Written by Danielle Raine, Holistic Creativity Coach
Danielle Raine is a holistic creativity expert and mindset coach for creatives and entrepreneurs. She has been studying the creative process since an epiphany at Art School in 1993 that revealed how to access the flow state.
How do you feel about your To-Do list? If you’re like many busy people, you probably wish there were fewer items on there, and that the rate of new additions would slow down. But here’s a surprising strategy for a more positive approach to the typical chores checklist. By doubling your To-Do list in a certain way, you can increase your quality of life, your feelings of contentment, and even your receptivity to good fortune.
The surprising benefits of doubling your to-do list
Would you like to spend more of your days, your precious life units, doing more of the activities that you love and enjoy? This desire is a universal driving force, and a surprising way to shift your schedule in that direction is to explore the life-enhancing practice of having two To-Do lists.
This may appear counter-intuitive, especially if you like the idea of having fewer commitments and obligations. But this is a practice that will help you tip the balance of your life towards more joy and satisfaction. You’ll still be able to manage all the essential tasks that need to be done so that life runs smoothly, but you’ll also discover how the forces of life can assist you in spending more time in pleasurable pursuits.
There are three parts to this Best of Both Worlds approach, but once you get into the habit of this practice, you’ll begin to effortlessly enjoy its many benefits, especially when you see what’s possible.
Part 1: The have-to-do list
The traditional To-Do List is usually a list of items we have to do and this can be a helpful tool. Having a clear record of what needs to be done can help to prevent anxiety and overwhelm. There are also neurological and biological benefits to keeping a running list of what matters, and ticking off those items as they’re completed.
(If you’ve ever added an already-done item to your list purely for the dopamine boost you get from checking it off the list, you know what I’m talking about!)
To-Do lists can also help us to tap into the self-esteem-boosting benefits of Stoicism, discipline, the power of habits, and a positive mindset. So, the everyday To-Do list of obligations and required actions can be a valuable tool for order, motivation and clarity.
The negative connotations arise when our To-Do lists become overwhelming, or filled solely with joyless activities and boring chores. This is where – you guessed it! – you get to list all the things you want to do.
“Attention energises and intention transforms.” - Deepak Chopra
Part 2: The want-to-do list
Beyond your traditional list of all the things you have to do, there are real benefits to keeping a running list of all the things that occur to you that you'd love to include in your life or spend more time doing.
This is your Want-To-Do List.
Or you may like to call it (as I do): My Intentions & Desires List. This is where you guessed it! you get to list all the things you want to do.
These can be possible actions that you’d love to prioritise or squeeze into your day, or they may be outlandish daydreams that appeal to you for no logical reason. The point of this second To-Do List is not to check off all the items as quickly as possible, its magic is much more subtle.
The benefit of this Want-To-Do List is that it shifts your focus, it reconnects you to your desires, and it helps you tap back into the possibility of making your life about the things that you love.
Even if you don’t take action on all of the items, even if you don’t know how you’ll complete any of the items - the simple practice of tuning back into your dreams and delights can deliver a positive boost to your day.
When you spend even just a little time considering what you’d love to do, you kick-start a range of beneficial ripple effects that can make you feel happier and more fulfilled. But perhaps one of the most exciting outcomes of this practice is that it also sparks some curiously helpful processes that will help you to make more of those wishes a reality.
“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” - Franz Kafka
Part 3: Let life help you
The act of making a list is a highly creative process. You’ve probably seen how making a traditional To-Do list helps you crystallise your thoughts and envisage steps that will help you achieve your goals.
This creative process applies just as much to fun, enjoyable To-Dos and passion projects as it does to the obligatory commitments.
When you spend some quality time with your Want-To-Do List, in a spirit of curiosity, positive expectation, and an openness to synchronicity, you’ll be amazed at how life seems to support your plans.
Focus, imagination, desire, and intention are all highly creative and productive forces. Just by infusing your Want-To-Do list with these creative energies, you’ll start to see ways that you can achieve more of those desirable Action Items.
