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[Brad Blackman]

Today on the blog, I proposed that a long todo list might be beneficial since there's more motivation to finish everything on that list. But a short list may encourage procrastination as you say, "Meh, I'll do that later." What do you think: is a long todo list better than a short one, or is it the other way around?

[Nathan Hale]

Good post, Brad. I identify with your basketball team example...I am often most disciplined and productive when I'm under pressure. It seems like I can burn through a todo list when I literally ony have 4 hours that that day to get EVERYTHING done...but when I've got tons of time, it can take me forever to accomplish two small tasks!

Overall, I think a long list + a short "Today" list is the way to go. The long list (hopefully reviewed pretty much every day) keeps you grounded, while short list keeps you from getting overwhelmed.

[whitehatblackbox]

Interesting thoughts and I can see it going a few different ways:

- You can look at a long list and fall into despair
- I probably would look at any size list and pick items that I would do later
- A "long list" is relative, maybe there is a way to shorten what you consider to be "long" (so you say "I have 5 things to do! I should do them!" rather than "I have 500 things to do! I should do them!")
- You are right that this doesn't seem like a long term solution, but it is a good backup. If you're doing what you should be doing, then you don't need to worry. If you fall behind, then you have something to remind you to catch up.

Just try not to freak out all the time or you'll get burnt out.

[James Mallinson]

To me, what's more important than the length of the list is whether you can complete it all when you say you're going to. Having a small list of tasks that you can definitely complete everyday is much more powerful than having a large list that you just pick at. The factor that usually influences how much I can do tends to be time. If I have all day free I'll create a nice, long to-do list to keep me occupied. If I only have a couple of hours after work, I'll identify three or four important tasks that I can do. I keep tasks that definitely need doing at a particular time and date seperate from stuff I can do at any point.

As I've discussed over at Organize IT, it's about inner trust to me. A large list create more opportunities for broken promises and commitments.

[Matthew Lang]

I don't usually bother about how much is on my todo list. I tend to find that as long as I clear 3 items per day, I can keep it manageable. At the start of each week, I compile a list of things for my list. Before the start of each day, I'll say that need to do a, b, and c. After one week, that can amount to usually 18 - 21 items cleared off my list (depending on how many I complete!).

I don't tend to think about the list in terms of size. As long as I can complete bits of the list at a time, then I'm happy.

[DanGTD]

Today on the blog, I proposed that a long todo list might be beneficial since there's more motivation to finish everything on that list. But a short list may encourage procrastination as you say, "Meh, I'll do that later." What do you think: is a long todo list better than a short one, or is it the other way around?

I also think a long to-do list is better, if (1) there are not tasks with due-date there, and (2) you consciously give yourself permission to leave things undone. To manage it effectively it should be prioritized, and set your Next Action one after another following these priorities. Unless tackling them by context makes more sense, of course. It depends on the nature of the work.