---
title: Healthy Habits This Autumn Begin With a Shorter To-Do List
description: Most to-do lists are never finished. This autumn, do three tasks a day with discipline, keep a to-be list for the rest and recharge before the clocks go back.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-05T19:42:01.274Z
updated: 2026-09-05T19:52:08.825Z
canonical: https://richmondaypaper.com/article/healthy-habits-autumn-shorter-to-do-list
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-a-close-up-view-of-a-handwritten-to-do-list-on-a-spiral-note-1226398.jpg
categories: Work & Purpose
content_type: Editorial
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

Most to-do lists are not finished: a LinkedIn survey of more than 6,500 professionals in 2012 found that 63 per cent kept one and only 11 per cent finished everything they had planned in a working day.

This autumn the better plan is [three tasks a day, done with discipline](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/steal-these-eight-routines-from-people-who-have-already-figured-out-focus), and nothing else on the list. The hours that are left go to a second list, a [to-be list](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/trading-stress-for-serenity-create-your-to-be-list-to-nurture-your-mental-health), which is a few words describing who the reader wants to be between now and Christmas, and to rest. [Boots research carried out by Censuswide among 2,000 UK adults in August 2026](https://www.boots-uk.com/newsroom/news-item/september-rivals-january-as-the-uks-biggest-reset-moment-boots-research-reveals/) found that 44 per cent say September is the ideal time to restart healthy habits and 48 per cent regret not investing in their wellbeing before winter.

[The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October](https://www.gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change), seven weeks from today, and those seven weeks are the window. A habit begun this week is, on the best evidence available, automatic before the evenings have fully closed in.

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