The To-Do List Makeover
from Mara Glatzel, author of Needy: How to Reclaim Your Sovereignty & Advocate for Your Needs
THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER YOUR LACK OF DISCIPLINE.
It was the system you were handed.
The To-Do List Makeover is a two-hour live workshop where you'll build a to-do list that finally works with the energy you actually have, instead of the energy you think you should have.
This is for the human who has real things to build and real contributions to make, and who is exhausted from trying to do that inside systems that were never designed for someone like you.
This isn't necessarily about doing less. It's about getting rid of what you think you should be doing in favor of what you actually want and need, so that what you do accomplish is deeply, unmistakably yours.
This is where you get every last logistic out of your head, stop spreading yourself across the things you think you should do, and finally make room for the things that actually matter to you, so you can put your day to rest at a reasonable hour because you already know exactly what comes first tomorrow.
YOU'VE TRIED IT ALL...
The paper planners (so many paper planners), the bullet journal that was gorgeous for exactly three pages, Google Calendar, Todoist, Getting Things Done, and those strict routines that promised freedom and left you feeling more suffocated than when you started. And the lists! Those really long lists that somehow regenerate overnight, so that every time you think about everything you're behind on, some part of you wants to pull the blanket over your head while a quiet voice wonders, maybe I'm just not a disciplined person.
And if your body, your hormones, your nervous system, your brain have changed or were never built for the toxic productivity culture that handed you these tools, the gap between what's demanded of you and what you actually have to give gets wider every year.
So you try harder. You fail again. And somewhere along the way you stop trusting yourself, not because you can't be trusted, but because every system you've tried has quietly told you that you're the problem.
You're not lazy, and you're not bad at this. It wasn't supposed to fit you. It never was.
THOSE FAILED ATTEMPTS HAVE COST YOU.
Not just time or money, but your very trust in yourself. Every to-do list you didn't finish quietly added to a story that you're someone who doesn't follow through. That story is a lie, but it's a lie that lives in the body, not the head, which means your attempts to think your way out of it haven't worked.
You rebuild self-trust by taking doable action.
Small is all. And with each small step forward, your body starts to believe the evidence. Action begets more action, and enoughness lives inside, which means this isn't about finding the perfect system. It's about giving yourself enough small wins that you start to trust your own word again.
That's what this workshop does. It's not one more shiny organizational tool to fail at. It's the place where you start keeping your word to yourself, one short list at a time.
Praise for Tend
The TDLM system is simple, SUPER humane, straight-forward, and works with how my brain processes information. It meets me where I am and doesn't require me to overhaul my entire life to start using it. It's also easy to begin again if I miss some days or weeks of planning, and I love having that ease & grace because LIFE happens.
- Nic Strack
Praise for Tend
Before signing-up for TDLM, I had tried every planner on the planet. I love Mara’s gentle approach to dealing with real-life even when it’s not instagram-worthy. My goals were to really identify the things I needed to do and get a better plan to make things happen.
- Claire F.
WHAT WE'LL DO TOGETHER...
This is a two-hour live workshop, which means you leave with your actual list already built, not a method to go home and figure out later.
We start by getting everything out of your head and onto paper, every idea, every obligation, every thing you've been carrying, so your brain can finally stop doing that job. The energy you get back from that alone is worth showing up for.
From there you'll learn how to set expectations you can actually follow through on, which means real progress and the quiet satisfaction of keeping your word to yourself.
You'll understand why your self-care belongs on the list, not as a reward for finishing everything else, but because you are the vessel for everything you're building, and how you tend to yourself is what makes all of it sustainable.
And you'll leave with a real daily plan that brings genuine ease to an ordinary day, a rhythm that holds you so you don't have to hold it all yourself.
THE TO-DO LIST MAKEOVER ISN'T ONE MORE SYSTEM TO ADD TO THE PILE.
The to-do list makeover includes four simple lists, and using them feels like a quick morning check-in with a friend who's always rooting for you: you notice what you've actually got to give today, choose what fits, and get going.
On a low-energy day, the list simply gets shorter, which means the system is doing its job beautifully, and when life happens (it will), you pick it right back up from wherever you are.
YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH...
The live workshop, plus a classroom you'll actually return to. Each section has its own short standalone video, so when you need a refresher on one list you watch that video, not the whole recording again. Your printable lists live on your desk, not just in your memory.
The TDLM workbook and journal prompts are yours to work through at your own pace, including a look at my own completed pages so you know exactly what it looks like in practice.
And then the week after, a series of follow-up emails to help you take imperfect action every single day. Hit reply on any of them, tell me exactly where you're stuck, and I'll record a personal video response just for you, your list, your sticking point, my actual face talking you through it.
Praise for Tend
"I had this huge lightbulb moment about how I have used my to-do lists to oppress myself."
OMG, the talk about ritual and self-trust. I had this huge lightbulb moment about how I have used my to-do lists to oppress myself and pursue my perfectionism. So it only makes sense that I make lists and walk away from them.
- Mariglynn
Praise for Tend
"A more clear path to getting things done in a non 'hustle and grind til you die' kind of way."
I joined TDLM hoping that I would finally find a system that would allow me to take into account my daily changing energy levels. This process was really helpful for me to have a more clear path to getting things done in a non 'Hustle and grind til you die' kind of way." -
- Dionne Ruff-Sloan
Praise for Tend
"I love the way you broke it out into 4 distinct steps/lists that progress from big to small."
My biggest concern in signing up for TDLM was that this might just be another person's system that I needed to add to my list of planning methods/rituals each week, which would only stress me out instead of grounding me and helping me feel clear, calm, and focused. However, your work is incredibly helpful! I love the way you broke it out into 4 distinct steps/lists that progress from big to small." -
Michelle Anthony LaCroix
Praise for Tend
"It also provided the structure I struggle to find on my own."
I am not naturally organized. I love structure, I need structure and I resist it wholeheartedly. TDLM captured my ideas and my heart and also provided the structure I struggle to find on my own with wisdom, acceptance, compassion, humour and grace. Sign up, it will help. - Tanya Levy
Praise for Tend
"I appreciate that you record the session and make it available to me to use as a refresher later on."
Truly, Mara, I cannot think of a thing you could do to make this class better. I appreciate that you record the session and make it available to me to use as a refresher later on.
- Cathy Manning
Picture the running list finally moving out of your head and onto the page, and all the lovely roominess that opens up in there once it's gone. You know which one project gets your focus this week, you let everything else wait without a shred of guilt, and when evening comes you close the laptop at a reasonable hour, refill your cup, and wake up already knowing where your energy goes first.
Wanting to get things done and feel good while you do it isn't too much to ask. It never was.
Hey there, I'm Mara (she/her)
I'm a coach, the author of Needy, and a highly ambitious, highly sensitive human with very real needs.
I tried pushing through and pushing my needs to the bottom of the list (hello, burnout). I tried pretending my dreams didn't matter so they couldn't disappoint me (hello, fourth complete rewatch of The West Wing). I tried bullying myself into action, convinced that if I was just mean enough to myself, I'd finally get moving.
None of it worked, and all it really did was wear away my trust in myself.
So I built something different, a way of planning that starts with what I actually have to give today and works from there. I've been using and teaching it for years, and these days I close my laptop at a decent hour with tomorrow's short list already written, and the whole evening belongs to me: dinner with my people, a book I'm reading purely for fun, a walk down to the water without a single to-do looping in my head. Not perfectly, but consistently enough that I trust it, and I trust myself.
The To-Do List Makeover is that system, distilled into two hours.
Praise for Tend
"The reminders to keep narrowing your list down to what's most important."
I loved TDLM's emphasis on taking how you feel that day into account and the reminders to keep narrowing your list down to what's most important. In the past, I have suffered from putting an unrealistic amount of things on my lists and then beating myself up when I don't get it all done." Wayla C.
Praise for Tend
The To-Do List Makeover felt like a real retreat/workshop! I loved finishing with something concrete done. - Lori Abercrombie
What if getting things done could actually feel good?
Not punishing, not overwhelming, just you, a short list and the deep satisfaction of moving through your day at a pace that's entirely your own.
The To-Do List Makeover
Saturday, November 7th 2-4pm ET / 11am-1pm PT / 7-9pm GMT
$79
The live workshop and recording, your online classroom with standalone videos for each section, printable lists, the TDLM workbook and journal prompts, a week of follow-up emails, and your personal video response from me.
Praise for Tend
TDLM was SO NOURISHING. I loved how Mara held space for us to really dig into the questions she asked us. I’m often hesitant and resistant to holding that space for myself. I got some great insights from sitting with those questions, which really helps me have compassion for myself in all of those past attempts at getting my shit together. I love that the system feels so simple and manageable.
- Sara N.
Praise for Tend
TDLM felt like a big, warm hug! It was FULL of support and super realistic, actionable steps. I felt like you really understood the struggles I've faced with to-do lists, overwork, and productivity in general, and your biggest mission was to help that while approaching everything as kindly and sustainably as possible. There was a lot of inspiration in TDLM to shift our perspectives to thinking and acting more compassionately with ourselves. I definitely needed it. Thank you so much, Mara!
- Bri Brubaker
Praise for Tend
I really enjoyed learning live from you! I signed-up because I was interested in the combination of self-care and productivity. I've gotten so burned out on the typical entrepreneur focused productivity conversation that is all about hustle and drive. The follow-up emails have been an excellent reminder to hold these teachings as we moved out of the workshop and into actual life.
- Dominique