Rename your “To-Do” list to your “Opportunities” list

To give yourself a daily lift in self-esteem, get into the habit of using to-do lists.

I have an ongoing list of things I need to get done and the days by which they are due.

When I get up in the morning, I can immediately see my tasks for the day.

As each item is completed, I check a box next to the article.

As the day progresses, more and more items get checked off.

At the end of the day, I can look at my list – at all the items with check marks against them – and I feel good.

I feel good because I can see what I have done with my day. I can see I have had a productive day. I can see that I have made progress and am moving forward.

The funny thing – I used to simply delete items from the list as I progressed through each day. But…that didn’t make me feel as good, because at the end of the day I could no longer see the complete list of what I had done.

So now I use a system where I can just check that box. I still delete the items at the end of the day, but I like to look at the day’s list, all with their check marks before I do that.

This is one of those weird mind games one has to play with oneself. It shouldn’t make any difference to us whether or not we can “see” what we have achieved each day, but somehow it does.

What program or service do I use for my to-do list? I have tried numerous services, a few of which I paid for. But now I just use the tasks function within Google Calendar. I have the calendar open to see my various appointments for the week, and on the same screen can see my task items for the day.

If you are not doing this already, try it. It will make you feel good.