Oh, the dreaded task list.
How big is yours?
Mine can get unruly sometimes. When I have a ton of things that I need to get done, I tend to do a ‘brain dump’ and build a big task list to see all of the things that I need to plan to do.
But did you know that doing that can actually make things worse?
If you are anxious about having too much on your plate, having it all written down in front of you can actually make you more anxious.
Sound like you? If it does, then I have a suggestion for you. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself! Just do one thing.
No, I mean it. Right now. Just do one thing.
I have seen people get so wrapped up in ‘making the list’ that they don’t get anything done.
So pick one thing. And do it.
You will get more done that way. By taking action. I promise you.
Anxiety, planning, strategizing, research – they all contribute to the ‘not getting anything done’.
How to prioritize? There are a few ways to decide what you will tackle.
1. The toughest thing – by getting your most challenging item out of the way, you clear the decks for the easier stuff. Maybe you have to make 5 sales calls today. This is something that quite often gets pushed to the bottom of the pile, and then remains undone. Often easy to start here!
2. The easiest thing – just get started. You’ll feel better by accomplishing something and then you can do something else. Maybe you just want to pick the topic for your next newsletter. Make a decision. Voila, task complete.
3. Something that springboards into another task – so much of what we do is like a ladder – one task leads into another. So if you have four things that are part of one larger project, get those off your plate first. Maybe you are writing a blog post. You need to pick a topic, find an image, write the article and then add a call to action. All four of those things are related, but doing one will lead to another and you’ll complete a larger task easily by just doing them in succession.
Getting more done hinges on just one thing – actually doing something!
So look at your list, and just get going.
And don’t forget to celebrate your success when you complete something. It feels good and when you feel good, will help you to move along to getting more done, today!