Rant: The moment in a Boston coffee shop that made me stop writing to-do lists

Six months ago, I was trying to plan my whole year on a napkin at a place called The Daily Grind. I had goals, deadlines, and a million little tasks. Then I saw an older guy at the next table just sitting there, looking out the window for a full hour. He wasn't doing anything. It hit me that my lists were just a way to avoid feeling like I wasn't doing enough. Now I write one big hope for the week instead of fifty small tasks. Has anyone else just dropped a system that was actually making them more anxious?

4 comments

4 Comments

charles_mitchell1mo ago

My calendar felt like a cage until I saw that guy.

karen_sanchez491mo agoMost Upvoted

My calendar's been a prison of back-to-back meetings this week... then I saw that guy and realized at least I'm not the only one trapped.

the_simon1mo ago

The 3pm slot on my Tuesday has been blocked for "strategic alignment" for six months straight. Seeing that guy's calendar made my own look like a wide open field. It's the shared misery that makes it almost funny. We're all just trying to find a square to breathe in.

miller.rowan5d ago

Man, that's so real. I used to have a whole color-coded system that just made me panic. Now I put ONE non-negotiable thing in my calendar each day, like "walk" or "read for 20 minutes." If that's the only thing I do, the day was still a win. It sounds small, but it totally changed how I see my time.