WEBVTT - The sneaky phrase that tanks your productivity

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to accomplish tasks, don't just work on them.

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<v Speaker 1>Because I write about productivity, I've seen many people to

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<v Speaker 1>do lists. Creating a to do list is wise, but

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<v Speaker 1>I've noticed a common flaw. The lists will often contain

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<v Speaker 1>items such as work on proposal, or work on lesson plan,

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<v Speaker 1>or work on novel. It matters how we frame our tasks.

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<v Speaker 1>These goals to work on things are nebulous. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>what exactly does it mean to work on your taxes

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<v Speaker 1>or to work on a blog post. This uncertainty is

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<v Speaker 1>the enemy of productivity. We're better off framing our plans

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of accomplishments, not what projects we plan to

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<v Speaker 1>work on. Without specific benchmarks, you can picture how this

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<v Speaker 1>fuzziness plays out in the course of a day. When

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<v Speaker 1>you plan to spend the time before your next appointment

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<v Speaker 1>working on your blog, well, what does that mean? You

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<v Speaker 1>may do some reading on the topic you're planning to

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<v Speaker 1>write a ballot, or you may write and rewrite the

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<v Speaker 1>headline and the opening paragraph until they're perfect, and then

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<v Speaker 1>your time is up. You don't have much to show

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<v Speaker 1>for yourself. But suppose you sit down at your computer

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<v Speaker 1>with a specific intention of drafting two blog posts before

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<v Speaker 1>your next appointment. You have a discreet, achievable goal. With

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<v Speaker 1>that clear goal, you pace yourself to get the work

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<v Speaker 1>done on schedule. When it's time for that appointment, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>know whether you've achieved this goal or not. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have great. If you haven't written both posts, well, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>need to figure out a time to finish them later,

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe that's not optimal. But you will remain aware

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<v Speaker 1>of your progress and can make adjustments to stay on schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>So how do you shift your perspective and attend to

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<v Speaker 1>what you plan to accomplish rather than what you plan

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<v Speaker 1>to work on? First, and most importantly, build a smarter

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<v Speaker 1>to do list with clear deliverables. To do lists with

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<v Speaker 1>nebulous items like closet or new program recruiting rarely lead

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<v Speaker 1>to progress that's rapid and significant. Aim for to do

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<v Speaker 1>list entries like this, write two blog posts, box up,

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<v Speaker 1>winter close and put them in the attic. