Life Kit – “Give your to-do list a makeover”

Host: Marielle Segarra
Guests: Angel Trinidad (CEO & Founder, Passion Planner), Oliver Berkman (Journalist & Author)
Date: April 9, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of NPR’s Life Kit, host Marielle Segarra explores how to transform your to-do list into a truly effective tool that furthers what matters most to you. With insights from Angel Trinidad (founder of Passion Planner) and author Oliver Berkman (“4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals”), the episode walks listeners through figuring out meaningful goals, choosing the right system, making tasks actionable, and letting go of perfectionism. The goal is not simply to do more, but to do what matters—with intention and self-compassion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking the To-Do List: Align with What Matters Most

• Starting Point: Marielle shares her chaotic to-do list with big, small, urgent, and questionable tasks (“Retile Kitchen floor,” “Buy razors,” “Microblading?”) [00:25]
• The Problem: Lists get cluttered; some tasks don’t even belong and overwhelm becomes the norm.
• Aim: Learn how to structure your to-do list to serve your deeper goals instead of blind productivity.

Insight:

“When you make a to do list that's aligned intentionally with what you want out of your life, it's really powerful.”
— Angel Trinidad [01:33]

2. Takeaway #1: Define What Matters Right Now

• Identify a Game Changer: Angel suggests starting by pinpointing one big-picture, impactful goal – your “game changer” [03:46]

• How to Find It: Ask yourself:

  • What do I want to be?
  • What do I want to experience?
  • What do I want to have? [04:33]

• Life-Driven Goals: Sometimes, urgent needs or circumstances dictate your priorities (sick parent, need for a new job). That’s okay. [04:55]

• Alternative Approach: If you don’t have a clear goal, reflect on your current to-do list to uncover deeper motivations by asking “why?” up to five times, or evaluating if a task “enlarges or diminishes” you.

“Lots of life is not so happy, but can be really meaningful. And plenty of pleasures are kind of shallow and pointless and you don't want to fill up your life with them.”
— Oliver Berkman [06:23]

3. Takeaway #2: Pick a System That Actually Works for You

• Paper vs. Digital:

  • Paper: Tactile satisfaction of crossing off items; paper lists have a visual end point. [07:10]

    “When you cross it off. There's nothing like it.”
    — Angel Trinidad [07:10]

  • Digital: Easy to organize/search, but risks endless expansion and overwhelm. The Life Kit team recommends Todoist, Notion, Asana, Trello. [07:27]

• Structure to Your Day:

  • Timeboxing: Schedule blocks of time for specific tasks (good for visualizing capacity). [07:56]

    “That kind of awareness gets you thinking, am I spending my time in a way that makes sense for me and what my intention is for my life?”
    — Angel Trinidad [08:26]

  • Simple Lists: For some, rigid schedules feel “imprisoning.” Flexibility is key; your system can evolve as your needs change. [08:40–09:16]

    “An important thing here is to feel like your systems for organizing your life can evolve constantly.”
    — Oliver Berkman [09:16]

4. Takeaway #3: Make Your Tasks Specific & Actionable

• Include Only What’s Necessary:

  • Daily-life tasks (e.g., “Buy groceries”) can go on your list, but don’t clutter it with things that take under 2 minutes—just do those right away. [11:51]

    “If it takes less than two minutes, just do it right then and there.”
    — Angel Trinidad [11:51]

• Break Down Big Goals:

  • Avoid vague items like “Redecorate apartment”—instead, list the next tangible action (e.g., “Call hardware store for an estimate,” “Go look at tile,” etc.). [12:27]
  • Limit your active task list to just a few items at a time (4–5), only adding a new one after completing another. [13:06]

“So often things hang around on our to do lists, and we don't get them done because we're not even expressing them in a doable form.”
— Oliver Berkman [12:27]

5. Takeaway #4: Decide What to Let Go ("Creative Neglect")

• The Myth of Doing It All:
  • You can’t be great at everything at once—so proactively choose areas to deprioritize. [13:28]
  • Own your choice to “fail” at something for this season of life (e.g., a messy house while having a newborn and a full-time job). [13:55]

“Instead of constantly being dismayed when I realize that I'm not superhuman, I'm going to make a decision about a few things in advance that for this season of my life, I'm just not going to be doing.”
— Oliver Berkman [13:55]

• Mindset Shift:
  • Seeing your neglected areas as proof of your priorities can relieve guilt and reinforce your intentional choices. [14:17]

6. The Big Recap & Closing Thoughts

Key Takeaways:

1. Figure out what matters—Set priorities, whether it’s one big goal or several current necessities.
2. Pick a system—Paper or digital, timeboxed or freeform list. Let it evolve.
3. Fill your list mindfully—Include both daily/urgent tasks and granular steps towards your big goals.
4. Choose what not to do—Intentionally let go of the non-essential without guilt.

• Reminder: “To do lists exist to serve us. We don't answer to them.” [14:22]

• On self-worth and productivity:

“There's nothing you need to do to earn your right to exist.”
— Paraphrased by Marielle Segarra from Oliver Berkman [15:37]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On intentionality:
  “Wouldn't it be great to fill our to do lists with intention so the stuff on them is actually helping us get somewhere.”
  — Marielle Segarra [03:46]

• On paper lists:
  “When you cross it off. There's nothing like it.”
  — Angel Trinidad [07:10]

• On system evolution:
  “An important thing here is to feel like your systems for organizing your life can evolve constantly.”
  — Oliver Berkman [09:16]

• On choosing your ‘failures’:
  “Pick something to fail at. You don't have to do everything all at once, and you definitely don't have to do it all well.”
  — Marielle Segarra [14:04]

• Self-compassion:
  “There's nothing you need to do to earn your right to exist.”
  — Oliver Berkman (paraphrased by Marielle Segarra) [15:37]

Important Timestamps

• Opening reflection on to-do lists: [00:25]
• Angel Trinidad on aligning lists intentionally: [01:33]
• Game changer goal questions: [04:33]
• Oliver Berkman on the ‘why’ exercise: [05:37]
• "Do these choices enlarge or diminish me?" [06:10]
• Paper vs. digital lists: [07:10]
• Timeboxing explained: [07:56]
• Limit task list to 4–5 items: [13:06]
• Creative neglect: [13:28]
• Recap of main takeaways: [14:17]
• Self-worth not tied to productivity: [15:25]

Final Thoughts

The episode reframes the to-do list as a tool for intentional living: focus on what truly matters, make your steps concrete, let go of the rest—and remember that your humanity comes first, not your productivity.