An Anti-To-Do List Afternoon

 One of my favorite recurring posts that I create for Instagram is "this or that." Eat in or take out. Hot weather or cold. Homebody or world traveler.

You get the drift. 

One afternoon last week, I decided to let "this or that" govern the way my afternoon unfolded. I'd been feeling a bit scattered, which not only made it hard for me to decide where my focus should go, but also made it challenging to focus on even the things I wanted to devote my time and energy to. 

On this particular afternoon, I had a block of time at my disposal, but the pile of things I wanted to get to was larger than the time slot available (as usual). Typically, I'd create a to-do list, but instead,  I decided I'd take it one decision at a time. When I finished one task, I'd consider my remaining options and pose the "this or that?" question. If necessary, I would keep asking that question until I landed on the thing I really wanted to do next. In addition, I pressed the timer on my phone into service so that no one task would eat up more than its fair share of time.

How did it go, you ask?

It was a good plan, but not a perfect one. By the end of the afternoon, I'd done some school work (both grading and planning), made an appointment I'd been wanting to make, and written the first draft of this blog post, something that, overpowered by the pile of tasks clamoring for my attention, hadn't even been on my radar. More school work remained when the timer went off, but none of it needed to be done immediately, so I moved on to the next task.

If definitely felt like a win.

The timer, on the other hand, was a mixed blessing. While helpful, it made things a little more stressful than I'd expected, putting a damper on the vibe I was hoping for (a relaxing yet productive afternoon). It was great at keeping me moving, but it also sucked some of the fun out of tasks I would typically have enjoyed doing, so I ditched it after the first few tasks. 

Moving through items based on what felt like the right fit for the day was a good call. Even without a specific list, I felt more accomplished and decisive than I had when I'd started. Even thought the pile in front of me didn't get appreciably smaller, it turns out that checking things off a list -- even an invisible, unstated one -- can be surprisingly satisfying.

So often, we live our lives according to someone else's timetable. My this-or that afternoon reminded me of the importance of following my own rhythms and listening to myself when I declared my own priorities. Sure, a chunk of the original pile is still there, waiting for me to choose it, but it's there by choice. The mere passage of time might render some of it moot (please??) and, if not, what remains might be a better fit for a different day.

Perhaps another this-or-that day.