1Empty every open task from your head onto one list. Trust the list, not your memory.
A mind full of remembering has no room for doing. Park it all somewhere you trust, then work.
Where it sits. Cognitive offloading and externalizing
Islamic evidence
He taught by the pen (Quran 96:4). The pen is honoured as a tool of the mind; writing it down is using the gift as intended.
“who taught by [means of] the pen”
Qur'an 96:4
Psychological evidence
Writing tasks down, rather than holding them in mind, reduces mental load and improves how well you actually perform them. The page remembers so you do not have to.
Risko, E. F. and Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi
Offloading information to the environment, such as notes and reminders, reduces cognitive load and improves task performance.
Review detail
Why it works. Offloading tasks to an external list frees working memory and lowers the background hum of stress.