how to NOT have a to do list

November 15, 2023

by Elisabeth Srur

"TO-DO" lists used to haunt my dreams.  I would always feel this constant nagging to cross just one more thing off my list in the hopes that I would reach a place of calm, serene, satisfying accomplishment.  

It. never. happened.

I now use a few different tools that not only replace this old archaic system, but makes me more efficient and proactive. The basic concept is to eliminate your "TO-DO" list entirely by using your email inbox as a daily guide for reminders and actions. By using this system, I now have a clear understanding of what I need to do each day with the simulltaneous goal of getting to “INBOX zero”. Trying to prioritize what to do next, when you are already overwhelmed with a million tasks, is not a good strategy. 

There are a few things you have to do in order to start using this process. (OK, I am lying....it is a little more than a few things...)  It will take you some time to set up, but in the long run, it is worth it!

STEP 1: EMAIL OVERHAUL

• Make sure you have separate e-mailboxes for work, personal and subscriptions 

  • Note - setting up a separate email for shopping and subscriptions saves time by allowing you to control distractions ( i.e. spam and shoe shopping ) from clogging up your personal and work e-mailboxes. You can comfortably navigate through your day, not checking your subscription inbox, unless you have time. I use my subscription email to sign up for blogs, newsletters, e-commerce stores etc. -- Anything that is not specifically personal or work related. Additionally, if you ever find yourself with a mountain of online shopping returns, you can easily delegate the laborious task of finding the receipts and creating returns to someone else without the invasion of privacy if you gave someone your personal email log in instructions.

  • Sometimes, signing up for specific newsletters or websites is impossible to avoid.  It's even harder to avoid distraction by these emails during your work day.  In this case, set up a smart mailbox through MacMail that filters out anything with the word  "unsubscribe." Or, use the feature on gmail that sorts your emails by PRIMARY, PROMOTIONS, SOCIAL AND UPDATES - (directions here)

• Unsubscribe from anything you don't read, don't want or don't care about etc.

  • Use a tool like Unroll.me that helps make the process of unsubscribing easier and more efficient. This tool can even combine certain subscriptions into one email summary. 

STEP 2: SET UP EMAIL REMINDERS FOR LATER DATES - 3 OPTIONS

• Use an email inbox like Superhuman

• Use the “Snooze” feature on gmail

• Use a service like, followupthen.com which is an email reminder tool that I didn't even realize I needed until I started using it. You can use it to send yourself reminders, follow up with someone and -- most importantly-- schedule your "TO-DO" items. 

  • by scheduling your "TO-DO" items, you are forced to prioritize when a new task is added to your list. It allows you to effectively separate urgent, non-urgent and important reminders effectively.  A calendar-based scheduling system, does not work nearly as well because you end up wasting time re-scheduling the task on the calendar -- or worse -- missing it entirely. With followupthen.com if you don't have time to complete the task on that day, you can hit one of the convenient "snooze buttons" in the reminder email.

  • Once your email(s) address is registered with followupthen.com, you schedule your emails by sending it to "(day)@followupthen.com"  For example, if I have a task that I need to finish on Friday, I would email Friday@followupthen.com and I would get an email Friday. You can set up times, dates and even recurring reminders.  You can find a detailed list of how to use this service here. 

  • Some of the ways I use followupthen include:

    • sending myself boarding passes or flight info a few hours before my flight

    • setting up monthly recurring reminders to stay on top of financial work

    • BCCing followupthen when I am emailing a lead and want to make sure I email them again in a month. 

    • automatically resending an email to someone (or myself!) if they don't respond within a few days

STEP 3: ADOPT NEW EMAIL HABITS

• Your inbox should ONLY contain actionable emails in it that you can respond to or do within that day

  • When you get a new email, it needs to be deleted, archived/filed, scheduled for the appropriate day (through a tool like followupthen or superhuman ) or kept in your inbox to complete THAT DAY.

  • Adopting this practice allows your inbox to stay focused on your daily priorities.

