Reinvent your ‘to do’ list.
Take a look at today’s ‘To Do’ list.
There’s a chance it’s mainly made up of three things:
Stuff other people could and probably should be doing.
Stuff you intended to do last week/month and has been on the list ever since.
Stuff that’s quick and easy to do that you’ll probably do by the end of today giving you the illusion of productivity but that doesn’t actually get you any closer to your most important goals.
Am I right?
This is because:
A. Being reactive is easier than being proactive.
B. Saying yes is easier than saying no.
C. Productivity is easier than effectivity.
So today, why not reinvent your ‘To Do’ list?
Try this: adopt a fixed volume approach to time and focus on outcomes not inputs.
In other words, treat your time as precious and spend it wisely.
On a blank page, separate tasks into three lists: strategic, operational or tactical.
Strategic tasks are important but never urgent.
The high-leverage activities that move the dial on your most important goals.
The mountain you can’t climb in one leap.
Business plans, website builds, new business ideas, creative projects, a new job, a career change.
They require deep thinking, outside input, breaking down into manageable steps, scheduling in advance and protecting within your diary at all costs.
Book time in now for days when you can do deep, uninterrupted work and promise yourself you won’t move them.
Operational tasks are ongoing and repetitious.
Urgent but not important.
Ideally, automate them - or at least complete them automatically.
Email correspondence, contracting, basic admin, payments & invoicing.
The monkeys you need off your back at speed with minimal mental cost.
Do these at high speed when your energy is low or when you’re most likely to be distracted.
Tactical Tasks are somewhere in between.
They are strategy made bite-sized.
Individual parts, the sum of which will achieve your most important goals.
Drafting the business plan introduction, selecting a website hosting platform, booking a call with a new potential collaborator, working on your CV, reconnecting with an old colleague.
The tangible progress you can make day-by-day towards what matters.
Climbing the mountain one step at a time.
Harness the motivating power of small wins.
Give yourself a fixed amount of time each day - say, an hour - and complete one task before the time runs out.
And it doesn’t have to be perfect: get it done, not dusted.
When you have your three lists, try aiming for the 30, 40, 20, 10 split.
30 % of your time on strategic tasks, scheduled monthly.
40% of your time on tactical tasks, scheduled weekly.
20% of your time on operational tasks, handled daily.
10% contingency for interruptions, distractions and breaks.
And most importantly, know what is NOT on your to do list (because it’s already on the ‘To Not Do’ list you made two weeks ago, right?).
I’d love to know how you get on.
