[PODCAST 273]: 5 Things to Stop Keeping In Our Heads

Having a cluttered mind is SUPER common. Here are 5 things to stop keeping in your head–and better places to keep them!

I’ll be drawing from the elements of our Steps to Everyday Productivity diagram:

(1) Flexible tasks to Do “Sometime this Week”

Do you ever say, “I’ll call you later this week!” or “I’ll take the car in for an oil change in the next few days.”

Well, where do you write that down? (Most people keep it in their heads…and maybe never do it.)

Instead, you can create a Next Actions List–paper or digital–with contexts: home, phone, errands, computer, and to discuss. Simply add it to the appropriate context, and check your list throughout the week when time opens up!

(2) Things that Require a Follow-Up

Let’s say you cancel an annual service that should turn off in 3 months. Do you ever check to make sure it actually turns off? Where would you record that?

Or suppose you spoke with a work associate who said, “Let’s get together for dinner soon.” Would you actually get together?

A simple calendar reminder–on a digital calendar, inside a piece of project management software, etc.–can easily be set. And as long as you don’t have a ton of random things also on the calendar taking up space, when you see this follow-up reminder pop up, you can actually check it then!

(3) Personal Goals

According to research by Dr. Gail Matthews, writing down your goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them compared to simply thinking about them; this is because the act of writing down your goals increases clarity, commitment, and accountability, making it more likely you will take action towards achieving them.

So instead of thinking, “I’m going to _________” and then counting on your head to remind you, simply write them down and review them during your Weekly Review. (Or more often, if you’d like!)

(4) Big Decisions You Need to Think Through

What do you do if a really big, but likely profitable investment opportunity comes up, and you need to decide in the next couple of weeks? Or what would you do if your child had an opportunity to sign up for a summer humanitarian trip, and spots were filling up?

You likely need to speak with a spouse, partner, child, etc. about these things, but how do you actually remember to do it?

Using the “To Discuss” list can work wonders–it’s a section of the Next Actions List.

Or, if this is actually a project–something that requires extensive discussion, research, etc., you could add it to your Current Projects List for the month. And if it is handled quickly, you can simply move it to “Finished” and populate your list with the next Current Project!

(5) The Highest Priority Projects You’re Working on that Month

Most people work on whatever is top of mind… But what if you did have that Current Projects List I was talking about? How would it change your life if you could put the ones for this month on the “Current” list, and then the others could be waiting safely in Next in Line, Someday, etc.?

Honestly, when you have a spot to put the things that most people keep in their minds, it is a game changer.

Good luck!! Let us know if you have any questions!

Community Highlights!

I wanted to share a few amazing testimonials from our community. 🙂

The first is from Andrea and she wrote this message to go along with a couple pictures, “Gathered, processed, mind swept, and put away!”

This next testimonial is from Dianna. She wrote:

“I forgot to take a before photo but I am so pleased that I finished building my Command Central at my work office! Feeling hopeful that this system will work for me in my small business and boost my productivity!”