There is a very specific kind of optimism that happens when I make a to-do list.
Apparently, the version of me holding the pen believes I have unlimited time, unlimited energy, and absolutely no chance that anyone will need anything from me for the next seven days.
She is adorable.
She is also wildly unrealistic. 😂
Somehow the list ends up including everything from pay the electric bill to organize the pantry as if those two things deserve the exact same level of urgency.
Then I look at this giant list of everything I could possibly accomplish and immediately feel behind.
Before the week has even started.
Maybe the answer isn't getting better at doing everything.
Maybe it's getting better at deciding what actually needs to be done.
Your To-Do List Is Probably Lying to You
Okay, maybe lying is a little dramatic.
But most to-do lists aren't really lists of things we need to do.
They're a mix of:
Things we need to do.
Things we'd like to do.
Things we should probably do eventually.
Things we suddenly remembered while brushing our teeth.
Things that have been bothering us for three months.
And they're all sitting there together like they're equally important.
They're not.
“Schedule the dentist appointment” and “reorganize the spice cabinet” do not belong in the same emergency category.
So instead of one giant list, try sorting your week into three buckets.
THE GOOD ENOUGH LIST
1. NEEDS TO HAPPEN
Things with actual consequences if they don't happen.
2. WOULD MAKE LIFE EASIER
Things that remove a little friction from the week.
3. CAN ABSOLUTELY WAIT
Things that matter...just not right now.
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1. Needs to Happen
These are the things with actual consequences if they don't happen.
Appointments. Deadlines. Bills that are due. Medication that needs picked up. Groceries when the refrigerator contains mustard, half an onion, and optimism. 😂
This list should be short.
If you put 27 things under Needs to Happen, we've simply created another giant to-do list and given it a more aggressive heading.
Ask yourself:
“If this doesn't happen this week, does it actually create a problem?”
If yes, it probably belongs here.
If the answer is, “Well, no, but I'd really like to…”
Keep going.
2. Would Make Life Easier
This might be my favorite category.
These aren't emergencies. They're little things you can do now that remove friction later.
Maybe it's putting in the grocery order.
Doing the laundry you'll actually need this week.
Filling the car with gas.
Clearing the kitchen counter.
Prepping one thing for dinner.
Packing tomorrow's bag tonight.
None of these things is particularly exciting.
But neither is realizing you're out of gas at 7:42 in the morning. 😂
Ask:
“What could I do now that future-me would appreciate?”
Pick a few.
Not seventeen.
We're trying to make life easier, remember?
This is exactly what I mean by a [simple Sunday reset], doing a few small things now that make the week ahead easier.
3. Can Absolutely Wait
Welcome to the list nobody taught us we were allowed to have.
Putting something here doesn't mean:
I'm never doing this.
It means:
This does not need my attention this week.
Maybe it's organizing the pantry.
Sorting the junk drawer.
Cleaning out the closet.
Researching a new storage system.
Figuring out what to do with the basket of mystery cords that apparently contains chargers for electronics you haven't owned since 2014.
Those things may need done eventually.
But eventually and this week are not the same thing.
Sometimes deciding not now is just as useful as deciding now.
Decide What “Good Enough” Looks Like
Here's the part that matters most:
Before the week starts, decide what would make the week count as handled.
Not perfect.
Not wildly productive.
Handled.
Maybe that's:
Pay two bills.
Get groceries.
Make the appointment.
Wash the clothes everyone actually needs.
Figure out dinner for the two crazy nights.
That's enough.
Anything else you accomplish is a bonus.
Because if you don't decide what enough looks like ahead of time, enough keeps moving.
You finish five things and immediately notice five more.
There will always be another thing you could do.
At some point, you have to be allowed to say:
That's enough for today.
Feeling exhausted by all the little things you have to keep track of?
You might not need more time—you might need fewer decisions.
→ READ: You Don't Need More Time. You Need Fewer Decisions
Try It This Week
Grab a piece of paper and make three headings:
NEEDS TO HAPPEN
WOULD MAKE LIFE EASIER
CAN ABSOLUTELY WAIT
Dump everything that's floating around in your head onto the page.
Then sort it.
And here's the important part:
Don't immediately start doing everything on the first two lists. 😂
Your first job is simply to see what actually deserves your attention.
Then choose the handful of things that would make you say:
“If I get these done, we're good.”
That's your Good Enough List.
You Don't Need to Earn the Right to Stop
Sometimes we treat rest like something we get after everything is finished.
There's just one problem:
Everything is never finished.
There will always be another load of laundry. Another email. Another errand. Another room that could use attention.
So maybe the goal isn't reaching the bottom of the list.
Maybe it's getting better at deciding where the bottom is.
That's what the Good Enough List gives you:
A stopping point.
A little breathing room.
Permission to live your life while there are still unchecked boxes somewhere.
Because there will always be unchecked boxes.
They don't all deserve your week.
Here’s to making life a little easier,
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~ Ellen
Flowstate Living |
P.S.
Want to Make Next Week Feel a Little Easier?
You don't need an hours-long Sunday routine.
My FREE 15-Minute Sunday Reset Checklist walks you through a few simple things you can do now to make the week ahead feel easier.
A few important things. Fifteen minutes. An easier Monday.
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