09/07/2025
“Your to-do list is rewiring your brain, and telling it a story at the same time. The only question is: what story?”
I’ve always been a big list-maker.
Not because I want to fill every minute of every day, but because I don’t want important things to slip through the cracks.
If it’s been on my mind, no matter how big or small, it goes on the list.
It could be as simple as “vacuum the basement” or as tedious as “fix a heading on a handout.”
And for years, I did what most people do: I stacked the top of my list with easy wins.
It felt productive, but my brain kept staring at the bottom, where the dreaded tasks lived.
Those items drained my mental energy all day, and if something got bumped to tomorrow? Yep, it was always one of those.
Recently, I flipped the script.
I started putting every dreaded task at the top, and doing them first.
The dopamine rush was instant.
Neuroscience shows that when you tackle the hard thing right away, you get a stronger, cleaner dopamine hit and train your brain to associate starting fast with feeling good (Treadway et al., 2012). Delay it, and your brain marinates in low-level stress that dulls the reward.
But here’s where the gold is:
When you set your to-do list, ask yourself:
“What might get in the way of me completing these?”
That one question trains your brain to scan for potential barriers, and then problem-solve them before they happen.
Maybe you need to:
Prep a document ahead of time
Block off time before interruptions hit
Get someone’s input before you start
This one step does two powerful things:
Removes friction that derails momentum
Builds the identity of someone who is proactive, not reactive
High performers know this:
Make fast decisions on reversible things
Take your time on irreversible things
Because it’s harder to start from zero than it is to adjust once you’re already in motion.
So tomorrow:
Write your list
Put the hard things first
Identify barriers and remove them before you start
Do the work before anything else
You’ll get more done, feel more in control, and you’ll be telling your brain the story of someone who runs toward challenges, not away from them.
(This is the same mindset shift I use in my work helping people rebuild their health, habits, and identity from the inside out. If you want to train your brain and body to work for you instead of against you, send me a message; I’d love to help you flip your own script.)