But if you really want to harness the potential magic of this practice, I invite you to open to the Power of Surrender.
Once you’ve added some inspiring new items to your Want-To-Do list, take a moment to enjoy the thoughts and feelings of your desires and intentions, and then, let them go. Hand them over to your marvellous mind and the universal forces which are designed to come up with ways to make your visioneering a reality.
This may be the hardest part of the process, but if you can master it, you’ll see how life loves to help you check off those Want-To-Do items!
If you enjoy ‘working your list,’ go ahead, but it isn’t always necessary. Once you’ve clarified your desires or set your intentions, you can surrender it to the creative forces at play and then get on with your everyday activities. And watch how your delights and ideals start to appear in your reality, all by themselves.
You may find that, for some items, you want to be more proactive or you may get an inspired idea or a burst of energy to pursue it. If so, go for it! But again, traditional linear action steps are not always required - which is why this second To-Do list needn’t add to your workload.
With the right approach, a positive mindset and a creative belief system, you can often simply set intentions and then delight as they come to life, automagically. You may ‘just happen’ to be in the right place at the right time, or curious synchronicities line up in your favour, all helping you with those Want-To-Do items.
This kind of serendipitous support is available to us all, once we are open to it. And the advantage of this practice is that it’s often easier to surrender our vague wishes and desires than to trust life to deliver our essential needs. So, this is a great way to build a stronger creative faith in life, when the stakes aren’t particularly high and this mindset will serve you in other areas when more trust is required.
Plus, once you see how this magical To-Do list can work for you, you'll be inspired to add more fun and desirable items - and expect them to manifest, which will spark even more positive ripple effects of this new practice.
“Nature is friendly to your plans. Everything is naturally for you. Make up your mind that this is true.” - Wallace Wattles
The benefits of a want-to-do list
I hope I’ve inspired you to give some thought to playing with this fun practice. If you’d like some additional incentives for introducing this powerful second To-Do List into your life, here are some of the benefits you can look forward to;
Positive focus: You’ll start to shift your habitual focus to the activities and joys that you want to experience. Focus is an incredibly powerful force, so this will create a positive shift in the emotions you feel and the thoughts you think, a shift that can be hugely beneficial for health and happiness, as well as success and achievement.
Reduced anxiety: Spending more time thinking about pleasurable intentions and desires naturally tips the balance of mental chatter away from habitual thought loops that don't serve you. Any time spent focusing on potential joys means less time for anxiety, worry, fear, or dwelling on disappointments.
The art of surrender: If you embrace the philosophy of this practice, you’ll discover the life-enhancing powers of intention and surrender. You may become so trusting of these potent creative forces that you begin using them for all aspects of your life, maybe even the items on your Have To-Do list.
“Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out.” - Alanis Morissette
As humans, we’re all born with creative superpowers that can help us design and manifest the lives and visions that call us. Yet, modern life and daily obligations can sometimes make us forget that joy can be a potent creative force. I hope this simple practice will enable you to tap into the positive forces available to us all, so that you can spend more of your life checking off the inspiring activities that you love.
Enjoy your new To-Do list!
Danielle Raine
If you’d like some support with trusting that life will support your joy-based plans, this free ebook will help you: 5 Tips For Keeping The Faith
Danielle Raine, Holistic Creativity Coach
Danielle Raine is a holistic creativity expert and mindset coach for creatives and entrepreneurs.
She has been studying the creative process since an epiphany at Art School in 1993 that revealed how to access the flow state.
For three decades, she's been working and experimenting in the creative fields of design, blogging, publishing, marketing, tech, and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the nature of inspiration and flow productivity.
Her speciality is a wellness-based, feel-good approach to creative fulfilment and success, along with an enduring theme of enjoying the journey as much as possible.
Through her coaching, courses, books, and blogs, her mission is to share the simple, practical tools that create rapid shifts and inspiring results, so that her clients, students, and readers can do more of the work they love to do, and bring their most exciting creative visions to life.
