To Do Or Not To Do

Hello everyone!

The one thing that makes me feel “put together” is a simple to-do list. Ever since my school days, I’ve been a huge believer of keeping to-do lists for almost everything in my life.

Apart from the generic lists for things to do each day ranging from studies to getting my work done, I’ve even gone to the extent of writing lists of music to listen to, movies to watch, books and articles to read. Such is my obsession over them!

It’s indeed a good habit and it brings in more perspective to our daily lives. Why wouldn’t anyone want to feel the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day by ticking off their long list? It gives us a boost of confidence and manages to create wonders to our mood.

The last few months though, have made me think deeply about the importance of a to-do list, in reality. While it is essential to prioritize what needs to be done each day, wouldn’t it be too robotic to rely ONLY on a list to get through the day?

Just when I was contemplating about this, call it a coincidence, one of my absolute favourite Instagrammers, Pranita Kocharekar, published a very apt post. Here’s the link: ~~Hustle~~ Slow Down. Please do read the caption!

I could totally relate to what she has to say. Why is it that a list has to determine how we feel about ourselves? Easier said than done, because for me, it’s still quite a challenge to not let my time be decided sans a to-do list. Most days I give in to the temptation and find myself furiously typing away on my daily planner.

I am quite particular when it comes to the goals I set for each month, be it as a student, or as a content creator. I plan how many blog posts or Instagram posts I wish to publish each month. The last month, I couldn’t do much of writing and was quite dejected. When I was whining away at this, my brother told me to stop being so harsh on myself for not ticking off what I planned.

He reminded me that this blog is my passion and it should always remain that. It was like a wake-up call for me. The Soulful Nib is one of the dearest things in my life, something which I created from scratch. I cannot let it become a victim of another one of my numerous “to-do lists.”

I have repeated this in multiple posts previously. To be honest, it’s secretly a message to my own self every time I write this: stop hustling hard and let it be.

I’m reminded of the dialogue said by Prof. Viru Sahastrabuddhe in the movie, “3 Idiots”, “Life is a race..” No, it isn’t. We have drawn the invisible lines of a racing track in our minds and are running with no finish line in sight.

Lists are beautiful. By all means, we should incorporate them to bring more structure into our daily routines. But what’s more beautiful is cutting yourself some slack and counting moments instead of time. Let us not bind ourself to it more than necessary. Remember, we control our tasks, not the other way around. It’ll take a while to re-wire our brains to being more human and less robotic.

Let loose and don’t let a list determine your credibility. Again, a note to self.