Have you ever noticed the anxiety you can experience vis a vis your to-do list? If you haven’t noticed this, take a day to watch your thoughts as you review your to-do list throughout the day. You’re likely looking at the whole list and experiencing a sense of anxiety at the enormity of it all. And let’s face it, all those things on your list, they’re not all going to get done today, right? So… more anxiety.
There is a little trick you can use to cool down the flames of this type of anxiety. I think you’ll like it!
If you want to be set free from to-do list anxiety, here’s what to do. (wow. another to-do! I’m feeling the irony here!)
There are 2 Steps:
1. When You Are Doing, Be in the Doing
Do what you are doing. Be mindful and present with it and only it. Focus on it. (don’t worry about what else you have to do. Your list will tell you when you’re done.)
If you find it is a task you’d rather not do, let go of your desire to do something else. Accept that you are doing This task Now. Relax into that surrender. Do one thing, then the next. All the while stay focused and relaxed.
Allow yourself to enjoy this present moment as you do whatever you are doing, now free from anxiety.
When thoughts of what’s coming next arise, let them go and re-focus on what you are doing.
When you’re done, you can do the next thing on your list or you can do some “not-doing” like meditation.
2. When You are Not-Doing, Be in the Not-Doing
When you are not-doing, be totally with the not-doing.
Thoughts of doing, let them float away and get back to not-doing and not-thinking.
Simply do “be-ing.”
This will give you true rest and allow joy to be in all of your day.
Your To-Do List – Do This First
For this 2 step process to be most effective, I like to write out my to-do list in the morning and then number them in the order I plan to do them. This way I am more able to be mindful with each task I do. My list will tell me what to do next so I don’t have to think about anything else except my current activity.
No Such Thing as Perfection
Will you do this perfectly? Is it possible? No and no. But in this case “good enough” is great, and the more you do this, the better you’ll get at it!
Enjoy as the anxiety dissipates and the sense of peace grows!
Please Share
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Thanks for reading!
Doing and Not-Doing is a post from: Life Learning Today