I tend to be kind of down on myself for 'not doing anything,' so in that sense to-do lists are a useful tool even if I don't get through every item. The ones I DID get through are tangible written proof of stuff I actually did. It may not always be a LOT of stuff, but still. Stuff! :D
That's why I put meals on my lists, because those are necessities of life and managing to feed oneself at appropriate times is a significant accomplishment on bad days. I also tend to put on 'take a walk' and 'go to bed by X time,' since those are likewise basic life care tasks. In this case 'take a walk' was covered by going to church, which is why it's not listed as a separate item.
I also like to leave space at the bottom to add any unplanned tasks I do during the day -- in this case, remove a box from one of my closets, sort its contents, decide to get rid of 2/3 of said contents, put the kept items in more logical places, and use the now-empty box to hold all the hangers I cleared out of the closet a month ago and which had been lying in a messy pile on my floor. \o/
I use to-do lists more during depressive episodes, because I need externalized structure more at those times. Right now I'm just trying to make the most of a three-day weekend, which is easier if I write down the things I want to finish. Otherwise I rely on memory and my wall calendar, where I note a few specific kinds of obligation in color-coded markers: black for work; green for education; purple for church; and blue for trips, birthdays, elections, appointments, blood drives, etc. (Red is for tracking a completely different type of data.)
no subject
That's why I put meals on my lists, because those are necessities of life and managing to feed oneself at appropriate times is a significant accomplishment on bad days. I also tend to put on 'take a walk' and 'go to bed by X time,' since those are likewise basic life care tasks. In this case 'take a walk' was covered by going to church, which is why it's not listed as a separate item.
I also like to leave space at the bottom to add any unplanned tasks I do during the day -- in this case, remove a box from one of my closets, sort its contents, decide to get rid of 2/3 of said contents, put the kept items in more logical places, and use the now-empty box to hold all the hangers I cleared out of the closet a month ago and which had been lying in a messy pile on my floor. \o/
I use to-do lists more during depressive episodes, because I need externalized structure more at those times. Right now I'm just trying to make the most of a three-day weekend, which is easier if I write down the things I want to finish. Otherwise I rely on memory and my wall calendar, where I note a few specific kinds of obligation in color-coded markers: black for work; green for education; purple for church; and blue for trips, birthdays, elections, appointments, blood drives, etc. (Red is for tracking a completely different type of data.)