STEP 4: IDONETHIS.COM (optional, but recommended) 

• If you are like me, crossing something off your "TO-DO" list is rewarding, even if only for a few seconds. (remember, it is the small joys in life that count here, people!) By adopting this new system, you won't have a list to cross off, however you can still get the same joy by using a tool called idonethis.com. This is also a free tool that tracks your "DONE" list instead of your "TO-DO" list.  

• Every day, you'll get an email asking you what you did that day, along with a list of the previous days accomplishments.  It takes about 30 seconds to complete this email, over time you'll get to see how much you are accomplishing. The tasks are searchable if you ever need to lookup when you did a particular task.

SIDE NOTE: Given all of the above, sometimes there is a need for a list.  Grocery shopping or short-term reminders don't need a complicated system. I call these types of lists "temporary lists." For this, I use microsoft TO DO or Iphone Notes, both can also be shared easily with friends and family.

I hope this system improves your daily routine as much as it has improved mine. Looking forward to hearing any feedback.

gluten-free blueberry banana muffins

A great breakfast recipe made even better using summer blueberries!

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GLUTEN FREE BLUEBERRY BANANA MUFFINS // serves 10

by brunchpants

prep time: 10 minutes // cook time: 12 - 15 minutes

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup smooth almond butter
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup gluten free flower
• 1/4 cup almond flour / meal
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 3/4 cups small wild blueberries ( fresh or frozen ) 
• 1/8 cup white chia seeds

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat over to 375' 

2. Put all of the ingredients listed above ( except for the blueberries and chia seeds ) into a blender.

3. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. 

4. Mix in the blueberries into the batter.

5. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way to the top. 

6. sprinkle the tops of the muffins with chia seeds.

7. Cook for 12 -15 minutes or until a knife comes out smooth when inserted into the center of the cupcake. 

gluten free banana & peanut butter "breakfast cupcakes"

Who wouldn't want a cupcake for breakfast?  This healthy recipe is the closest thing to indulging in cake minus the expected sugar crash an hour later.  The best part about these cupcakes is that they use edible flowers from one of the best farm stands, Windfall Farms, as "sprinkles." This recipe was developed for The Chalkboard Magazine, one of my favorite lifestyle and wellness blogs. Hope you ENJOY!

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A jewel box of a farm located in Montgomery, NY, Windfall Farms focuses on micro-greens, salads and specialty seasonal produce like edible flowers. Their philosophy is to sell poison-free food, free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers that are unfortunately commonly used in conventionally grown produce. The higher standards used for Windfall’s farming practices is one of the reasons the quality of this farm stand is widely known among some of the best restaurants in New York City.

On the greenmarket days, I make sure to head over to Windfall’s stand early so I can grab edible flowers before they sell out.  Edible flowers are not only versatile but nutritious, with most of them containing potassium, phytonutrients, and vitamin C.  I like to use these flowers to decorate desserts, freeze into ice cubes for summer cocktails, add to salads or layer into a sandwich for an unexpected element.

You can find Windfall Farms in New York City at the Union Square Farmers Market ( union square west and 16th street ) on Wednesday and Saturday from 8:00am until they are sold out or every Sunday at the 79th Street greenmarket ( Columbus Avenue between 78th and 79th streets ) from 9am until sold out. 

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GLUTEN FREE BANANA & PEANUT BUTTER "BREAKFAST CUPCAKES" WITH HONEY YOGURT FROSTING // serves 10

by brunchpants

prep time: 10 minutes // cook time: 12 - 15 minutes

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter ( or almond butter ) 
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup gluten free flower
• 1/4 cup almond flour / meal
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup almond milk

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat over to 375' 

2. Put all of the ingredients listed above into a blender.

3. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. 

4. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way to the top. 

5. Cook for 12 -15 minutes or until a knife comes out smooth when inserted into the center of the cupcake. 

YOGURT HONEY FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups organic greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• edible flowers ( optional ) 

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, stir the honey and yogurt until blended.

2. Transfer the yogurt mixture into a ziploc bag.

3. Cut a small triangle off one of the corners of the bag.

4. Frost the top of the cupcakes by starting at the outside edge of the cupcake and working your way towards the center, in a circular pattern. 

