Friends smile when I say that I have been making to-do lists since I was six years old. They think I am exaggerating. I’m not.
Those of us who have a tendency to push ourselves (you know who you are!) have our own approaches to checking off our impossibly long electronic or hand-written to-do lists. Some of us even use an app to chart our progress in getting things done. Years ago, an entire industry grew out of our collective search for ways to improve our productivity by organizing our daily talks, weekly goals, and monthly priorities.
My default technique became the one-more-thing approach, choosing to finish “just one more thing” before I stop working for the day. And then, just one more thing. And another! It is not an approach I recommend. While a lot more gets done, it’s exhausting!
I have now adopted a new practice that I call One Less Thing.
How does this new approach work? I glance at my to-do list a few minutes before my planned stop for the day. Then, instead of choosing one more thing, I stop. Early. It has been a liberating practice, though it is not yet a habit. There have been too many years of doing one more thing, so breaking that habit has not been easy. Day by day, my to-do list is becoming less dictatorial than it used to be.
Last week, a friend told me that she had given up on the concept of self-care. “It’s just too complicated and I always underperform.” My first reaction was to feel sad. But then, I smiled and said, “May I suggest something you might try?”
She’s now experimenting with the One Less Thing approach. “You should write about this,” she said. “It’s working for me.”
You probably have your own experiences with over-taxing to-do lists. I invite you to share your insights with us in the “Leave a Comment” section below.
With love, many thanks, and a faraway hug,
Sharon 💞
Photo Credit: © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
How I love this, Sharon! I smiled as I read it — thank you a million times — I will try this, for sure — immediately! You know this morning as I wrote a to-do list I remember thinking I need to start putting less on it, you just solved my problem — I can just choose to do one less thing (and choice is what feels like the game-changer here). I also love how you see it as a form of self care, just brilliant as I can feel good about myself too as I choose me rather than another task! <3
Such an articulately written piece, Sharon! I totally relate! My to-do list at the start of the week has always been long, and at day’s end, I transfer unfinished tasks to the next day. When I lost my dad in December 2025 and returned to work in January, I was deep in grief and didn’t know how to survive, so I booked a meeting with my mentor. I remember sharing “As I try catching up with work, my to do list is too long, and do not have the energy to lift a finger, I can barely breath” and what she shared was the best advice in that season: “See Cheboi, I learnt one thing from my mentor that I have been practicing and is working great for me, you should try it” She said, “My mentor has a policy of having one mover in a day {What is that one thing i need to finish before I call it a day?}
I was willing to try it, and it worked magic. I was able to complete the priority task and move on to other tasks without pressure from having too many unchecked boxes in my to-do list. In retrospect, I believe it works almost in the same manner as the “One Less Thing” approach does.
Thank you for sharing these insights with us!
Sending you a virtual hug as well. Looking forward to the next!
I so need to read this! Thank you so much, Sharon. It’s been a very hard few months, working in a small charity that needed so much to be done and last week I had enough. My brain said ‘no’. The desire to push on was huge, but I have made a promise to prioritise my health so I decided to have 3 days off. Totally off. I could do anything, but check work emails. It was hard, especially when you know the to-do list is very long. Doing ‘one less thing’ would be so liberating! Thank you for being you and for saying the right thing at the right time.
I’m don’t make lists. But. I often keep doing one more thing. I love this idea. One less thing it is !!!
Thank you as always, Sharon! I write this as I glance next to me at my to-do lists, which are currently organized and prioritized in four columns – “personal now, work now, personal later, work later.” Even if I reach a good stopping place with work for the day, there´s the personal to-do list waiting for me – of course there are too many things on the “now” lists to ever really feel “done.”
I think what you are gently suggesting is less about ruthless prioritizing and measuring our self-worth in how much we complete, and more about giving grace and self-kindness. A wonderful reminder!