Consider it done! is a research paper written by E. J. Masicampo and Roy F. Baumeister. The authors state that once we commit to a particular plan of action to complete a task, we think less about that task. We have, on average, about 15 ongoing goals and projects at any given time, each goal with its own set of milestones. We also know unfinished goals can be a burden, so we offload them onto a to-do list. We feel relieved from the need to hold on to it mentally.

The science behind to-do lists

To-do lists are effective to keep us aware of our goals. Simply maintaining awareness of our goals helps us to feel disciplined. But there is a downside too. To-do lists are not enough to help us commit to the work. A to-do list can be a way of postponing work. It is too easy to constantly order the easiest work while the more complex or undesirable tasks stay on the list. This happens because we don't specify when and how to do it.

The benefits and disadvantages of to-do lists

When we plan to complete a task, <ul><li>we ease the stress we may feel to remind ourselves that we need to constantly do this thing.</li><li>we have to figure out what actions we need to take to finish the task and how and when to do them.</li></ul>When we imagine the plan, it seems easier and likelier to happen. Even if we have not started on it, we feel we know how to attain success.

Why we feel that to-do lists help 

Making a to-do list takes effort, so use one for new and difficult tasks, not for daily tasks like clearing your inbox or getting dressed. It is useful to move more of your tasks into the "automatic" space so that you need to spend less effort thinking about them. The key is to establish routines. If something is showing up regularly on your to-do list, it may be because you find it effortful.

How to manage to-do lists

Make the things you do more fun, such as listening to a podcast while you jog.Remind yourself why you are doing this important work. For example, instead of putting off your research project, think of the people you will help.

