There is so much I want to achieve that for years I’ve been working on becoming more productive. I’ve focused on do more, do more, do more.
However, after several tired weeks when I haven’t looked at my task list, I’ve had a revelation. Why do I want to do more? What will I do when I’ve finished everything on my list? Nothing, because I’ve added everything I want to do on to my list, so when I’ve finished it I’ll just do more of what is on the list.
I’ve fallen into a trap of putting everything on my list, with the expectation that if it is on my list I will do it, but this isn’t happening because:
- there are too many items on my list
- I’ve lost the joy out of my hobbies as I’ve turned them into tasks
- I can’t see the important tasks as they are lost in amongst all the others.
This last point is important and shows I’ve been misunderstanding how to deal with the important things. I’ve put everything on my list so it got longer and longer, and because there is little differentiation between the tasks I have to do and ones I want to do means I’ve often missed the have to do. So it is time I remember the following, which I think I learnt from Mark Forster:
- time sensitive tasks added into diary
- day sensitive tasks add as a task for the day
- all other tasks go on a list
I’m embarrassed to say that I think I let my task list become the focus of my day, instead of an aid to help me enjoy the day. I’ve focussed on completing more, more, more instead of focusing on completing better tasks, you know the important ones. I’m going to change this by rethinking my task list. I’m not sure how yet, but I’m keen to spend more focussed time on my most important things – my husband and children, and on my hobbies.
How do you approach managing your tasks? Do you use paper or digital? How do you balance how you’re spending your time? Have you had to significantly change the way you deal with tasks?