Focus and Finitude

Now and then I find an article on why I should use to-do list manager X instead of Y. Many popular sites publish reviews of the best to-do list managers, comparing features in detail and choosing this year’s winner.

Projects in specific industries like, for example, construction require detailed task lists, critical route management, and other technical knowledge about project management. It’s just not an option not to resolve an item on the list because it will severely affect the project. Time and money are at stake.

For the rest of us, a to-do list should be a place where we write down things so they don’t fall into oblivion. Then we need to go through the list and decide what we will actually do and what will simply get deleted from the list because, honestly, time each day is limited and we can’t do everything.

By all means, use the best tool for the task at hand. But if we are lagging behind in our work, chances are it’s because of our lack of focus and not because we need a better app.

Our to-do lists are infinite. Embrace finitude. Define what you are not going to be good at, and define what you are going to be great at.