Inspire yourself

<img src="https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2022/01/A_Jan22_03_1355552157-01.jpg" width="630" height="354"><div class="caption" dir="ltr">
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		Summary.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
		I love to-do lists, but do they work?&nbsp;Are they actually helpful or is it just the dopamine high that keeps me coming back? I set out to answer these questions with the help of E. J. Masicampo who recently published a paper alongside Roy F. Baumeister on getting...<button dir="ltr">more</button>
	</div><img src="https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2020/10/Ascend_Logo_2020_2x.png" alt="Ascend logo" width="105" height="25">Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend <a href="https://hbr.org/insight-center/ascend" dir="ltr">here</a>.A few weeks ago, I posted an article about timeboxing on my <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6850665876006436864/" dir="ltr">LinkedIn page</a>.In response, a few people wrote to me explaining how they also struggle with productivity and never-ending to-do lists. I learned I’m not the only one who religiously adds unplanned tasks onto my list just to feel the satisfaction of crossing them off (when I do get to them).<img src="https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2.jpg" srcset="https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2.jpg 828w, https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2-300x240.jpg 300w, https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2-768x614.jpg 768w, https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2-383x306.jpg 383w, https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2-500x400.jpg 500w, https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2021/12/0122_11_To-Do-lists_Linkedinimage2-700x560.jpg 700w" alt="" width="366" height="293">A friend and I even exchanged our to-do list best practices — all of which we’d been practicing with little respite: Prioritizing, making more than one list, limiting ourselves to three to five tasks daily, etc.While number of responses I received were validating, the entire thread made me question the science that has kept <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3021379/the-amazing-history-of-the-to-do-list-and-how-to-make-one-that-actually-works" dir="ltr">this age-old tactic alive</a>: Why do we continue to not only use — but to LOVE — our never-ending lists, even though we’re made miserable by <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/10/why-your-brain-dwells-on-unfinished-tasks" dir="ltr">unfinished tasks</a>? Are to-do lists actually helpful or is it just the dopamine high of checking things off our lists that keeps us coming back?I naturally scoured the internet for answers and came across a promising <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21688924/" dir="ltr">paper</a> written by researchers E. J. Masicampo and Roy F. Baumeister. The headline caught my attention: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21688924/" dir="ltr">Consider It Done!</a> In short, the authors posit that once we commit to a specific plan of action to complete a task, we tend to think less about that task. The drive to attain our goal is suspended for the time being (or until we actually have to execute our plan). Essentially, when we create a roadmap to help us reach a goal, we are more likely to attain it and more likely to focus better on other areas of our work or lives in the interim.That all sounded well and good, but of course, I still wanted to know: How I could use these findings to get more done?I reached out to E.J. to find out more. Here is what I learned.<h3>Tell me more about the psychology behind to-do lists. Many people (like me) love (and rely on) to-do lists? My theory is that it’s the dopamine high of crossing items off — am I right?</h3><div dir="ltr"> 
We know from <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-0634-4_2" dir="ltr">prior work</a> that people report on average having about 15 ongoing goals and projects at any given time. That’s a lot to keep track of, with every goal having its own set of milestones to accomplish. We also know that even <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/10/why-your-brain-dwells-on-unfinished-tasks" dir="ltr">one unfinished goal can be a burden</a>, demanding our thoughts and attention. 
</div>So the to-do list becomes quite appealing in that it helps us to offload some of that burden. When we write information down (on a to-do list or post-it), or pass information along to another person (assign someone a task or ask someone to send us a reminder), or transfer our list to some external space (ask our virtual assistant to add a reminder), we feel relieved from the need to hold onto it mentally.With the mountain of tasks we have to do each day, we can’t solely rely on our ability to remember them. To-do lists serve as a reminder for what you need to accomplish. When we check things off, it’s proof that we were able to get stuff done and that makes us feel good. I don’t know anyone who has tested the dopamine high directly, but I think it is reasonable to suspect that there is some physiological or emotional benefit to organizing our tasks and goals externally, whether it be through increased dopamine or reduced stress.<h3>Do to-do lists work? What are the positives and negatives? Is it possible to take advantage of the former while minimizing the latter?</h3><div dir="ltr"> 
There are many reasons to suspect to-do lists are effective, even if just as a way to keep us aware of our goals. There is plenty of work that suggests simply <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-06732-000" dir="ltr">maintaining awareness of our goals</a> helps us be disciplined and successful. 
</div>If there is a downside to to-do lists, I think it is that they do not go far enough toward committing us to doing the work. To enter a task onto one’s to-do list is sometimes a way of saying, “I’ll do this later.” In some of my unpublished work, I’ve seen that postponing tasks like this is not great for attaining our goals. It is all too easy to treat the to-do list like a menu where you’re constantly ordering the easiest-to-swallow tasks, while the more undesirable tasks fester and grow in number. This happens because to-do lists describe what we have to do without specifying when and how we need to do it.Can we minimize the negatives? Probably. If every time we added an item to our to-do lists we also came up with a plan to specify what actions we need to take and when those actions need to be taken, that would be help minimize the odds of our to-do lists becoming graveyards of unfinished items.<h3>Thanks to the Zeigarnik effect, undone tasks are always looming in my head, making me anxious. Are saying that, based on your research, making a plan to get these tasks done can free me from my anxiety?</h3><div dir="ltr"> 
When we make a plan to complete a task, we help ourselves in two ways. First, we ease the stress we may feel in having to constantly remind ourselves that there is an important thing we still need to do. Externalizing the task in some way helps reduce that work. We no longer have to remember it. 
</div>Second, the benefit of committing to a specific plan eases the uncertainty we may feel about whether we’ll be able to achieve the task, and the related anxiety and cognitive tension we may experience at the thought of not completing it. Making a plan forces us to solve the problem — we have to figure out what actions we need to take to complete the task and how and when to enact them. Clearly and vividly imagine the plan also makes it seems easier and likelier to happen. We have a roadmap to success (aka, task completion). So, despite not having acted on it yet, we feel more at ease knowing that success is attainable and forthcoming.This of course assumes we’ve formulated a plan that is feasible!<h3>I feel like my struggle to stay organized is helped, but not entirely solved, by to-do lists. Are there ways to manage this?</h3><div dir="ltr"> 
Making a to-do list is an effortful process, and so it makes the most sense to use one for new and difficult tasks. It doesn’t make sense, however, to include automatic, everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, clearing your inbox, or getting dressed for work on your to-do list. A useful goal is try to get more of your tasks into that “automatic” space. If you can do that, you will expend a lot less effort thinking about them. 
</div>For example, I go for a jog every day without thinking twice about it. On my best days, I write compulsively for an hour without ever having to carve out the time. The secret is to establish routines so that the work you’re doing becomes habitual and feels effortless. If something is constantly showing up on your to do list, that may be a sign that it is effortful for you.In your case, instead of adding a reminder for every single article you need to edit, make it a routine. Block out, say, three hours every day for edits. Then think of which articles are a priority that week and get to them first.My second recommendation is to motivate and inspire yourself. There is that saying that goes: Do what you love, love what you do. In some cases, this can be achieved by making the things you want to do more fun (e.g., listening to an interesting podcast while you jog). In other cases, this can be achieved by reminding yourself why the things you’re doing are important or valuable to you (e.g., instead of dreading your research project, think about all the people you research will help). When what you’re doing is stuff you want to do, you’ll end up relying less on tricks and devices to get it done and go more out of your way to do it.<div>
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It involves a vicious cycle of tension, release, and reward.

