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by greytape 1118 days ago
I think this is a great point. There are a lot of items on my todo list that are super vague, and I never start on them because the next action isn't clear. However, it'd be useful to distinguish between these times, and when a task is acceptably vague (eg "take out the garbage"). I will try updating the prompts to take this into account.
2 comments

It sounds like you are using your todo list more as a way to keep track of what I’d call “goals”. I mostly use a todo list like GP said, for example, “take out the trash”, “donate clothes”, “clean room”; they’re all vague tasks but I know what I mean. However, the process you’re describing sounds like it would be very helpful for setting better goals!

Maybe you’re familiar with the concept of “SMART” goals - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. Refining goals into sub-goals makes them feel much more manageable and ensures you actually get them done. For instance, I don’t benefit from refining “take out the trash”, but if my todo list has “learn Spanish” on it, I’d definitely benefit from breaking it down: what exactly is my course of action to learn Spanish?

Best of luck with the app, thanks for sharing.

It could also be that we use todo lists completely differently from each other :-)

Doesn't mean either of us are wrong!

I'm a heavy user of bullet journaling. I start my day with a few lines of todos and they're always short and sweet. Works for me.