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sometimes When you’re too busy, all you want to do is dodge that never-ending to-do list. You’re exhausted from whack-a-mole, rushing to meet the constant demands, but never quite sure if you’ve “smashed it.” You worry that you’re forgetting something important, that you’re not making progress on the things that really matter.
As a life coach, I’ve seen firsthand how starting a “someday-maybe-later” checklist can help. Making a conscious choice to set aside or postpone tasks can help remove some immediate stressors so you can focus. Also, with some structure, you can gradually turn it into a “master item list,” the kind of tool recommended by tool productivity experts to prevent overwhelm in the future.
face the reality of time
While time management experts recommend various systems, a common recommendation is to capture all requests, tasks, and obligations. In his seminal work, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen emphasizes the importance of documenting “open loop” or unfinished work in order to give you full attention to the task at hand. In the first line of his book, he promises, “A person can do a lot with overwhelming positive feelings of clarity and loose control and still function effectively.”
Most recently, Cal Newport, author of several books, including Deep Work: The Rules for Centralizing Success in a World of Distractions, also urged one of his busy listeners deep problem Podcast to “Facing the productivity dragon. He pointed out that “ambiguous obligations . . . [have] Unfortunately, this has become commonplace during our current largely remote and persistently frantic work period. “
Like Allen, Newport recommends having a designated place to keep track of all obligations so you can remember where to find them. In an email conversation, he described his system: “I have a separate place to keep track of the obligations of each of my professional roles (actually a task board). Every place has a copy that needs to be clarified and detailed. A list of things to illustrate. That way, if something vague but important comes up on my plate, I can immediately capture it without having to struggle to figure out what this vague obligation actually means in practice.”
While it takes extra effort to capture tasks as they arise, Newport points to the greater downside of the alternative: “If you don’t record everything you need to do, you’re going to forget or be late for many things, many things.”
Time management expert Laura Vanderkam also recommends getting a complete and thorough view.However, the author is not obliged to monitor the future, but 168 hours: You have more time than you think It is recommended to record everything you do every half hour each week. During the phone conversation, she explained, “If you don’t know where your time is now, then you don’t have the data to know what you’re using to improve the future.”
When I mentioned that some people might find this exercise intimidating, she said, “It’s not about playing ‘Gotcha! You’re spending too much time on Netflix or Instagram. It’s about approaching life with a spirit of curiosity. Track your time and you start to think about how you want to spend your time and learn what you can do that you mistakenly think you can’t.”
Find an easier way to start
If you’re thinking, “Easier said than done”, you’re not alone. Not surprisingly, when my coaching clients can’t find time to eat lunch or go to the bathroom, they reject new and exhaustive systems.
In its place is a more manageable Someday-Maybe-Later list: a simple “parking lot” that can be used not only for things you might want to do as Allen suggests, but also for delayed items or whatever looks like” clumsy” or sick thing – definition. With a clear framework, the act of typing or writing down tasks aside will give you a sense of control and make you feel more powerful. It gives you the ability to prioritize, reject, delegate, and defer.
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