Stashed ideas

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend <a href="https://hbr.org/insight-center/ascend">here </a>.

A few weeks ago, I posted an article about timeboxing on my <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6850665876006436864/">LinkedIn page </a>.

In response, a few people wrote to me explaining how they also struggle with productivity and never-ending to-do lists. I learned I’m not the only one who religiously adds unplanned tasks onto my list just to feel the satisfaction of crossing them off (when I do get to them).

A friend and I even exchanged our to-do list best practices — all of which we’d been practicing with little respite: Prioritizing, making more than one list, limiting ourselves to three to five tasks daily, etc.

While number of responses I received were validating, the entire thread made me question the science that has kept <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3021379/the-amazing-history-of-the-to-do-list-and-how-to-make-one-that-actually-works">this age-old tactic alive </a>: Why do we continue to not only use — but to LOVE — our never-ending lists, even though we’re made miserable by <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/10/why-your-brain-dwells-on-unfinished-tasks">unfinished tasks </a>? Are to-do lists actually helpful or is it just the dopamine high of checking things off our lists that keeps us coming back?

I naturally scoured the internet for answers and came across a promising <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21688924/">paper </a>written by researchers E. J. Masicampo and Roy F. Baumeister. The headline caught my attention: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21688924/">Consider It Done! </a>In short, the authors posit that once we commit to a specific plan of action to complete a task, we tend to think less about that task. The drive to attain our goal is suspended for the time being (or until we actually have to execute our plan). Essentially, when we create a roadmap to help us reach a goal, we are more likely to attain it and more likely to focus better on other areas of our work or lives in the interim.

That all sounded well and good, but of course, I still wanted to know: How I could use these findings to get more done?

I reached out to E.J. to find out more. Here is what I learned.

Tell me more about the psychology behind to-do lists. Many people (like me) love (and rely on) to-do lists? My theory is that it’s the dopamine high of crossing items off — am I right?

We know from <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-0634-4_2">prior work </a>that people report on average having about 15 ongoing goals and projects at any given time. That’s a lot to keep track of, with every goal having its own set of milestones to accomplish. We also know that even <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/10/why-your-brain-dwells-on-unfinished-tasks">one unfinished goal can be a burden </a>, demanding our thoughts and attention.

So the to-do list becomes quite appealing in that it helps us to offload some of that burden. When we write information down (on a to-do list or post-it), or pass information along to another person (assign someone a task or ask someone to send us a reminder), or transfer our list to some external space (ask our virtual assistant to add a reminder), we feel relieved from the need to hold onto it mentally.

With the mountain of tasks we have to do each day, we can’t solely rely on our ability to remember them. To-do lists serve as a reminder for what you need to accomplish. When we check things off, it’s proof that we were able to get stuff done and that makes us feel good. I don’t know anyone who has tested the dopamine high directly, but I think it is reasonable to suspect that there is some physiological or emotional benefit to organizing our tasks and goals externally, whether it be through increased dopamine or reduced stress.

Do to-do lists work? What are the positives and negatives? Is it possible to take advantage of the former while minimizing the latter?

