Nathan Lozeron, Author at Productivity Game

Time to read: 4:09 minutes

Audio Version:

‘To-do’ lists are helpful, to a certain point…

A ‘to-do’ list is handy for capturing action items that come our way. Keeping a ‘to-do’ list nearby creates a gap between the requests people make and the next action we take.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
– Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl

When a request comes our way we capture it on our ‘to-do’ list and return to what we were focusing on. By putting something on a ‘to-do’ list we tell ourselves: “this thing will eventually get done, but now is not the right time”.

“The things which are most important don’t always scream the loudest.”
– Bob Hawke

However, ‘to-do’ lists have a dark side: they get long and overwhelming. Eventually, our ‘to-do’ lists become a dense array of activities. In an attempt to get our list back to a manageable state, we frantically do one activity after another and lose sight of the results that we actually WANT – the results that actually matter.

At this point you could step back, analyze each item on your ‘to-do’ list and prioritize it. But I have a different idea…

Declare ‘to-do’ list bankruptcy!

By allowing ourselves to let go of our current ‘to-do’ list we have an opportunity to create a meaningful ‘to-do’ list.

If you’re willing to give this a shot – bring out a blank piece of paper and answer the questions listed below. Simply write down whatever comes to mind. If nothing comes to mind – write down some something stupid or obvious, and continue onto the next question.

Step 1: Adjust Your Mindset

Pretend that everything you NEED do today is optional. There will be consequences for failing to do certain things BUT the choice to accept those consequence is yours. Be grateful for things you’ve already accomplished and learn to see each new thing as a bonus to your life. With this new ‘mindset’ you stop thinking: “I should do this” or “I need to do this”, and you start thinking: “I have the opportunity to do this” or “I want to do this”. This perspective change allows you to see more opportunities and options when answering the questions listed below.

Step 2: List

Think commitments

DAILY: “What appointments do I have today?”
WEEKLY: “What do I need to prepare for this week?”
LONG-TERM: “What long-term results am I committed to?”

Think opportunities

PREVIOUS: “What recent result(s) can I build upon?”
PROJECTS: “What result, if achieved, would accelerate progress?”
PEOPLE: “Who do I need to contact to make these results happen?”

Think threats

PREVIOUS: “What issues are outstanding/unresolved?”
PROJECTS: “What issues, if not resolved, will slow down progress?”
PEOPLE: “Who do I need to contact in order to address these issues?”

Step 3: Combine

Which items have similar end results/outcomes? – Merge these items together

“See if you can cobble together a ‘Perfect 10’ option that combines the best features of multiple alternatives.”
– Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath

‘What items can I batch together and complete at the same time?’ – Group these items together
i.e.: same context – computer admin work, phone calls, errands, etc.

Step 4: Eliminate

“If I had a schedule conflict and was only able to do half of the items on this list, which items would I defer to tomorrow?”
Cross-out half of the items that are deemed not essential at this point and time. Now, look at your new list ask the same question – cross-out half of the remaining items. In the end you will have 25% of your original list.

Step 5: Prioritize

For each item not crossed out, ask: “What effect will completing this item have on my life or the lives of others?”
Start by making a small line next to the least significant item on your list that is not crossed out. Then, on the right side of each item, draw a line representing the impact the result will have on your life or the lives of others, relative to the least significant item on your list.

We now have a list of outcomes and issues that we can focus on. The list has been merged, trimmed and prioritized. The most important item, the item we should focus on next, has longest line next to it.

A list of outcomes, issues and batches is digestible. This list is meaningful because we’ve taken a proactive approach to it.

The NEW ‘to-do’ list is meaningful for another reason: a phenomenon in behavior psychology called the ‘availability heuristic’. The availability heuristic states that the more ideas we are able to generate, to more important we believe a list is. The brain is effectively saying: “if I came up with all these ideas – then I must be experienced in this area, therefore it must be important”. Translation: when we re-generate a ‘to-do’ list by going through the steps listed above, our new list will automatically seem meaningful to us, even if it isn’t the perfect list.

