There’s a difference between tasks you need to get done, and tasks you need to keep doing. Mixing them up on a single list is detrimental to both types of task and, therefore, to your own progress.
What’s the difference between the two? And why should they be kept apart?
To-Do List
The tasks that have a place on your to-do list are those that are done to achieve a particular goal. They may be part of a larger project, but once a task is done, it doesn’t need to be re-visited. You simply cross it off your list and enjoy the feeling of getting things done and being in control of your workload.
An example of a to-do list item is calling a plumber to fix a burst pipe. Once you make the phone call, you don’t need to keep calling the plumber on a daily basis (provided he comes by to fix your pipe!).
To-Keep-Doing List
But there are tasks that need to be done on a regular basis. You can’t simply get them done once, then check them off your list, because they will pop up again, and again, and again.
Even if THEY don’t make an appearance by themselves, YOU need to keep doing them on a regular basis. You need to keep a constant reminder, especially if it’s an action that’s associated with developing a habit.
Take exercising, for example. You can’t exercise once in your life, then forget about it. You need to have a routine of how often you exercise. This means that this task can’t be crossed off your list. It needs to remain on your list as a reminder of something you need to keep on doing (which you would otherwise forget).
Why Separate the Two
Lists are generally used as reminders. A to-do list is used to remind you of the tasks you want to get done. But you don’t read everything that’s on your to-do list. You scan through the list for what’s left to be done, and you can forget about the tasks that have been successfully completed.
This means that if a task is to be done on a regular basis (e.g. exercising, writing blog posts, etc), you cannot cross them off and forget about them.
Besides, if you know that a task will be repeated, you can’t cross it off your to-do list! Imagine how frustrating that can be! You go through your to-do list, only to mentally filter through the tasks you can do and cross off, and the tasks you must keep and never cross off. This defeats the purpose of having a to-do list!
A to-do list can, therefore, be used for the tasks you can forget about once done, and the to-keep-doing list acts as a constant reminder of the things you want to do on a regular basis.
You can even have several to-keep-doing lists based on how frequently you repeat the task (on a daily, weekly, monthly, whateverly basis).
This way you acknowledge the difference in the type of tasks you are dealing with, and to handle them accordingly. You’ll be surprised by the effect this will have on your productivity and clarity!