You Must Master The Art of "Not-To-Do List" If You Want to Accomplish Your To-Do List

Just being optimistic isn't enough

Like most people, I had the wrong perception of productivity.

I always thought that to be productive, I needed to do something constantly. If I wasn’t working on a task, I must not be working hard enough.

This led to a lot of self-imposed stress and anxiety. Plus, I wasted time and energy addressing burnout.

I later learned from the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport that productivity doesn’t mean “doing.” It means less mental clutter that automatically translates into quality actions.

As an experiment, I started deleting my to-dos to eliminate mental chaos.

Instead, I created not-to-dos.

And the major benefit I gained from my not-to-do list is that it provides clarity and mental stability by reducing guilt and overwhelm about things you think you should or have promised to do but can’t.

It also improved my connections with my clients because it prevented me from making empty promises.

In a nutshell, I saved time, energy, and creativity — the most treasured resource.

But, here’s what I wished I had given up earlier.

Elongated work hours

It was 8:00 p.m. on a Saturday, and I was exhausted. I had been working all day and still had two more hours to go.

As I trudged through my work, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the best way to get things done. Surely there must be a better way to increase productivity than working overtime.

A month later, googling my concerns, I came across Henry Ford’s experiment with the 40-hour work week. In 1926, Ford reduced his employees’ working hours from 60 to 40 hours per week.

To everyone’s surprise, productivity actually increased!

The eight-hour day and five-day week aren’t ideal, he said. “Next, we’ll probably shorten the day, not the week.”

Since then, many studies have been conducted on the effects of working overtime, and the results are always the same — it leads to decreased productivity.

Complex mental performance diminishes more quickly than physical ability.

So, when you work long hours, you not only start to feel physically and mentally exhausted but also become less productive.

Your attention span suffers, and you make more mistakes.

So if you want to work extra hours, the best thing you can do is take a break.

Go for a walk, take a nap, or step away from your work for a few minutes. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle your tasks with new energy and focus.

And that’s how you’ll get the most done in the least amount of time.

Being like Pavlov’s dogs

The phone dings and we rush to check the notification. We all are guilty.

In short, we’re like Pavlov’s dogs, responding to the stimulus without even thinking about it.

But here’s the thing: when you’re in the middle of working on something, stopping to check your phone is only going to disrupt your train of thought.

And make it harder for you to focus.

Research says:

“It takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on track after being interrupted.”

So if you’re constantly checking your phone, you’re losing valuable time.

And focus.

And creative energy.

Instead of letting yourself distracted by your phone, set it to silent and put it away.

Batching your email reads and responses is the best way to preserve your focus.

You’ll be surprised at how much more quality work you’ll do when you kill distractions.

Ignoring your circadian and ultradian rhythms

We all have natural rhythms that dictate when we’re the most productive.

For most people, these are the circadian rhythm (the 24-hour cycle that governs our sleep-wake cycles) and the ultradian rhythm (the 90–120 minute cycles that govern our energy levels throughout the day).

If you want to be productive, it’s important to work with these rhythms rather than against them.

Here’s what I mean:

Arrange your work schedule around the times when you’re naturally the most alert and energetic.

For some people, that can be getting up early in the morning to get a head start on their day.

For others, it can be working later in the evening when they feel more alert and focused.

But no matter your natural rhythms, the key is to work with them rather than against them. Only then will you be able to make the most of your time and energy.

Waiting for your muse to strike

As a creative person, I used to wait for inspiration to hit before starting work on a project. I would sit at my desk, staring at a blank page, and scroll through social media, trying to find my muse.

But guess what?

The muse is a fickle friend, and she doesn’t always show up when you need her.

Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, try this instead:

Just start. The inner resistance will last only for the first ten minutes or so. Then the floodgates open. The ideas will start flowing, and before you know it, you’ll be in the zone.

It doesn’t matter if what you’re doing is good or bad, just get something down.

To tackle those initial moments of resistance, you can set a timer for yourself. You can also decide the punishment (10 jumping jacks, no phone for an hour, no sugar for a day, etc. )for stopping before the timer goes off.

Trying to hit all the birds with one stone

If I could juggle enough balls, I would surely get more done.

But, of course, that’s not how it works.

I’ve always experienced that whenever I tried to do too many things at once, I spread myself too thin and not doing any of them very well.

It’s important to hold onto one thing until it’s done.

One thing at a time. Give it your full attention.

Don’t let the temptation to do everything at once overwhelm you.

Multitasking deteriorates the quality of the task. And it consumes more energy and resources in re-doing them.

Doing things that someone else could do

One of the biggest productivity killers is trying to do everything by yourself.

We live in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with the message that we need to be self-sufficient and independent.

And while there’s nothing wrong with being capable and resourceful, there comes the point where you have to ask for help.

That’s why you ask yourself, “Could someone else do this?”

If the answer is yes, then you shouldn’t be doing it.

Why?

Because there are only so many hours in the day, you want to use that time to focus on the tasks only you can do.

For example, if you’re a manager, you shouldn’t be doing the work of your employees. That’s what they’re there for!

Instead, you should be using your time to manage and motivate them.

The same goes for any other task — if someone else could do it just as well (or even better) than you, then delegate it.

That way, you can focus your energy on the things that only you can do.