WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Limit your to-do list

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we talk strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, one where location and ours are

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<v Speaker 1>more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is too

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<v Speaker 1>strictly limit your to do list. This is the secret

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<v Speaker 1>for both feeling less busy and getting more done. For

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<v Speaker 1>those new to remote work, you may assume you'll now

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<v Speaker 1>have time to do everything that got put off before.

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<v Speaker 1>With no drop by meetings from chatty co workers and

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<v Speaker 1>no commute it may feel like time will be abundant,

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<v Speaker 1>and certainly there may be options for deeper work. But

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<v Speaker 1>if you've got kids underfoot and are sharing caregiving responsibilities

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<v Speaker 1>with your partner, you may have less time available than

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<v Speaker 1>you might have thought. And for everyone, meetings don't automatically

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<v Speaker 1>become more efficient or better organized just because they move

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<v Speaker 1>to video platforms. What all this means is that you're

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<v Speaker 1>much better off creating a very short to do list.

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<v Speaker 1>Unhappiness stems from a mismatch between expectations and reality. If

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<v Speaker 1>we can't always change reality, we're better off changing our expectations.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's how this can play out each evening. As you're

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<v Speaker 1>powering down for the day. Look at tomorrow's schedule. Become

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<v Speaker 1>familiar with what David Allen calls the hard landscape, that is,

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<v Speaker 1>appointments you've set at specific times. Think through what hours

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<v Speaker 1>you plan to work, taking into account any agreements you've

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<v Speaker 1>made with the rest of your family. So if you're

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<v Speaker 1>working from seven a m. To noon, and then whatever

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<v Speaker 1>time you can get during naptime, or if you're working

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<v Speaker 1>from nine to five, sort of normal hours, see what

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<v Speaker 1>time is still available around the appointments. Then set a

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<v Speaker 1>few priorities for the day. I recommend holding this list

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<v Speaker 1>to somewhere between three to five things. No, this is

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<v Speaker 1>not all you have going on in the world, but

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<v Speaker 1>what is most important for you to pumplished today? If

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<v Speaker 1>nothing else happened, what three to five things would make

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<v Speaker 1>you feel like the day was a success. This exercise

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<v Speaker 1>has a few benefits. First, it forces prioritization. When everything

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<v Speaker 1>is important, nothing is important. A short to do list

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<v Speaker 1>forces you to think through what truly matters. Feel free

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<v Speaker 1>to create a different list of everything that is on

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<v Speaker 1>your mind, but today's priority list should focus on what

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<v Speaker 1>matters today. Second, it leaves space for stuff to come up.

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<v Speaker 1>There are people who say day after day, well I'm

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<v Speaker 1>meant to do this, but stuff came up. Well, of

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<v Speaker 1>course stuff comes up. This is the nature of life.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't know at nine am everything that will develop

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<v Speaker 1>by five pm, but you can leave open time so

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<v Speaker 1>you can deal with it. Trust me, you won't be

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<v Speaker 1>twiddling your thumbs. Finally, a short list can make you

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<v Speaker 1>feel incredibly productive. Progress is motivational. When you put three

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<v Speaker 1>things on a to do list, you are highly likely

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<v Speaker 1>to actually do them. Indeed, you can start holding yourself

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<v Speaker 1>accountable to your list in a way that you just

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<v Speaker 1>can't with a longer list. Putting something on your to

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<v Speaker 1>do list becomes a contract with yourself. You become the

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<v Speaker 1>architect of your days. And while yes, three things a

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<v Speaker 1>day doesn't sound like much, if they're all important, these

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<v Speaker 1>steps do add up. Three important things day is fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>things a week. That's about set important things per year,

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<v Speaker 1>which sounds pretty good to me. So rather than making

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<v Speaker 1>a twenty item to do list, getting through five of

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<v Speaker 1>them and feeling like a failure, how about making a

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<v Speaker 1>five item list and doing all of them. You'll feel

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<v Speaker 1>on top of the world in the meantime. This is Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening and here's the succeeding in the New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the i Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.