PAST

OVERDUE:
[ ]   all the tasks that I said yes to when I ought to have said no
[ ]   all the calls I need to follow-up so their businesses can grow
[ ]   all the projects I took upon myself so that I could people please
[ ]   all the projects I need to do to put myself at ease
[ ]   all the urgent emails that I know I should have sent
[ ]   all the bookings that I should have made ahead of the event
[ ]   all those things that no one cares about but I think are a must
[ ]   all those gadgets that need mending before they fully bust
[ ]   all the delegated tasks from others resulting from their lack of time
[ ]   all the things I think I should do so they think I’m fine
[ ]   all the action points from meetings that I think were flagged for me
[ ]   all the edits to the documents that I know you need to see

OTHER:
[ ]   more tasks that I said yes to when I wanted to say no
[ ]   more calls I’d like to follow-up to help my business grow
[ ]   more projects I have taken on so I can people please
[ ]   more projects that I want to do to put myself at ease
[ ]   more emails that I know that it would help for me to send
[ ]   more plans that I could make for upcoming events
[ ]   more things that no one cares about but I think are a must
[ ]   more gadgets that need maintenance to stop them going bust
[ ]   more delegated tasks from others resulting from their lack of time
[ ]   more things I’d like to finish (only then will I feel fine)
[ ]   more action points from meetings that I let them flag to me
[ ]   more edits to the documents that I’d like you to see

SOMEDAY/MAYBE:
[ ]   try to make some art
[ ]   try to pause a while
[ ]   try to take time for myself
[ ]   try to have fun
[ ]   try to meet up with a friend
[ ]   try to smile
[ ]   try to laugh
[ ]   try to simply do the things I want
[ ]   try to quench my thirst
[ ]   try to look after my brain
[ ]   try to use a different font
[ ]   try to listen to my heart
[ ]   try to sit in the sun
[ ]   try to soak up the rain
[ ]   try to read the books that are piled upon the shelf
[ ]   try to have a nice relaxing bath
[ ]   try to ‘pay myself first’
[ ]   try to ignore the latest trend

WAITING FOR:
[ ]   the perfect time
[ ]   the stars to align
[ ]   the mists to clear
[ ]   the loss of fear
[ ]   all of the pieces to fall into place
[ ]   and, of course, the ideal space
[ ]   the feeling that it’s right
[ ]   and for my chest to feel less tight
[ ]   a decent night’s sleep
[ ]   the bravery to take a leap
[ ]   something to drink, and some food
[ ]   the right mood

TODO TODAY:
[ ]   put a cross in the unchecked boxes and strike-through all the words in the following lists:
.......[ ]   WAITING FOR
.......[ ]   OTHER
.......[ ]   OVERDUE
[ ]   wherever they appear in the SOMEDAY/MAYBE list strike-through the words: ‘try to’
[ ]   start a new list with the title ‘TODO (RECURRING - EVERY DAY)’
[ ]   add the unchecked tasks from SOMEDAY/MAYBE in a pleasing way
[ ]   tear up all of the old lists and throw them right away

PRESENT

OVERDUE:
[x]   all the tasks that I said yes to when I ought to have said no
[x]   all the calls I need to follow-up so their businesses can grow
[x]   all the projects I took upon myself so that I could people please
[x]   all the projects I need to do to put myself at ease
[x]   all the urgent emails that I know I should have sent
[x]   all the bookings that I should have made ahead of the event
[x]   all those things that no one cares about but I think are a must
[x]   all those gadgets that need mending before they fully bust
[x]   all the delegated tasks from others resulting from their lack of time
[x]   all the things I think I should do so they think I’m fine
[x]   all the action points from meetings that I think were flagged for me
[x]   all the edits to the documents that I know you need to see

OTHER:
[x]   more tasks that I said yes to when I wanted to say no
[x]   more calls I’d like to follow-up to help my business grow
[x]   more projects I have taken on so I can people please
[x]   more projects that I want to do to put myself at ease
[x]   more emails that I know that it would help for me to send
[x]   more plans that I could make for upcoming events
[x]   more things that no one cares about but I think are a must
[x]   more gadgets that need maintenance to stop them going bust
[x]   more delegated tasks from others resulting from their lack of time
[x]   more things I’d like to finish (only then will I feel fine)
[x]   more action points from meetings that I let them flag to me
[x]   more edits to the documents that I’d like you to see

SOMEDAY/MAYBE:
[ ]   try to make some art
[ ]   try to pause a while
[ ]   try to take time for myself
[ ]   try to have fun
[ ]   try to meet up with a friend
[ ]   try to smile
[ ]   try tolaugh
[ ]   try to simply do the things I want
[ ]   try to quench my thirst
[ ]   try to look after my brain
[ ]   try to use a different font
[ ]   try to listen to my heart
[ ]   try to sit in the sun
[ ]   try to soak up the rain
[ ]   try to read the books that are piled upon the shelf
[ ]   try to have a nice relaxing bath
[ ]   try to ‘pay myself first’
[ ]  try to ignore the latest trend

WAITING FOR:
[x]   the perfect time
[x]   the stars to align
[x]   the mists to clear
[x]   the loss of fear
[x]   all of the pieces to fall into place
[x]   and, of course, the ideal space
[x]   the feeling that it’s right
[x]   and for my chest to feel less tight
[x]   a decent night’s sleep
[x]   the bravery to take a leap
[x]   something to drink, and some food
[x]   the right mood

TODO TODAY:
[x]   put a tick in the unchecked boxes and strike-through all the words in the following lists:
.......[x]   WAITING FOR
.......[x]   OTHER
.......[x]   OVERDUE
[x]   wherever they appear in the SOMEDAY/MAYBE list strike-through the words: ‘try to’
[x]   start a new list with the title ‘TODO (RECURRING - EVERY DAY)’
[x]   add the unchecked tasks from SOMEDAY/MAYBE in a pleasing way
[x]   tear up all of the old lists and throw them right away

FUTURE

TODO (RECURRING - EVERY DAY):
[ ]   quench my thirst
[ ]   ‘pay myself first’
[ ]   read the books that are piled upon the shelf
[ ]   take time for myself
[ ]   soak up the rain
[ ]   look after my brain
[ ]   make some art
[ ]   listen to my heart
[ ]   sit in the sun
[ ]   have fun
[ ]   have a nice relaxing bath
[ ]   laugh
[ ]   pause a while
[ ]   smile
[ ]   ignore the latest trend
[ ]   meet up with a friend
[ ]   use a different font
[ ]   simply do the things I want

(c) Tim O’Hare, June 2023

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About this poem: I’ve been something of a ‘productivity geek’ for quite a few years using various systems of lists to track what I need to do (or think I need to do). Much of this tracking behaviour is built on a very well-known system known as ‘Getting Things Done’ (GTD) from a book with the same name by the author David Allen. This uses lists for things To Do, things that you are Waiting For, things you might do Someday and/or Maybe etc. Recently, I’ve been trying to relax my use of such systems, especially as I have realised that tracking everything in this way also feeds some of my obsessive collecting and perfectionist behaviours and supports my ‘people pleasing’ tendency. Todo List tries to capture a way out of this pattern of thinking, turning the controlling power of a Todo List into a weapon to destroy the worst aspects of the behaviour such lists can engender.