[PODCAST 264]: A Shorter List…TODAY.

I thought it would be fun to start off this podcast with some awesome testimonials from our LearnDoBecome community. 🙂

The first one is from Olga:

This next one is from Amanda:

And now onto the podcast! 🙂

If you’re like most people, you have a REALLY long list of things to do. Some written down, some in your head.

But you also never get that list done, and it keeps growing, and it becomes this “race to the bottom” that will never actually have a finish line.

Today I’m sharing the biggest lie that we all have somehow come to believe about our long lists, and once we uncover that lie, I promise your lists will get shorter, and you’ll actually get them DONE.

The lie is this: A long list = “I get more things done.”

And before you say, “that’s true!” I want to show you another way to think about it that I believe will change the way you work and reduce the stress you feel.

Now I often hear things like this:

“I love the idea of a small list but if I don’t make more headway on my tasks each week, they will get backlogged and either there will be consequences or I will be overwhelmed the following week or both.”

Here’s why this perspective is great:

It acknowledges that a small list would feel better
It shows that this person is realistic and recognizes the pace required to keep up with their life
It shows this person is responsible and careful

But let’s go back to the BIG LIE:
If my list is long, I will get all the things done that I need to do.

We KNOW this is a lie–because how many times have we actually finished our super long lists–consistently (not talking about one big burst at the end of a period of procrastination). But we all still make long lists over and over again.

I KNOW you have a lot on your plate, and I know you might feel like it all rests on your shoulders and if you slow down, you’ll let people down.

But I want to walk you through this process of lightening your load. You can still do great things (WITH the help of your higher power AND while still making time for self care and your family), but it does NOT depend on a long list.

FIRST, let’s look at our beliefs about a short list.

It means we are ignoring important things.
It means we’ll stop once we get done, and we’ll forget everything else that didn’t make the list.
It means we are living below our level of energy and responsibilities.

Those are all false.

What we’re actually doing is selecting the highest-priority items from the long list and giving ourselves space to get them done. (You can even give yourself a deadline for your short list, if you’d like.)

And then we have everything else waiting on the sidelines–safely stored, not to be forgotten.

Here’s what happens when we work from a short list:

We’ll build momentum because it feels easy.
We’ll move to the next-highest priority items once we finish that short list because they’re not lost–they’re just waiting.
We’ll ultimately get more done with less effort because we’re in the flow of productivity.

Now let’s look at how time is typically spent vs. how it could be spent.

In this first example with a long list, we procrastinate for a long time and then do a flurry of activity right at the end. This can sometimes still be effective in getting our lists completed, but we’re stressed the whole time. We typically feel some sort of mental strain while we’re procrastinating AND while we’re finally doing all the stuff we delayed.

In this next example with a short list, we get right to work, steadily completing small groups of tasks until we are done. (Remember that short list–and then the next-in-line items that can be completed next). Then we have time left over to either rest and replenish or potentially move forward on some other things that we’re excited about.

At this point, you may be thinking, “Okay, but how do I actually DO this?”

Step 1: Make your list of the things you actually have to do in the next few weeks. These are not “someday” items or wish list items. These are things that you truly need to do.

Here’s a small example (I’m imagining yours may have 100 items or so, if you’re new to this):

Exercise
Dentist on the 4th at 3pm
Update the Sales Page at Work
Vitamins Daily
Bloodwork
Learn Software for Accounting
Fix Faucet
Return package Thursday
Garden Cleaned Up
Trip to Oregon Planned
Birthday Gifts for Son
Laundry
Attend the Conference for Work

Step 2: Add any one-time calendar-specific tasks to your calendar. These are either appointments (like the dentist and the work conference) or tasks that have to be done on a specific day (like returning that package on Thursday).

Step 3: For anything that is a routine, meaning it needs to be done over and over again, add it to a Routines List–organized by Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly–and post it or create it digitally–as long as you will see it regularly. This would include things like exercise, daily vitamins, and laundry.

Once you’re finished with those 3 steps, what should be left are either Projects or Next Actions.

Step 4: For your projects, I recommend you select between 1 and 8 to go on your Current Projects List, which you will then post somewhere obvious or keep it digitally somewhere that will be visible throughout your work day. The number of projects you choose is determined by how big the projects are and how much time you have to actually do them. I suggest you err on the low end.

Step 5: For any projects that don’t currently fit on your Current Projects List, create a “Next in Line” list. If any of them have a deadline when you MUST begin working on them, add a calendar reminder. That way you’ll know they are safe.

Step 6: Populate your Next Actions List. This is a weekly list organized by where you are when you’re getting the list done. (Home, Computer, Errands, Phone, and To Discuss.) Here I suggest you write about ⅓ of the number of tasks you think you can do. I know it feels weird, but trust me. You’ll be grateful when your lists actually get done.

Step 7: All additional Next Actions go on a “Next in Line” list at least until next week.

I know from personal experience how satisfying it feels to make a really long list and give ourselves a ton of stuff to do.

But I also know–from many painful personal experiences–that when we do that over and over again and perpetuate that lie that a long list means we get more done, we end up feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and sick. We won’t sleep well, we’ll feel cranky when things “get in our way,” and we’ll feel down about ourselves.

It isn’t easy to lighten our lists. It often feels incredibly counterintuitive. I had to do this a couple of weeks ago when I had too many expectations for myself and didn’t even realize that was the problem until my incredibly insightful doctor pointed it out. As soon as I lightened my load and visibly made my lists smaller, my body responded, and I can’t even explain what a gift that is.

Your next steps:
Go through the process I outlined here and then PLEASE let me know how it goes or if you have any additional questions! I am cheering you on, and I am so excited for you to feel that relief I know is possible!

To close, I wanted to highlight a couple more community members!

Erin shared this recent experience with us: