1 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: the podcast where we talk strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: new world of work, one where location and ours are 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is too 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: strictly limit your to do list. This is the secret 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: for both feeling less busy and getting more done. For 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: those new to remote work, you may assume you'll now 8 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: have time to do everything that got put off before. 9 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: With no drop by meetings from chatty co workers and 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: no commute it may feel like time will be abundant, 11 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: and certainly there may be options for deeper work. But 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: if you've got kids underfoot and are sharing caregiving responsibilities 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: with your partner, you may have less time available than 14 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: you might have thought. And for everyone, meetings don't automatically 15 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: become more efficient or better organized just because they move 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: to video platforms. What all this means is that you're 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: much better off creating a very short to do list. 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: Unhappiness stems from a mismatch between expectations and reality. If 19 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 1: we can't always change reality, we're better off changing our expectations. 20 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: Here's how this can play out each evening. As you're 21 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: powering down for the day. Look at tomorrow's schedule. Become 22 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: familiar with what David Allen calls the hard landscape, that is, 23 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: appointments you've set at specific times. Think through what hours 24 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: you plan to work, taking into account any agreements you've 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: made with the rest of your family. So if you're 26 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: working from seven a m. To noon, and then whatever 27 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: time you can get during naptime, or if you're working 28 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: from nine to five, sort of normal hours, see what 29 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: time is still available around the appointments. Then set a 30 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: few priorities for the day. I recommend holding this list 31 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: to somewhere between three to five things. No, this is 32 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: not all you have going on in the world, but 33 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: what is most important for you to pumplished today? If 34 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: nothing else happened, what three to five things would make 35 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: you feel like the day was a success. This exercise 36 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: has a few benefits. First, it forces prioritization. When everything 37 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: is important, nothing is important. A short to do list 38 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: forces you to think through what truly matters. Feel free 39 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: to create a different list of everything that is on 40 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: your mind, but today's priority list should focus on what 41 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: matters today. Second, it leaves space for stuff to come up. 42 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: There are people who say day after day, well I'm 43 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: meant to do this, but stuff came up. Well, of 44 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: course stuff comes up. This is the nature of life. 45 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: You can't know at nine am everything that will develop 46 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: by five pm, but you can leave open time so 47 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: you can deal with it. Trust me, you won't be 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: twiddling your thumbs. Finally, a short list can make you 49 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: feel incredibly productive. Progress is motivational. When you put three 50 00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: things on a to do list, you are highly likely 51 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: to actually do them. Indeed, you can start holding yourself 52 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: accountable to your list in a way that you just 53 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: can't with a longer list. Putting something on your to 54 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: do list becomes a contract with yourself. You become the 55 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: architect of your days. And while yes, three things a 56 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: day doesn't sound like much, if they're all important, these 57 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: steps do add up. Three important things day is fifteen 58 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 1: things a week. That's about set important things per year, 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: which sounds pretty good to me. So rather than making 60 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: a twenty item to do list, getting through five of 61 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: them and feeling like a failure, how about making a 62 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: five item list and doing all of them. You'll feel 63 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: on top of the world in the meantime. This is Laura, 64 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's the succeeding in the New 65 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of 66 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the i Heart 67 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.