I hate to-do lists

To-do lists annoy me. They’re a list of things I’m accountable for in the future, most of which I’d rather not do. It’s not that I don’t want the outcome. Aside from paying parking tickets (shit!) I want to achieve almost all the tasks on my list, but those tasks feel like debt.

To me to-dos feel like a weight on the future. A drag on the potential of the next moment. They’re depressing.

Which makes the fact that I recently left IDEO to join Orchestra.com somewhat ironic.

Orchestra is your to-do list shared with the people in your life, with realtime chat embedded in each tast. Social. That’s why I left to work for Orchestra. I’m social. I hate doing chores, but doing tasks with a friend feels like hanging out. Remembering to do that thing I almost forgot because a friend or fiance reminded me feels like we're working together. And getting things done in a timely manner feels like a joint accomplishment. A cause for a celebration.




See that difference? Tasks went from a depressing drag on the potential of the future to a cause for celebration by flipping a switch, sharing and socializing around the task with others.

I work on this problem constantly at Orchestra because I can’t get enough of enjoying life with others, which is exactly what we’re trying to do to the world, make accomplishing things more enjoyable, while creating more time for appreciating life together.


Pic via foggodavid