To-Do List GOT YOU DOWN?

Understanding the psychology of goals can help tick things off—and keep you on track

- BY Kim M. Caudwell FROM THE CONVERSATION

It feels like we are living in busy times.

According to 2024 data from the International Labour Organization, the average Indian worker clocks 46.7 hours each week, placing the nation among the top countries with the longest working hours.

Psychology has long been interested in our goals—our mental representations of desirable outcomes.

Much of this research is on how we form, pursue and attain goals, plus how goals make us feel.

Across studies, we see a consistent pattern of successful goal pursuit and well-being. So, having time to work towards our goals is important.

With this in mind, what is the best way to get things done—and how can we get better at achieving our goals, especially when we feel time poor?

MAKE A LIST

Most of us approach multiple goals with the age-old ‘to-do’ list. First, you write down everything you need to do. Then you ‘check’ or tick things off as you do them.

One reason to-do lists are useful is because we are more likely to remember things we haven't completed, rather than things we have. This is known as the Zeigarnik effect. While to-do lists are easy to write, they don’t always work. There are, however, various approaches for to-do lists that may improve their effectiveness.