Forget to-do lists. You really need a “You’re done” list

Created by technology various productivity tools, from task tables to to-do lists, from relational databases to schemas. However, instead of giving users a sense of accomplishment, they can often create a feeling of being overwhelmed, reminding them of what we need to do. They all seem to lack one key feature that would help us feel even more happy and motivated: the “finish” list.

Even before the pandemic, as a work family researcher and life coach, I saw that talented professionals feel left behind despite hard work. At first, I thought they needed to set better priorities. It was soon seen that they had a lot of interference in the office and at home. In fact, the more trustworthy and responsible they were, the more they were asked to help someone, especially in “emergencies”. These urgent interruptions wreaked havoc on my clients’ plans, “I didn’t do anything!” and you feel exhausted.

I knew they were not alone. Research colleagues Families and Labor Institute, Ellen Galinsky and Ipshita Pal, and I analyzed data from the 2016 National Labor Change Analysis Study of the Human Resource Management Society. This Representative study of all U.S. employees stated that 57 per cent were interrupted frequently or very frequently during a normal week and that it is very difficult to get the job done.

It was also not surprising that the digital tools that relied on them were far from happy. The to-do lists were unchanged, reminiscent of what they were no do. Many applications had their work archived or disappeared, hiding their achievements. Most importantly, online calendars, lists, and tables never documented scheduled extinguished fires, making last-minute corrections to the customer’s presentation, or taking the car to the mechanic. Their heroes were never recognized.

Learning from their experiences, I developed a simple technique to complete digital tools that were not served. A “list obtained” is a record of achievements. Keeping up with the traditional “to-do list,” I asked my clients to record additional things, big or small. This alone is not a new idea – people they wrote about Lists “made” in years—but it gave great results for my clients.

Why the “To Do List” can help

Even a small break has the power to affect one’s mood. In his book Chats: The voice in our head, why it matters and how to take advantage of it, Ethan Kross, Professor and Director Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory He wrote at the University of Michigan “Your mood is not defined by what you think you do.”

In a recent phone interview, he stated, “Increasing what you didn’t get can lead to chatter” or an increase in negative thoughts and emotions. Conversely, a list obtained can help you “broaden your perspective”.

“If you can go back and see what you’ve done, you have to think that you wouldn’t be stuck paying attention to the bad feelings of not fulfilling that. It makes sense that you would feel better,” he said.

Also, the completed list continued to help my clients and me during the Covid-19 pandemic because it gave us “compensatory control”. Kross explained, “Creating a list can help you regain a sense of control in a situation where there is no order, as this is something you can manage as a way to organize and make sense.”