I developed this “new” method for tracking my “to do’s” this year, and I was all proud.
It allowed me a place to capture all of my to dos and enter in all the thoughts that came into my head,
and keep tabs on them,
and carry them forward from week to week…
And, very quickly I started feeling a weight tied around my neck – and didn’t know exactly what it was.
I had my “big” priorities listed on the same page as many “great” tactical ideas.
All of them were value-added, worthwhile ideas.
Much like all of our “to dos” and “intentions”… We are all smart, so we don’t usually put “dumb” ideas on our to do list.
The issue, and the stress, and the disharmony was simply…
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO EXECUTE EVERY GOOD IDEA THAT I HAVE!
By creating a “live” to do list that allowed me to capture everything, the number of to dos grew week over week, and while I knocked out many of them, the list kept growing.
The ones that I completed where deleted/hidden… so the only visibility I had was to the ever growing list of good ideas and worthwhile TO DOs.
On top of that, some of the ideas were decisions that I had to make.
And, I was not making them.
How much does the weight of uncompleted “to dos” and unresolved “decisions” weigh on your harmony?
Even if uncompleted to dos and unresolved decisions don’t create some level of disharmony in you (which I would argue), how much do they distract you from doing the things that would be of greater value and bring you greater harmony?
So…
I am DECIDING and DELETING for harmony.
The moment that I started that approach, I started lightening the weight around my neck and reducing the size of my daily disharmony.
Our “to dos” in business and in life, cannot be driven by “the number of our ideas” that we are able to generate.
Our “to dos” should be driven by a combination of the most important aspects of who we are committed to being, and THE AMOUNT OF TIME we have in our day.
SO… BEFORE I enter a new thing on my “to do” list from now on, I will first go through the following question set:
1. Is this mission critical? (If no, capture in parking lot or FORGET IT)
2. If yes: Should / Can anyone else take this on as a strategic priority? (If yes, delegate it and follow up)
3. If no: Should / Can anyone else take this on as a tactical priority? (If yes, delegate it and FORGET about it!)
4. If no: What is the specific and initial action that I need to take, how long will it take, and WHEN is it ideal to complete? Put it on the to do list on the appropriate week.
I am going to put TIMES by each activity for the week and KEEP A TOTAL TALLY… when the time for the week is full, I will not add another item to that week without taking one away.
I don’t know how it will go, but I need to continue to embrace the absolute truth.
How many of us have never ending to do lists that never get fully finished?
Is that the best way to achieve harmony in our lives? I don’t think so.
DELETE and DECIDE for harmony… Like anything else, the idea is simple, the application requires diligence, discipline and practice.
Harmony is about embracing our truth and moving it toward what we want.
If our to do lists are causing us disharmony, a lack of focus, confusion as to our priorities… lets change them!
DECIDE AND DELETE for harmony.
We all know the idea that “less is more”, but yours truly only understands that in theory… NOT in practice.
GOOD IDEAS are just that GOOD IDEAS…
RESIST to make ALL GOOD IDEAS into TO DOs…
TRUTH is you just CAN’T…
I was struggling with the decision to go to Peru or not, and when to go. It was weighing on me. I didn’t like any of the options. The indecision led me to a place where I was WISHING I didn’t have to go. I was WISHING I didn’t have to miss this thing or that thing. I was WISHING I would make a decision.
SO, I DID.
As soon as I decided, it became my truth. I decided what I would and would not attend. It went from UNCERTAINTY to CERTAINTY. It moved the energy from “outside” of my control, into my control.
Disharmony comes from LACK of CONTROL…
Is your to do list out of your control?
Are your decisions or indecisions causing you to feel out of control?
EMBRACE all that is in your control…
DECIDE AND DELETE !!!
Yours in harmony!
Nestor