---
title: Variants of to-do list
created: 2025-01-23T10:40:57
modified: 2025-11-24T10:09:31
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**Could-Do List → Should-Do List → Must-Do list
**
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# To-Do List → To-Start List
* Write the newsletter → Write the first sentence of the newsletter
* Go for a run → Put on running shoes
* Clean apartment → Clean the kitchen table
* Record video → Set up the camera
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# The “Open List” and The “Closed List” (“集中” \& “分散” 原則)
1. Dump all the tasks you need to do to the “Open List”
2. Transfer some tasks from the “Open List” to the “Closed List,” which has a maximum of ten entries — it’s a way to stay focused on what truly matters.
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# 封閉式清單
[@forsterItTomorrowOther2008]
> _“A closed list is a way of applying limits to our work in order to increase our efficiency.” ― Mark Forster, Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management_
## 概念
封閉式清單是一種設限的待辦清單，與開放式清單相反。它不允許隨意新增工作事項，這種方法能有效防止無限制的工作堆積，有效控制工作量。
## 使用方法
1. 前一天規劃：在前一天晚上列出明天需要完成的所有工作事項。
2. 設置界線：在清單的最後一項工作下方畫一條橫線，以明確區分計劃內與計劃外的事項。
3. 執行並專注：隔天按清單順序執行，盡量完成橫線上方的所有事項，避免臨時增加任務。
4. 記錄突發事項：如果有新的工作插入，先完成清單上的任務，再處理新工作，並將其記錄在橫線下方 [^1]。同時，任何非必要的分心行為（如閒聊、瀏覽購物網站）也需記錄，以幫助回顧與優化時間管理。
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# [The "Done List"](https://www.oliverburkeman.com/donelist)
* Why?
* Many people seem to feel as if they start off each morning in a kind of “Productivity Debt”, which they must struggle to pay off through the day, in hopes of reaching a zero balance by the time evening comes.
* How?
* Start with a blank slate each day and gradually fill it with completed tasks. It’s a helpful reminder of what you’ve accomplished, no matter how small. This helps build momentum.
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# The “Stop-Doing” List
[@collinsGoodGreatWhy2001]
* “To-Don’t List” or “Anti To-Do List”
* _**Via negativa**_ is essentially the study of what not to do
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# [Two Types of Checklists](https://sketchplanations.com/read-do-do-confirm-checklists)
1. **Read-Do**: for unusual/unplanned scenarios
2. **Do-Confirm**: for normal operations
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# Gamification: Make It Fun; Make A Game Plan
[@bogostPlayAnythingPleasure2016] [@abdaalFeelGoodProductivityHow2024]
* To do lists = Anxiety inducing. (待辦清單 → 焦慮清單); Video game levels = Excitement inducing.
* **Fun doesn’t have to be enjoyable. Treat play as a pathway to focus. You don’t have to enjoy play.** Why? Because play can be a useful tool to hold our attention long enough to get the task done.
* How to make a task into play? How to add fun to a task?
* Enforcing constraint (such as time limits) creates a sense of urgency that helps to concentrate efforts
* Introducing variability encourages curiosity and engagement by exploring the uncertainties within a task
* **The Broaden-and-Build Theory:** Positive emotions broaden one’s awareness and encourage novel, exploratory thoughts and actions. Over time, this broadened behavioral repertoire builds useful skills and psychological resources.
[^1]: 或是背面。