In last week’s post, I tried to take to-do lists down a peg or two, making the argument that they aren’t all they’re made out to be.
At least not in how they’re typically used.
In today’s post, I will make the case for using your to-do list as part of a larger system for getting things done.
First, A Mea Culpa
So I left out a major section in my post last week that I had written in a note on my phone (yes, sometimes I write entire blog posts on my phone)! I’ll chalk it up to [unsuccessfully] sleep training my youngest.
Anyway, I didn’t realize I had done so until I reviewed the post in order to write this follow-up post. Whoops!
I figured I’d just adapt the material into this post. I may later go back to move it back into last week’s post.
Sweating the Little Stuff
I mentioned last week that you can use a to-do list to feel productive by writing tasks down and reviewing them without actually executing on any of them. You can spend considerable amounts of time rewriting your list, color-coding it, reorganizing it, etc., etc., and…end up where you started.
Furthermore, we tend to avoid the more important or complex tasks in favor of easier, quicker items to get those “quick wins.”
With a simple to-do list system, the seemingly urgent (no matter whether they’re important or not) tend to take precedence over the truly important.
Big projects tend to get neglected. They loom large in our minds and on our to-do lists but consistently get the shaft.
The To-Do List – Misery Cycle
What does it mean when we neglect the big projects?
It means we rarely make progress on our important goals. And what happens when we don’t make the progress we expect?
We feel like we are failures, that we have let others down, and that we can’t keep up with life. This causes overwhelm, shame, and frustration.
Unfortunately, many of us go further. We make that tell a story about ourselves. A story that becomes part of our identity. A story about how we don’t honor commitments to ourselves to get things done. That we lack willpower or have some character flaw.
It turns into a vicious cycle of not doing what we’re “supposed” to do and then feeling bad about it.
Yes, I’ve used this before, but it’s so apropos.
What To Do About the To-Do
Like many tools, a to-do list in isolation or out of context can sometimes do more harm than good. In this case, it can destroy not only our productivity, but also our self-image and sense of self-efficacy.
So how do we break the cycle? How can we best use our to-do list to actually accomplish our tasks?
Simple. We make our calendar our to-do list. We plan our time.
Adults Are Just Big Kids
Yes, I’ve used this subtitle before as well.
Just like toddlers need a regimented schedule to help them navigate their days and transitions, so too do we adults in order to achieve the goals we set for ourselves.
We have to constrain ourselves by scheduling the things we want to get done. Doing so effectively defines a specific time to accomplish each item on the to-do list.
Schedules give our days and weeks structure; they remove a large degree of uncertainty from our lives. If you schedule your tasks, then you know what you need to do at a specific time.
You are planning on how, where, and when to focus your attention. That’s powerful and how you get stuff done.
Not having a schedule leaves us with too many options, which can actually be deleterious and has been termed the “tyranny of choice.”
Having a schedule is a much more sensible approach than stumbling into “free time” and spending it trying to figure out what you should be doing. (Does this sound familiar?)
But, But, But...
Now I know your brain is going to offer up countless objections to this, like:
- That’s not how I roll, I’m a free-wheeling spirit. You can’t constrain this!
- That sounds like what a tiger parent does to their child!
- That’s too regimented!
- I don’t know how long things will take.
- Ugh, I have to spend MORE time looking at my to-do list!?
But what if scheduling out your to-dos actually frees you up? How is that possible?
It gives you back your personal and family time. You know exactly when tasks will be done, and over time you’ll learn to trust that you’ll honor your schedule.
That means your to-do list won’t loom over you in the back of your mind, making you anxious and miserable when you’re trying to enjoy yourself!
Calendaring by Any Other Name...
I should point out that scheduling your to-do list is not my idea. I call it calendaring. You may have heard this elsewhere called time-blocking or time-boxing.
Brooke Castillo of The Life Coach School terms it Monday Hour One since she chose Mondays as her day to schedule out the tasks she needs to complete in a given week.
Fellow coach and friend Jimmy Turner (a.k.a. The Physician Philosopher) initially called his take on this Sunday Hour One to better accommodate physician schedules, before renaming it (aptly, I might add) to A Priori Planning.
It's All in the Execution
Now earlier I said this process was simple, but that doesn’t make it easy. Like many things in life, it’s the concepts that are simple; the challenge resides in the execution.
I, for one, have a scheduling accountability partner with whom I Zoom weekly so we can spend dedicated time scheduling out our subsequent week.
And I misjudge the time tasks require frequently. But I learn as I go. It’s an iterative process. I tailor my schedule to my needs and adjust it over time.
I can honestly say that I am able to cram way more stuff into what I previously called “busy days.” I learned that “busy” was a label I was telling myself due to not having a good system in place.
Take yesterday, for example. I destroyed the One Ring to Rule Them All in no time flat. Just flew on my trusty giant eagle friend and knocked it out in about an hour.
Seriously. That didn’t require a long-ass trilogy that translated to 10+ hours on the big screen. …Not that I didn’t enjoy the books and movies.
Frivolous examples, spoilers, and plot holes aside, calendaring can take your productivity to the next level.
Tune in next week to see how calendaring your to-do list is actually done!
Do you schedule your to-do list? If so, how has it worked for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Let me know in the comments section below.
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