5. Decorate the frosted cupcakes with the edible flowers.

NOTES:

• You can add more honey if you want a sweeter frosting.
• A Vitamix blender works the best especially if you are using whole flaxseeds.

how to make apple roses

Apples and peanut butter have always been one of my favorite go-to snacks.  This Valentine's day, I wanted to create a dessert that was healthy and also had a romantic edge to it.  These apple roses are very easy to make and look beautiful on a table.  

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APPLE ROSES  // serves 2

by brunchpants

prep time: 15 minutes // assembly: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 30 min

TOOLS & INGREDIENTS:

• 5 small apples
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 - 4 tbsp. peanut butter ( cashew and almond butter also work ) 
• mandoline or ceramic slicer
• bowl for soaking apple "petals"
• 2 small shallow glass bowls

METHOD:

1. Fill a small glass bowl with cold water and squeeze 1/2 lemon into it and set aside. 

2. Place 1 - 2 tbsp. of peanut butter in a small shallow dish, filling it only 2/3 of the way up.

3. Using your finger, make three indents in a triangle pattern in the peanut butter, to allow easier placement of the apple rose.

4. Thinly slice the apples with the mandoline to make the "petals", making sure you slice both halves of the apple evenly to get full circle slices.

5. Soak the petals in the water and lemon juice bowl.

6. Remove the petals and dry them on a paper towel to remove excess water.

7. To start the rose, use one of the smaller apple slices, roll the bottom sides towards each other and hold it with your thumb and index finger.

8. Add the outside "petals" one at a time, staggering the placement clockwise, holding the base of the rose together with your fingers. 

9. Once you have finished the first apple rose, gently place it into one of the indents in the peanut butter, pushing the base down so the petals stay in place. ( Note, the first apple rose will expand slightly until there are more apple roses to hold it in place ) 

10. repeat steps 7 - 9 to create more apple roses, using three roses per bowl.

NOTES:

• The apple "petals" are soaked in water and lemon juice so the apple slices do not turn brown.
• Use firm, fresh apples for the best results.
• Slide in extra apple "petals" to create a more finished and polished look.
• Some of your petals will crack, which are easy to slide out at the end. 

ceviche recipe

Ceviche is a traditional dish served in restaurants all over Peru. There are hundreds of variations of this signature recipe.  Personally, I am more of a purist and prefer the simpler versions using the five basic ingredients of: fish, salt, lime, chili peppers and onions.  

This recipe is from the Lima Gourmet Company, a great food tour and cooking class that was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Lima. 

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CEVICHE  // serves 4

by Lima Gourmet Company

prep time: 15 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 30 min

INGREDIENTS: CEVICHE

• 800 g. white fish ( about 1.75 lbs. of sole, sea bass or flounder )
• 300 g. red onion - julienne ( finely sliced )
• 2 aji limo peppers - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
• 12 limes
• 500 ml. of "tiger's milk"
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• ice cubes

INGREDIENTS: TIGER'S MILK

• 500 ml of lime juice
• 500 ml of water
• 200 g. fish stock
• 25 g. rocoto chili ( deveined and seeds removed ) 
• 25 g. aji amarillo ( deveined and seeds removed ) 
• 25 g. aji limo ( deveined and seeds removed ) - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
• 50 g. celery
• 10 g. ginger
• 30 g. red onion
• 50 g. salt
• 10 g. white pepper

METHOD:

1. Soak the chopped onions in cold water with ice.
2. Cut the fish into medium-sized cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the onions, lime juice and season with salt.
4. Tiger's Milk: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let marinade for 5 minutes.  Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and strain through a sieve. 
5. Add the "tiger's milk" gradually until desired taste is obtained. 
6. Let the fish marinade for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving to allow the fish to "cook."
7. Garnish with cilantro.

NOTES:

• Serve this dish with slices of cooked sweet potatoes and corn on the side which is the traditional accompaniments. 
• Only use the freshest, semi firm, white-fleshed sea water fish like sole, flounder or sea bass.  Don't use oily fish like tuna or mackerel. 
• Use fresh limes and don't squeeze all the juice out of them to avoid bitterness. 
• Make sure to cut your fish evenly so it cooks evenly.