write DONE in big bold letters. Those small, achievable wins are exactly how you can start rebuilding confidence from the ashes when it feels like it’s gone completely.
You are training your brain into achievement thinking.
6. Builds confidence
If I have done this once and succeeded, then the odds of doing it again and succeeding are high. Confidence builds upon itself, and the brain forms new pathways with achievement — and turning those small wins into a consistent daily habit is what makes the confidence stick.
7. Substitutes for hindered memory
Often with mental illness, the memory and the ability to focus can be affected. I have found this with my depression.
So having a ‘to-do list’ and a little notebook to capture items has really helped me to overcome this problem.
What tools do I use?
There is an abundance of tools you can choose from. I think it is really important to choose the one that is most simple and easy to use for you. I use both electronic and paper.
Electronic is Google Keep and Google Tasks
I have only recently discovered this great application. It links to my Gmail account, I can create lists, add links to articles, color code items, set reminders, voice memos, and collect photos. It is web-based, so you have to go online to use it, but there is also a mobile app for Android users. And if you find yourself writing your list at night, you might notice it does double duty — a to-do list can even help you fall asleep faster.
Paper is just a simple notebook for on-the-go writing stuff down. I find that by the time I take to pull out the phone, tap on buttons etc I could have written a short note in my little notebook.
I use a small Moleskin notebook that can easily fit into my pocket with a pen.
Some final pointers
- Put everything down. It may seem unimportant, but habits are reinforced by rewards (tick or cross). Tick or cross off when done to create an ongoing sense of achievement.
Quotes to Consider
Questions to Answer
- What benefits have you found from having a ‘To do’ list?
- What tools do you use for your ‘To do’ list?
Further reading
- Little by Little: How Small Steps Can Topple Your Biggest Giants — Stop feeling overwhelmed by life’s “giants.” Learn how small, intentional actions and a simple problem-solving sheet can reduce anxiety.
- How A To-Do-List Can Help You Off To Sleep — Are you carrying too much mind stuff to bed with you? Research says that a to-do list can help you get a better sleep. A to-do list brings clarity out of confusion and can set your mind at rest. Writing a to-do list in the evening helps you to offload much of what you are carrying into your sleep.
- Building a New Confidence from the Ash — There was no self confidence. It was gone like vapour from ash. But something reignited when we looked at the pebbles and not the mountain.
- The ‘Constant Companion’ of Habit — Goals are easy to set but hard to achieve. Discover the power of “The Habit Poem” and learn how small, daily routines can transform your mental health
- It’s not ‘Two steps forward and Three steps back’ — Stop the cycle of two steps forward, three steps back. Discover “Millimetre Ministry” for gradual, gentle, and realistic personal growth.
- The Problem is the Problem: Separating Your Identity from Issues — Stop seeing yourself as the problem. Learn how to externalize struggles, break the cycle of self-blame, and find hope in your true identity.
Barry Pearman
Image: Henrik Bothe plate spinning
Barry is a writer, coach, and course creator that has a passion for Mental Health and Spiritual Formation. Contact me here.
