Why To-Do Lists Are A Trap
Why To-Do Lists Are A Trap
Show me your To-Do list, and I will show you a list of lies.
“Write Q3 Strategy.” “Fix landing page.” “Call investors.”
You write these down to feel productive. The dopamine hit comes from writing the task, not doing it.
The Delta of Delusion
At the end of the day, you look at your list. You ticked off 2 items. You feel bad. So you move the other 5 items to tomorrow.
This is the Delta of Delusion. You believe you are capable of more output than you actually are.
Fact Over Fiction
A To-Do list is a hypothesis. An Audit is an experiment.
When you use the AUDIT protocol, you don’t list what you hope to do. You log what you actually did.
- “10:00 - 10:15: Stared at Figma.” (Void)
- “10:15 - 10:30: Scrolled Twitter.” (Void)
- “10:30 - 10:45: Actually designed the button.” (Work)
The Feedback Loop
The Audit hurts. It forces you to look at the scoreboard. But once you accept the data, you can improve.
You stop writing 20-item lists. You start blocking out 3 hours of Deep Work. You stop lying to yourself.
Throw away the list. Start the timer.