A while back, a reader wrote that they didn’t know how I accomplish all the things I do each day. I wrote back that I make a list each night of the things I believe need to get done the following day. Helps to keep me focused and manages my expectations.
Most days, the majority of the things, if not all of them, get crossed off my to-do list. But there are days when some items end up getting carried over to the next day and sometimes even the next, due to my needing to prioritize. And then there are days like today.
Although I had a carry-over list of things from yesterday, I also had a new list of things to do today. And now, near the end of the day, very few items from either list have been crossed off. Did I goof off all day? Hardly! Instead, I was pulled in a variety of other directions that kept me hopping from one thing to another. I did manage to get a ton of work done, but very little of what had been on my lists.
In years past, not getting everything crossed off my list would have driven my crazy. I would have wasted an inordinate amount of time and energy worrying over things out of my control. And in the end, I would have made myself sick trying to force my way through getting all the things checked off. But, thankfully, I’ve learned a thing or two over the years.
I no longer stress when things don’t get done. Well, at least the things that didn’t really need to be accomplished right then. And that right there is the trick. I finally learned to discern between things that need to get done versus the things I want to get done. Not to say that accomplishing things I want isn’t important. It is. In fact, as I’ve written before, those are often the things that fortify me to make it through other tasks.
But learning the difference between must do and would like to do things has gone a long ways towards teaching me to be more productive. How? Well, by not exerting energy worrying about things that don’t need to be done right then and there, I free up my schedule to get done those things that are priorities. And as an added bonus, I avoid creating stress in my life. Reducing anxieties promotes a healthier mindset that keeps me more balanced, thus ensuring that I’ll be the best prepared for what comes my way.
In the end, I’ve learned to be discerning when creating my to-do lists, only penciling in items that I think need to get done the next day. That, itself, goes a long ways towards helping to manage expectations, reduce stress and allows me to be more productive.
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