The Three Lists

Here are three important lists.

A not-to-do list, a to-do list, and a done list.

Start with the first one as it enables you to focus on the things that matter the most. By eliminating distractions, useless meetings or conversations, meaningless projects, and irrelevant tasks, you can easily build a highly focused to-do list. Your not-do-list is a strategic level list, your to-do list is your tactical list. Eventually you’ll arrive at the done list. The done list is your output, not the outcome. To the extent possible, decouple output from outcome. Focus on what you can control, work with what you have, and arrive at the done list.

Relook into your lists on a regular basis and you'll probably see sharper focus, higher productivity and greater satisfaction from your work. I tried this for some time and it seems to work. Here’s how I do it. I visit the first list at the beginning of every week, as a daily visit can be exhausting and even redundant. Well, the idea is to say no to things that don't matter and make it a serious practice to focus on a regular basis.

If we don’t have a strategy in place, we can be easily pulled in several directions. I have been struggling for several months on a range of projects, and I think the only way to focus is eliminate our options and double down on what matters. We have limited time and digesting this irrefutable fact is paramount to our happiness and success. Allocate your precious time only to your life’s work. Don’t get being and looking busy doing mundane things without a strategy in place.

So give it a try. Build these three lists for your personal and professional success.

Start with the most important one: the not-to-do list. This sets the stage for everything else.

I read somewhere that being productive and being busy are two different things. It makes absolute sense. It’s better to be productive even for one minute, rather than wasting an entire day looking busy and doing nothing meaningful and useful. Productivity needs to be inline with your goals and life’s work. Life happens and we need to get over with other not-so important tasks in the simplest way possible and gain back our focus on what’s important.

We need to create systems and inculcate the discipline to follow the systems. That's all there is to good work. Create systems that work for you, that suit your lifestyle, goals, and dreams.

Build the three lists.