There are many reasons to suspect to-do lists are effective, even if just as a way to keep us aware of our goals. There is plenty of work that suggests simply <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-06732-000">maintaining awareness of our goals </a>helps us be disciplined and successful.

If there is a downside to to-do lists, I think it is that they do not go far enough toward committing us to doing the work. To enter a task onto one’s to-do list is sometimes a way of saying, “I’ll do this later.” In some of my unpublished work, I’ve seen that postponing tasks like this is not great for attaining our goals. It is all too easy to treat the to-do list like a menu where you’re constantly ordering the easiest-to-swallow tasks, while the more undesirable tasks fester and grow in number. This happens because to-do lists describe what we have to do without specifying when and how we need to do it.

Can we minimize the negatives? Probably. If every time we added an item to our to-do lists we also came up with a plan to specify what actions we need to take and when those actions need to be taken, that would be help minimize the odds of our to-do lists becoming graveyards of unfinished items.

Thanks to the Zeigarnik effect, undone tasks are always looming in my head, making me anxious. Are saying that, based on your research, making a plan to get these tasks done can free me from my anxiety?

When we make a plan to complete a task, we help ourselves in two ways. First, we ease the stress we may feel in having to constantly remind ourselves that there is an important thing we still need to do. Externalizing the task in some way helps reduce that work. We no longer have to remember it.

Second, the benefit of committing to a specific plan eases the uncertainty we may feel about whether we’ll be able to achieve the task, and the related anxiety and cognitive tension we may experience at the thought of not completing it. Making a plan forces us to solve the problem — we have to figure out what actions we need to take to complete the task and how and when to enact them. Clearly and vividly imagine the plan also makes it seems easier and likelier to happen. We have a roadmap to success (aka, task completion). So, despite not having acted on it yet, we feel more at ease knowing that success is attainable and forthcoming.

This of course assumes we’ve formulated a plan that is feasible!

I feel like my struggle to stay organized is helped, but not entirely solved, by to-do lists. Are there ways to manage this?

Making a to-do list is an effortful process, and so it makes the most sense to use one for new and difficult tasks. It doesn’t make sense, however, to include automatic, everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, clearing your inbox, or getting dressed for work on your to-do list. A useful goal is try to get more of your tasks into that “automatic” space. If you can do that, you will expend a lot less effort thinking about them.

For example, I go for a jog every day without thinking twice about it. On my best days, I write compulsively for an hour without ever having to carve out the time. The secret is to establish routines so that the work you’re doing becomes habitual and feels effortless. If something is constantly showing up on your to do list, that may be a sign that it is effortful for you.

In your case, instead of adding a reminder for every single article you need to edit, make it a routine. Block out, say, three hours every day for edits. Then think of which articles are a priority that week and get to them first.

My second recommendation is to motivate and inspire yourself. There is that saying that goes: Do what you love, love what you do. In some cases, this can be achieved by making the things you want to do more fun (e.g., listening to an interesting podcast while you jog). In other cases, this can be achieved by reminding yourself why the things you’re doing are important or valuable to you (e.g., instead of dreading your research project, think about all the people you research will help). When what you’re doing is stuff you want to do, you’ll end up relying less on tricks and devices to get it done and go more out of your way to do it.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Why We Continue to Rely on (and Love) To-Do Lists

The science behind to-do lists

The benefits and disadvantages of to-do lists

Why we feel that to-do lists help

How to manage to-do lists

Inspire yourself

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Be a Schedule Builder, Not a To-Do List Maker - Nir and Far

Why Your Brain Dwells on Unfinished Tasks

Be a Schedule Builder, Not a To-Do List Maker

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Why We Continue to Rely on (and Love) To-Do Lists

The science behind to-do lists

The benefits and disadvantages of to-do lists

Why we feel that to-do lists help

How to manage to-do lists

Inspire yourself

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Be a Schedule Builder, Not a To-Do List Maker - Nir and Far

Why Your Brain Dwells on Unfinished Tasks

Be a Schedule Builder, Not a To-Do List Maker

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career