While working on my lockdown projects, the first thing I noticed is that the strategies I had tried in the past weren't working.  If we're living in the 21st century and using 20th century strategies, no wonder there's a disconnect.  For example, the old strategy is to write a daily to-do list, prioritize the items, then check them off.

There are a number of problems with this approach.  For starters, if everything goes to plan, at best there's no meaningful sense of accomplishment.  It's just checking things off a list, then moving onto the next one.  Could you imagine doing a cycle tour this way where you literally just cycle through a checklist?  It wouldn't be very exciting.  Where's the sense of struggle or the conflict?  What about overcoming the difficulties?  A goal, just like a cycle tour, has a journey as well.  When things don't go to plan it's actually OK.

So yes the linear task-based approach can't handle failure well.  If there's a setback in the task progression somewhere along the line, then the whole thing short-circuits.

James Clear says it best in his book Atomic Habits.  "For many years, this was how I approached my habits too. Each one was a goal to be reached. I set goals for the grades I wanted to get in school, for the weights I wanted to lift in the gym, for the profits I wanted to earn in business. I succeeded at a few, but I failed at a lot of them. Eventually, I began to realize that my results had very little to do with the goals I set and nearly everything to do with the systems I followed.

Maybe my brain is different, but I prefer mind maps to start off with.  The brain is going to mind-map and branch out from a concept, and then make connections while overlapping into other concepts.  If the brain works in a non-linear way, why not harness that power in your trip planning?  

I found an example about decluttering here 

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I discussed all this with my life coach and he is helping me tweak it going forward.

The whole premise is that you work with your brain, not against it.  If the brain is naturally inclined to mind map and branch out, then why fight that?  Here is a simple example that happened on a recent bike ride to work

- I pass by an ICBC bank.

- I'm reminded that my wechat account stopped linking to my bank card at the other Bank of China.

- To solve this I need to stop by the bank and verify my ID by updating my passport details

- That errand goes on my to do list and added immediately with an app on my phone.