To-Do Lists: A False Sense of Productivity
I felt pride in the long to-do lists I was able to cross over. Every day, I would start my mornings by writing dozens of random tasks in my schedule that I was supposed to get done. There wasn't anything special with these tasks, despite the fact I felt productive just by thinking of accomplishing them. A sense of excitement would rush through me, and the thought of finishing the day with all those tasks completed was fulfilling by itself.
However, and even though my efforts were being directed to accomplishing a wide variety of tasks, I did not see significant progress in any of the goals I've set up to achieve. I could swear on my high productivity and work ethic levels but could not prove them with results.
As of today, it is easy for me to understand the reasons behind the lack of progress — I was busy, not productive. Most of my days were filled with a wide batch of tasks and obligations, most of which had nothing to do with the goals I wanted to accomplish. Rather than planning my days to fit my objectives, I had let the days rule my plans.
You can probably relate to a dozen-item-to-do-list. Sounds exciting, but it’s rather dreadful. You can relate to getting multiple tasks done while pilling up the ones that could have moved your life forward. This habit that I found common among workers is why most people feel busy and tired but cannot get their goals out of the paper. If most of your time is spent on everyday tasks with scattered attention, it's no wonder you're not accomplishing the most crucial priorities.
The critical question is not "how many things can I do today?" but rather "what is the one thing for today?" When you focus on the proper priority, you could only get that one done and still be way ahead when compared to completing dozens of tasks that should not have been done in the first place
Don't get me wrong. I love lists. I love to-do lists. But I must be cautious not to let those lists give me a false sense of productivity. Otherwise, I will soon find most of my time wasted on ineffective tasks that should have remained undone
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How to Create Productive To-Do Lists
The critical insight is not to let your extensive lists ruin your levels of productivity and effectiveness. However, it is always challenging to avoid the "to-do list" trap of giving you a false sense of productivity. With the three strategies below, I hope to help you avoid this mistake.
#1 Focus on Quality rather than Quantity
Do you really prefer to have completed 12 items when, in fact, the most valuable one stayed untouched? I relentlessly measure the importance of each item in my to-do list and attribute it the logical priority — tasks with more value should come first. By following this approach, you start exchanging time for measurable progress rather than wrongly perceived productivity.
#2 Select the three most important tasks
If you still struggle with keeping your to-do list small, select 3 of the most important tasks you want to dedicate your focus during the day. When those three tasks are completed, you can move to additional ones that won't add much value.
#3 Create a Not-To-Do List
I can't count the number of times I've occupied my time with tasks that were not my responsibility. As I've got a "get things done" mentality, it is natural for me to accomplish stuff, even when I wasn't supposed to. If you relate to this issue, I highly encourage you to create a list of items you should not do. This includes tasks that are other people's responsibility but that you still tend to slide your nose in.