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How to do TODOs

🌱 Seedling

Recently I've been working on refining my reminder/TODO system. I've tried a lot of things over the years, and almost all of them have failed. Sometimes it will work for a while, but I've yet to find a system which I can sustain.

Part of the challenge is that I have ADHD. So many of the systems which work great for neurotypical people just don't really fit my needs. This time, rather than just doing another round of "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks", I decided to take a step back and have a closer look at the problem.

To do this, I tried to capture the parts of previous iterations which seemed to work well for me. Once I had a list, I took a closer look to try and identify why those parts worked. I also tried to uncover which factors ultimately led the system to fail. Then I distilled it down into a set of design principles which seem to align with how I function. I'm hopeful that these principles will help guide me in the right direction.

So, with the context out of the way, here's what I found:

  1. Capture is not todos. Capture is a super low friction marker which may be fleshed out into one or more todos. The friction must be almost nothing, or I will just convinice myself that I'll remember it later to avoid capturing it. All captures (paper, phone, laptop, etc) eventually funnel into a single raw inbox for later processing. Capture can even be an entirely seperate system or set of systems from todos/reminders. But they MUST all funnel into one place. The purpose of capture is to reduce friction to almost nothing. Even a writing a single word I might remember the significance of later, has a better chance of being actioned than writing nothing at all.
  2. Todos/Reminders are push, not pull. I will never consistently remember to check a TODO list. Todos MUST grab my attention (alarms, notifications, etc) or they will not get done.
  3. A system which is too disruptive will be ignored. Todos must grab my attention, but if they do it too often, or with irrelevant information, the entire system will get blocked out. Batching and/or prioritising information can help with this, but anything which grabs my attention must be done for good reason and at a time when the information is useful. It's generally better to filter this a little too much than not enough.
  4. Habits are not todos. Todos are intentionally disruptive. Adding habits into the mix just adds a bunch of noise leading to the whole system being ignored. Treat building habits as a entirely separate system, and use mechanisms like habit stacking rather than disruptions (alarms, notifications, etc) to avoid fatigue.
  5. The system must decay gracefully when neglected. I WILL fail to upkeep the system. So it must be almost effortless to pick it back up at any time, or it will just be abandoned.
  6. The system must be as flexible as possible. Life is messy and I will eventually encounter something which doesn't fit neatly. In this case a flexible system can be adapted to stay out of my way, but a rigid one will be bypassed and eventually abandoned.
  7. The inbox must not become a graveyard. The absolute worst thing which can happen in any system like this is for the inbox to become a graveyard. Just delete/archive everything in the inbox if needed. The inbox is the single greatest point of failure, so most of the effort should be focused on keeping it healthy. An overwhelming inbox is a death sentence for any system. The more often the inbox is cleaned up (adding/updating todos or filing away ideas, jokes, etc), the easier everything else becomes. This is the one place where there is overlap between habits and todos. But while clearing the inbox may need to become a habit, habits are NOT todos.
  8. Don't try and force parts of the system which aren't working, even if they are really cool. The novelty will always wear off, at which point those parts are only making things more difficult. Form must always follow function. When I find something which is kinda working, USE IT. If I can identify why that part works, even better! A janky hodgepodge system which actually works is always better that some grand unified system which will solve all my problems (assuming a spherical cow in a vacuum).
  9. The system must not punish me. Failure to action tasks or maintain the system must not create more work. It also should not lead to negative feelings like guilt or shame. There will always be bad days, and the purpose of the system is to support me, not make things harder.
  10. Gradually refine the system. Chop and change parts as needed. Experiment with new ideas. But try to resist the urge to replace the whole thing every time something goes wrong or I find some new shiny idea or tool. Remember that it's really easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater.