I stopped turning every idea into a task and it changed how I think

For a long time I had a habit that was quietly exhausting me. Every time I came across something interesting, like a place I wanted to visit, a book someone recommended, I would immediately add it to a to do list or save it somewhere.

Over time, every good idea started to feel like an obligation. A trip I was excited about became something I was behind on. A recipe I wanted to try turned into another thing to check off. The list kept growing, the pressure kept building, and eventually I stopped looking at it altogether.

What I really wanted was a place where ideas could just exist without any pressure. Not a reminder system or something tied to productivity (anti productivity you could say). Just somewhere things could "live" until they felt right, or even never turn into anything at all, and that being completely okay. :)

These days I keep a loose collection of things that interest me, separate from anything I actually need to do (I use a small separate app for writing the ideas down). There are no deadlines and no expectations. Sometimes I look back and remember what excited me a few months ago.

I am curious if anyone else has found a way to hold onto ideas without turning them into obligations. How do you approach this? Would love some discussion about that! :)