The To-Do List You Didn’t Mean to Write

Start the day with a better list than “Things to Enraged About”

We’ve all made to-do lists. Things we want to do, things we want to accomplish. Goals we want to take on. Generally, these are positive things, right?

But have you ever made a list of things to be mad about? Of course not. That wouldn’t make sense. Who would make a list of things to be outraged about? Actually, we all do.

I realized this yesterday when I was scrolling through the “news” of the day. I was on Threads, and the “For You” section was showing me what it thought I wanted to see.

What mostly came up was a storyline that upset me. It made me mad.

(Actually, I was the one who made myself mad. But that’s a topic for a different day.)

About an hour after this little rage-scrolling session, I found myself still mad. I was now a good two hours into my day, and the overall vibe had already been set.

I had inadvertently set out to find something to be mad about, and I found it.

If I had started my day with a blank to-do list titled “Things to Be Enraged About” and then set about writing that list, there would have been no difference.

Instead, I was unintentionally allowing myself to make that list. Yes, I was aware of the impact it had on me as I read it. But I didn’t think I was actually making a “rage list.” Yet that’s exactly what I was doing.

So as you begin your day and start to see what’s going on in the world, ask yourself: Are you making a list of things to be mad about?

And it doesn’t even have to be anger or rage. Maybe it’s sadness or frustration or some other emotion you don’t want.

If you find yourself consuming information that provokes an unwanted emotion, ask yourself: Would I be willing to write this on a to-do list, a “rage list”?

You would likely say no, right? Who would make such a list?

I realized I had been doing exactly that, and I am now resolving to be more mindful of how I use my focus and attention at the start of my day.

What about you?