To prevent falling back into the ‘to-do’ list activity trap we must continually ask ourselves the following question when faced with new action items:

“Is this the best use of my time?”

“If it’s not a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
– Essentialism by Greg Mckeown

Asking this question stops us from simply accepting every action item that comes our way. To take on a new task that day it needs to be more important than ALL the other items on your list. With this in mind we will learn to push back OR delegate several tasks that come our way.

Remember: It’s OK to throw out your ‘to-do’ list and start over again.

Starting over helps you to escape the endless activites of a long ‘to-do’ list and allows you to re-focus on what you really want to achieve!

Get your PDF to-do list checklist here.

Time to read: 3:28 minutes

Inspired by the book The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

Most things we need to get done are similar to crossing a board 2 feet wide and 100 feet long. When the board is on the ground we are likely to walk across it without hesitating. However, when the board is raised 200 feet in the air, resting between two buildings, the thought of crossing the board becomes terrifying.

When a board is 200 feet off the ground we are unlikely to cross it until we notice that the board is on fire.

Fires are lit from the pressure of deadlines and the expectations of others. The fear of fire is greater than the fear of falling off the board.

The book The Now Habit explains that we are asked to cross 100 feet boards every day. However, procrastinators raise their boards off the ground because they crave perfection. Procrastinators see mistakes as unacceptable. They see failure as intolerable.

Is there a way to cross a 200-foot high board (a difficult task) without lighting a fire? Could we could install safety nets underneath our boards to ensure the fall won’t hurt?

There are safety nets we can install and their cost includes a simple mindset shift.

“The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
– John Milton

To change our mindset we need to change our language – picking a better set of words to describe a situation.

“Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

When we procrastinate our self-talk often suggests and reinforces feelings of ‘victim-hood’. We use language such as ‘I have to do it’ or ‘I should do it’. Such statements send a clear message to our minds: “I don’t want to do it, but I must force myself to do it.”

Our ‘I have to’s’ provide us with ‘no-win’ situation:

A) “If I don’t do it I will be punished”

B) “If I do it I will be going against myself”

Our ‘I should’s’ translate to: “I’m angry and disappointed about the way things are and I’m going to resist it”. This belief forms over several years of negative self-talk from what was once: “I dislike the way things are, and I’m going to do something about it.”

Whenever you notice yourself saying ‘I should…’, replace it with ‘This could lead to…’ (see the opportunities that might come from starting the task).
Whenever you notice yourself saying ‘I have to…’, replace it with ‘I can at least do…’ (make a small effort in that direction can make a difference).

The final and most destructive reason we procrastinate comes from a belief that our self-worth is tied to our results. The thought of having our work be less than ideal is terrifying. The fear of judgment causes our mind to seek safety by delaying and distracting ourselves from completing the task.

“Berkeley psychologist Rich Beery states that fear of failure stems from assuming that what you produce reflects your complete ability. You therefore use procrastination to protect your worth from being judged.”
– Neil Fiore, The Now Habit

‘I’ve failed on this task’ = ‘I’ve failed as a person’

What you need is a simple reality check: ‘what is the likelihood that doing a poor job will permanently damage my career or social status?’ There is rarely a time in which poor performance leads to more than temporary pain. (Note that there is a difference between procrastinating and genuine fear – you don’t procrastinate jumping off the edge of a cliff, you genuinely fear it…and rightfully so). The next time you consider your self-worth on the line try to complete the sentence: ‘I would recover by… ‘.

By forcing yourself to complete the statement: ‘I would recover by… ‘, you create an insurance plan in your mind. If you can think of the steps need to get you back to the status quo you will learn to see failure as a temporary outcome. More often than not the path back to where you are now is considerably easier than you realize.

The next time you feel trapped by procrastination, just remember to use the right language:

‘This could lead to…’
‘I can at least do…’
‘I would recover by…’

Face that project, take on that task. And don’t worry – you’ve got some safety nets in place!

Declare ‘To-do’ List Bankruptcy

Procrastination Language