To-do lists and how to help your brain run more efficiently

I have often wondered whether the compiling of to-do lists merely fuel our anxiety or help to ease our worry in an era of information overload. If you are anything like me you might fret about the unfinished tasks on a list rather than rejoice about the accomplishment of the tasks that you do manage to finish. There is no doubt that it feels good to tick a task as completed but what about the ones that get left as unfinished at the end of the day? It is interesting what Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, has been saying about how we can help our brains run more efficiently by devising categories within lists so that we are more productive. Apparently, our brains can only hold between four to seven pieces of information at any one time. This is when lists, containing categories of tasks, can help to offload a lot of the difficult work of the brain into the environment. Index cards, with short lists, can be very useful when making presentations or preparing for exams.

Mindfulness and colouring books have emerged as the soothing tools of the modern age and lists could be seen as another. The benefits of list writing can be: greater energy levels and productivity, greater perseverance, more effective relationships, decreased feelings of anxiety and more self-confidence.

The current Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray was once a little bit wayward with the disclosure of his list in the form of motivational tips. A journalist at the Rotterdam Open in 2015 snapped a list of his motivational tips courtside which contained some of the following:

• be good to yourself
• try your best
• be proactive during points
• focus on each point and the process
• try to be the one dictating
• stay low on passes and use your legs.

Sir Richard Branson once said “I live by to-do lists” but the key, for him, was to actually do them. So, can lists help to make your brain run more efficiently for you and are you curious about the possibility of boosting your levels of productivity? Why not give it a try. What’s the worst that can happen?

Anxiety originates in the limbic system of the brain and is when we have an uncomfortable feeling of dread, often located in our chest. The action of marking a task as completed will give you a boost and will inspire you to remain positive throughout the course of your day. It can be a very useful habit to develop, can help to produce greater energy flows and also help to reduce your anxiety levels.

The risks associated with list writing are when procrastination sets in and you give yourself a hard time for not completing tasks on the list. This is when lists could potentially prove counter-productive when you allow the focus to shift onto what was not achieved, rather than what was achieved. Learning to cope with having unfinished tasks on your to-do list at the end of the day might be your biggest challenge. This is where your list could be combined to include things that you are grateful for. At the end of your day you could also draw upon the good deeds you did for others in reviewing what happened throughout the course of your daily activities.

A therapist can help to unlock your automatic negative belief system so that you may enjoy more positive experiences throughout the course of your day. A therapist can also be someone you can share your worries with when you feel demotivated and when you feel like giving up on your goals. It is always best to keep the focus on what is achievable when deciding how to compile a list.

Noel Bell is a UKCP accredited psychotherapist in London who has spent over 20 years exploring and studying personal growth, recovery from addictions and inner transformation. Contact him on 07852407140.