To-Do ≠ To-Think

While managing product & tech at edding AG, my work sometimes spans from the strategic to the operational level.

Balancing these different levels of responsibility often led to context switching and a confusing to-do list that lumped everything together—making it hard to focus on what truly needed deep thought versus what just required quick action.

That’s when I discovered a simple yet effective hack.

Separating Tasks Into “To-Do” and “To-Think” ¶

Instead of treating all tasks equally, I now divide them into two clear categories:

• “To-Do” – Execution-focused tasks that are operational and quick to complete, such as:
  • Rescheduling meetings
  • Approving supplier agreements
  • Sending follow-up emails
• “To-Think” – Tasks that are input for extended, uninterrupted deep work time slots (2+ hours), such as:
  • Rethinking the structure of our 1-on-1s
  • Crafting the agenda for a key strategy meeting
  • Spending dedicated time with a product we are developing

This simple differentiation helps me stay in the right mental mode and prevents me from mixing high-focus work with routine operational tasks.

My Obsidian Setup ¶

I organize all my to-dos in a plain text file in Obsidian, using the following structure:

• Triage – A catch-all for new thoughts and ideas. When something comes up in a meeting, I write it down here.
• Thinking – Reserved for tasks that need deep focus and creative problem-solving.
• Do This Week – High-priority tasks that must be completed within the week.
• Not This Week – Explicitly de-scoped tasks to reduce mental clutter.
• Follow-up – I’ve delegated tasks but need to track them.
• Later – Lower-priority items to revisit in the future.

I maintain one file for my main job and another for everything else - side projects, my public persona, etc..

Try It Yourself ¶

If your to-do list feels overwhelming or unstructured, try separating your tasks into “To-Do” and “To-Think.” A simple shift that can bring significant clarity and efficiency to your workflow