Rethink Your To-Do List
One of the best parts of working with high-growth companies is this: there is no shortage of team members who like to achieve. And one common theme among high achievers is that they are big on to-do lists.
What Are To-do Lists?
When I talk about to-do lists, I am not limiting them to day-to-day tasks. Some of the lists (and whiteboards) include big-picture goals for the year.
This may seem counterintuitive because goals are typically associated with broader aims.
Still, achievers are very intent and focused on having concrete measurements—items they can check off to measure progress.
Similar to the achievers we partner with, I personally also have this tendency. In fact, it’s one of my talent themes in the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment (#9 - Achiever).
While I like lists, they're not the end-all for me.
During my own discovery process, one thing I’ve reflected on (and this often comes up with clients and leaders as well) is how we actually craft and think about our to-do lists.
How Most People Approach To-Do Lists
Most people have a to-do list and strive to check things off as they go throughout the day.
They feel satisfied and fulfilled in doing so. It keeps them busy. They feel like they are moving forward and “doing things.”
Getting stuff done. Making progress.
The interesting thing about achieving, though, is sometimes being busy does not equate to feeling productive.
I hear it all too often… “It’s the end of the day, and I don’t actually know what I got done or accomplished.”
A Different Approach to To-Do Lists
That’s why to-do lists can be viewed in a different light.
We can think about them more strategically. And explore how to prioritize “to-do’s” that culminates with actually making progress vs. keeping us busy (and potentially stagnating).
Make them ahead of time.
One of the common practices I talk about with leaders is creating your to-do list a day/night ahead of time.
This means you are setting your intentions for the upcoming day before it happens. It’s a form of preparation that puts you in a proactive state instead of a reactive one. I personally practice this as well. I take the two or three most important items to get done and place them at the top of my list. Those alone would make a huge difference and produce a feeling of progress and accomplishment.
But there's another meaningful approach that can enhance this preparation and impact.
Focus On How You Want To Feel.
This approach has less to do with what has to get done and more to do with how you want to feel.
This insight came during a Strengths conversation of my own. The coach I was speaking with asked,
“How could your feelings show up in your day-to-day or your to-do list?”
What a concept! On your to-do list, you could actually put desires and goals to feel a certain way.
You could also put the feeling itself on the list too.
For example, let’s say I want to feel relaxed at the end of the day.
At the top of my to-do list, I could include something that always leads to relaxation. It could be a 1-on-1 meeting, a quick walk or stretch, deep breathing, meditation, time with my family, or a combination of these activities.
Shift Your Mindset. Feel More Productive.
It might seem like it detracts from “getting things done,” but it will likely leave you feeling more productive (and relaxed).
Your to-do list gradually becomes more of what you want to feel during the day. That is a more strategic approach. A to-do list is typically synonymous with how busy we consider ourselves to be.
But we need to decouple busyness and productivity because they are different things.
In addition to decoupling those terms, we can spend time defining what “productive” looks like for us. That is how we actually achieve and make meaningful progress for ourselves and our teams in a fulfilling and impactful way.
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