A straightforward to-do list might make you more productive, but it can also make your job feel tedious and boring. It’s time to start reincorporating your big goals within your to-do lists.
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Art Markman, PhD, a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, Austin, suggests at Fast Company that filling your to-do list with nothing but daily action items is making it easier for you to fall out of love with your work. Essentially, the to-do list has become a daily reminder of the least enjoyable parts of your job, and that saps your motivation.
To battle that, Markman recommends you add tasks to your to-do lists that take you closer to doing the things that you find meaningful. Include some big-picture tasks on your list in addition to your daily urgent items. You want to be able to look at the previous days to-dos and actually see your progress toward your goals, not just the same little things you’ve got on your list today. If you can find a way to bring purpose back into your to-do lists, the recurring tasks won’t feel so tedious. You’ll be reminded that your job is more than a sequence of urgent action items and you’ll be a little happier in the long run.
How To Write To-Do Lists That Make You Happier At Work [Fast Company]
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