Does a Packed To-Do List Mean Real Progress?
Circle Hsiao Peak Pals Power User An Uncomfortable Question
Dave once told me I am one of the most hardcore Peak Pals users when it comes to stacking weekly goals.
Sure, he meant it as a compliment. But my first reaction was not pride - I immediately scanned my weekly list and asked myself:
“Am I just pretending to be busy?”
That question did not come out of nowhere.
I remembered reading his self-reflection post about whether he was creating too many tiny tasks and spending too much time solving them. Finishing lots of small chores can create the illusion of productivity, while quietly draining time and attention away from the work that actually moves life forward.
When I read that post, it hit me hard.
Because I also love the feeling of crossing off a pile of miscellaneous tasks.
I used to carry a small notebook and handwrite tons of to-dos - it only felt satisfying if it was handwritten. At the end of the day, I would cross completed items out with a red pen. That exact moment felt incredible. Seeing a whole page full of red lines gave me a strong sense of accomplishment.
It felt like a concrete kind of victory.
But looking back calmly, what I crossed off each week was mostly the same: Laundry, cleaning, exercise, taking out the trash…
Meanwhile, the “frog” I was supposed to eat first kept going back into the freezer, delayed until it was almost spoiled.
The tasks that would truly move me forward - difficult, fuzzy, mentally demanding, with a real chance of failure - were often the ones I skillfully avoided. Instead, I filled my list with tasks I knew I could definitely finish.
So I started seriously asking: Am I living efficiently, or selectively avoiding what matters?
This is also why I have come to value friends who care about productivity. It is not only about accountability or learning new frameworks. More importantly, they become people you can align your self-reflection with.
“Am I stuck in the same trap too, and just cannot see it?”
When people around you ask that kind of question, it becomes harder to go easy on yourself.
Why I Keep Delaying What Matters Most
So I tried to face this “not eating the frog” pattern directly and break down its structure. I found that tasks I delay usually share a few traits:
- The implementation details are unclear
- The task is too big to break down easily
- There are external dependencies (I need others to complete it)
If two or more of these show up at the same time, I almost always procrastinate. Because that means high uncertainty, high mental friction, and a heavy starting cost.
Compared to that, tasks like laundry and trash are clear, immediate, and easy to cross off. Of course the brain chooses the lower-resistance path.
LLM AI Helps Me Take the First Step
Interestingly, this got better after LLM AI became part of my routine. For almost any task, the first two issues - “not specific enough” and “too big to decompose” - can be addressed by asking AI for direction.
And the act of “typing the task out and asking AI” is itself an initial action that helps overcome the biggest static friction.
Once I can describe a task concretely, my brain usually starts moving with momentum. When the first step becomes clear, the second step is often not far behind.
Final Reflection: Busyness Is Not Progress
To be fair, I still love crossing off tasks. That red-pen satisfaction is still unmatched.
But now I ask myself one more question:
“Is this stroke moving me forward, or just drawing circles in place?”
I am slowly realizing that true productivity is not about how many tasks you cross off - it is about whether you are willing to face the one thing that matters most but that you most want to avoid.
The tasks that truly move life forward are often uncomfortable, vague, and a little risky. They do not give immediate dopamine. They do not leave a clean red line. But after you finish them, your life coordinates shift, even if only a little.
And if you have friends who remind you, realign you, and gently pull you back when you start circling - that is a real blessing.
Because sometimes we are not lacking effort. We are just too used to designing a path that looks busy but safely loops in place.
Having people to hold up a mirror, having someone point to the frog you should eat - that is the force that truly moves you forward.