The Ta-Dah vs. To-Do Shift
We all have to-do lists. Whether we write them in our dayplanners, keep them on our phones or let them swirl around in our minds. Evenif not is list form, we all have never-ending things that we need, want andintend to do.
I say never-ending because we’ll always need to do thingslike shop for groceries…pay bills…do laundry…meet deadlines…drive carpools…havemeetings…finish taxes and the like. We’ll always have places we want to visit,new activities we want to try and people with whom we want to spend time.
As I often remind my clients (and myself!) the day we nolonger have a to-do list will not be the day we finally get around to ourcreative dream – in fact at that point our main pastime will be pushing updaisies. (Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely!)
I am a list lover! I love to make lists and it brings megreat joy to check things off my lists. Yet, I know that our to-do lists canfeel overwhelming precisely because they’re never-ending. That’s why I also love the idea of the Ta-Dah list.
Though not a replacement for our to-do lists, a Ta-Dah list canshift our focus from the many things we have yet to accomplish onto the thingswe have actually done – even if they weren’t on our to-do list in the firstplace!
So often we do much more than we give ourselves credit for. Wetend to concentrate on what we still need to do rather than taking a moment togive ourselves credit for what we’ve already achieved. And we rarely give ourselves a pat on the back for something that feels good.
Five or ten minutes spent crafting…
A good-for-the-soul discussion with friend…
An impromptu organizing session…
A spontaneous backrub for a stressed-out spouse…
Reading an inspiring article...
Ten minutes spent knitting
Writing in your journal while you wait in the carpool line...
This is the good stuff! These are the moments that enrich our lives, bringus happiness and feelings of fulfillment. When we take a moment to giveourselves credit for them in the same way we do our “official” to-do lists, weshine a light on them and affirm their importance. That’s exactly what theTa-Dah list lets us do.
I’ve decided to walk the walk and share my own brief Ta-Dahlist in future Mid-Week Oasis Moments. I’d love for you to join me. I’vecreated a free printable Ta-Dah list you can download here and use on a daily or weekly basis or whenever you like. Feel free to share your Ta-Dahs in thecomments section below as well.
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| Click here to download your free printable Ta-Dah List |
Can you imagine how good it might feel to shift our focusfrom all we have left to do on any given day to the delightful things we havealready done? What a boost!
Here’s to giving ourselves credit for small steps, surprise detours,simple pleasures and all of the Creative Oasis Moments we enjoy in our busylives.
All the best from my Ta-Dah Creative Oasis to yours,
Jill
Jill Allison Bryan