The Ta-Dah vs. To-Do Shift

(Click here to request a free printable Ta-Dah List of your own.)

We all have to-do lists. Whether we write them in our day planners, keep them on our phones or let them swirl around in our minds. Even if not is list form, we all have never-ending things that we need, want and intend to do.

I say never-ending because we’ll always need to do things like shop for groceries…pay bills…do laundry…meet deadlines…drive carpools…have meetings…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 no longer have a to-do list will not be the day we finally get around to our creative dream – in fact at that point our main pastime will be pushing up daisies. (Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely!)

I am a list lover! I love to make lists and it brings me great joy to check things off my lists. Yet, I know that our to-do lists can feel 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 can shift our focus from the many things we have yet to accomplish onto the things we have actually done – even if they weren’t on our to-do list in the first place!

So often we do much more than we give ourselves credit for. We tend to concentrate on what we still need to do rather than taking a moment to give 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 crafting…a good-for-the-soul discussion with an old friend…an impromptu organizing session…a spontaneous backrub for a stressed-out spouse…reading an inspiring article, knitting or writing in our journal while we wait in the carpool line and so on.

This is the good stuff! These are the moments that enrich our lives, bring us happiness and feelings of fulfillment. When we take a moment to give ourselves credit for them in the same way we do our “official” to-do lists, we shine a light on them and affirm their importance. That’s exactly what the Ta-Dah list lets us do.

I’ve decided to walk the walk and share my own brief Ta-Dah list in future Mid-Week Oasis Moments. I’d love for you to join me. I’ve created 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 the comments section below as well.

Click here to download your free printable Ta-Dah List

Can you imagine how good it might feel to shift our focus from all we have left to do on any given day to the delightful things we have already 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 busy lives.

All the best from my Ta-Dah Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.CreativeOasisCoaching.com