The Difference Between a To-Do List and a Today List
For many people, their to-do list is a source of stress. Often, that’s because it’s seen as something to finish (I mean, completely finish: so it's empty).
I take a different approach. My to-do list doesn’t stress me out because I have no intention of getting to the bottom of it.
All my tasks live in Todoist, but this approach works with any tool, including pen and paper. Because I capture every task across all areas of my life, I never have to hold things in my head or worry that I’ve missed something. Todoist is my one point of truth. The list is long and will never be "done", but that doesn’t bother me because it's just storage: a safe place for all my tasks.
Within that system, I have a smaller "today list". In Todoist, this is generated automatically based on the "do" and "due" dates I assign to tasks. My today list is where I focus. Clearing that list is my goal for the day, and I use a short shutdown routine to review it before I finish work. Occasionally, I overload it, but I’ve learned to keep it lean. If something doesn’t get done and it isn’t urgent, I move it to the next day.
This approach helps me separate everything I could do from what I choose to do today. That’s the real difference between a to-do list and a today list.
