30 Jul Completely Incomplete!
“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.”
David Allen
This is a tragically common and uniting experience for too many…particulary at work. It feels like you live with everything completely incomplete.
Does this summarize your life? Are too many things left undone…and carried over from one day to the next? Does too much (or everything) seem to hang over your head, screaming to be done, causing you endless stress and anxiety as you move through each day?
Here is a common scenario that, perhaps, you may relate to…
- You are very good at making “to do” lists…on multicolored post-it notes that you have stockpiled in your desk.
- You (sometimes) even keep them around (briefly) after writing them.
- Some lists in the past had one or two things that may have even be crossed off!
- Time goes by, and you suddenly realize you have lost your list.
- You promptly make a new list, rewriting what you remember from the old list…plus
- You read your new “to do” list and feel overwhelmed, overloaded and stressed because your list doesn’t ever decrease or disappear…it just keeps growing.
- You post your new list on your computer, so you can see it every day.
- You read it and wonder how you will ever get it all done.
- You take it down and add this to your “to do” list: Write out updated “to do” list today.
you add the multitude of new projects, deadlines, reports, meetings and presentations that you’ve added to your “to do” list.
Here is a radical idea…
Ready?
1. Only put one thing on your “to do” list…with a timeline/date that you want it completed.
2. Write down why you want to accomplish this goal. How will you feel when you reach it? What will it get/do for you?
3. Underneath that one thing on your “to do” list, write down all the steps you need to complete in order to reach your goal (which would enable you to cross it off the list!)…with a timeline for each step!
You only have one thing on your list, but as you complete steps, you’ll be crossing things off your list all day long!
Why is this such a radical step?
You’ve defined what you want to accomplish.
You’ve clarified why you want it.
You have a detailed plan to implement to reach your goal.
(And, you’ll have a post-it note to cross off each step…enabling you to see the progress as it happens!)
Just writing your “to do” list is too broad and doesn’t ever capture all the steps along the way that you ARE doing. This method will help get things done, to completion.
The more you see how much you’re doing, the more you’ll do.
Reward yourself and capture your successes!
Getting something done feels good…and just might make you feel completely complete!