Are you a list maker? Do you write down everything you need to get done because it’s the only way you can keep organized or make sure everything gets done? Do you begin each list item with circles, squares, hearts, maybe a mixture?
I… am… a… list maker. And it helps. But it can also be a curse.
Some of the benefits of creating lists include an ability to work through problems, an ability to prioritize, discern a separation of value from menial, establishing a concrete and actionable plan, and (perhaps most importantly) a perceived or real feeling of control.
For me, I can honestly say those benefits do indeed exist. They’re invaluable for getting things done and can even be a great means of giving yourself a shot of “happy spirit” any time you check off one of the boxes (or bullets, hearts, hearts, triangles, etc.). It’s a feeling of accomplishment and validation of your own self worth in many regards.
There is no dream that’s too big for God. Trust in Him when He has called you to achieve the “impossible”
Yet, despite all the benefits they provide, checklists have downfalls.
To-Do Checklists are Stressful
Before you go telling me it’s a bloody lie, think about it. A checklist can agitate the very thing it was meant to solve. It’s one thing to put everything down and get a plan of action. It’s another to do so and see there is so much on your list and start to believe you’ll never get through it all. To make matters worse, there’s always something else getting added. Sometimes we add things we’ve done simply to have the benefit of checking them off. The sad effect of this is the occasional realization that we’ve worked our tails off all day or week only to observe that we’ve checked off nothing we originally set out to do!
To-Do Checklists Make us Think we’re Done
Let’s suppose you’ve made a list and got all the way through it, whether things were added or not along the way. This is probably more applicable when there is a project or something that has a very clear start and finish. When you get through the list and have all the lines checked off, you celebrate, pat yourself on your back and move on to the next thing – probably another checklist. The problem in this line of thought lies in the fact that very little is ever finished, nor does it go on without a need for continual upkeep and care. However, without a checklist, the work you’ve set out to accomplish falls to neglect and misfortune.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” ~ 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
To-Do Checklists Create Narrow Filters
Perhaps the most disastrous side-effect of checklists is the way they narrow our perspective. We get so focused on roaring through the checklist. Sometimes we make a game of it to see how fast we can do it or develop strategies so we can check off multiple boxes with one task. We are quite skilled and proficient. But in so doing, we rarely consider anything that is NOT on the checklist.
In essence, the checklists create blind spots. And blind spots lead to assumption. Assumptions lead to false conclusions based upon our own wisdom. And placing our own wisdom in such high esteem is self-flattery and turns us into idols of ourselves. It’s foolishness in God’s eyes. Teach us, Lord, to seek truth with humbleness and repentance, so we may be willing to be taught by God. And not the foolhardy human wisdom.
Image Courtesy of John Schultz