👉 The Ta-Da! You Did It List.

Ok so this week I was on Linkedin & a post caught my attention which was all about how a ‘Ta-Da!’ list….not a to-do list that often makes you feel a bit crap as invariably it’s never ending and you never quite tick everything off. But rather a list that is done at the end of the day to capture everything you did. Literally everything. So you feel amazing. I asked Katie Tucker who shared this post to tell us more about how this Ta Da list works for her and how it could work for you too.

Quick background about Katie. Katie Tucker is a customer research expert and fractional project manager. She is the author of the market research book Do Penguins Eat Peaches? and writes on Substack.  She is a mother of two and lives in North London with her partner and dog Thunder.

Right let’s jump in…

1. First things first—what exactly is a Ta-Da! list, and how is it different from a to-do list?

A Ta-Da! list is a list of all the things you have actually achieved in your day, whilst a to-do list is an aspirational (often way too aspirational let’s be honest!) list of things we think we can get done in our day. A to-do list invariably remains half complete, which leaves us with a sense of dissatisfaction. This can lead to us being hard on ourselves. A Ta-Da list really turns that on its head and shows us that we have probably achieved more than we think. Here’s a look at one of my recent Ta-Da lists:

2. Was there a moment that made you realise traditional to-do lists weren’t working for you?

I was working with a business coach (Ruth Thomson) and lamenting how little I was getting done in a day and she challenged me to turn the idea of a to-do list on its head and start writing a list of all the things I HAD got done instead. A list you can look at and think: Da-Ta! Look at everything I have done today.

These are often tasks and activities modern society makes us believe aren’t worthy in the productive (aka economic) sense but take time, energy, and need to be done. They are just as worthy. This could be spending 10 mins having a chat with our kids, doing a short meditation, having a nap or putting a load of washing on and making a meal. These things matter too!

3. So many of us end the day feeling like we “haven’t done enough.” How does a Ta-Da! list shift that mindset?

A Ta-Da list helps you feel good about your day. It shows you have done so much more than you thought. A Ta-Da list can also help you identify why you might not have had enough time to work on that creative project you keep promising yourself you’ll start and what things you might need to let go of, deprioritise or delegate to truly give you more time and energy for other things that are important for you too.

A Ta-Da list helps you realise there is so much invisible work we do that is just expected to happen (domestic chores, cooking, parenting) that too often goes unnoticed, even by ourselves. We have to write them down to make them real because they are.

4. Your Tuesday Ta-Da! list includes everything from workouts to laundry to deep convos with your kids—why do you think it’s so important to celebrate these little wins?

These seemingly small things matter. We are led to believe that clean clothes, healthy bodies, (relatively) tidy houses, decent healthy meals and connection with our kids and partners just happen without effort. Of course that is not true, these things take time and energy, and we should acknowledge them as worthy of writing on our Da-Ta lists.

5. If someone wants to try this today, where’s the best place to start? Any tips for making it stick?

Why not start today (and reading this newsletter counts too on your Da-Ta list). Write it as you go along or find a few minutes at the end of the day and write it out on paper or on the Notes app on your phone. Make sure you capture everything (folding clothes, helping your kid find his tie, responding thoughtfully to a friend’s WhatsApp, researching a present for your niece, watching a relaxing show on TV etc.). You will be surprised at how much you have done today. I don’t write one everyday but I use the Ta-Da list as a tool on days and weeks when I am having a wobble and feel like I am not being productive because nine times out ten I have achieved plenty!