Did you know that Canada holds the record for most To-Do lists per capital? But, what does that say about you and me?
I’m not sure about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with my lists. After all, do we really want to be reminded of all the stuff we didn’t get done today? I’d rather be thinking about what I did get done and where I’m going for the week.
Watch this short (I mean really short) video where I give you some surprising secrets I use to be uber-productive with my work time. And, yes, you will learn how to kill your To-Do list.
Here’s what I recommended on the video, (you did watch it, didn’t you?):
- Work from long-term goals. Keep an eye n your goals for the year, quarter, and week. Little distractions plot to rip us away from what really counts – don’t let them.
- Create a Flight Plan. Your plan for the week (what you will get done by Friday) is central to your success. Invest 15 minutes every Friday to review, rethink, and redesign your week. The best investment you can make in your focus and success.
- Break down your Flight Plan down to only what you can do. Overestimating how much you will get done in the week is just a set-up for failure. I prefer to have a short list (I like the dopamine rush I get from crossing tasks off my list), get it done and add more if I can.
Throw your list away and start again. Here’s the trick: at the end of the day throw your list away. This is akin to zero-based budgeting and great for thinking creatively about what is really important.
How do you manage your lists? I want to know. Tell me in the comments below (I’ll write back)
Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/danielfoster/14763281284/
Hugh, I always dig your tips. I’ve been a “to-do” list junkie for years and am ready to refer to myself as a recovering to-do lister. I’ve caught myself putting items on my “daily” to-do list that are actually long term projects. Tons of stress with that fun technique. Now when I catch myself doing that I pop them onto my iCal or just create a file folder to push those aside for awhile.
Thanks for the simple 3-step plan.
Cheers,
Tom
Thanks Tom. I think this is so important: where the tasks lands makes all the different to the “energy” it has. Once I see something on my Day List it jumps priority. Often, if I just take a minute longer it will go to where it really belongs and I can stay focussed on what really belongs in my attention.
Just getting into your blog. I use Nozbe for important tasks to keep track of and that becomes my To-Do list. The insurance company I work for is beginning to use eScoreboard to track yearly, quarterly, monthly and finally weekly goals. In other words, keeping the funnel full of activity to general dollar goals.
Thanks Jim!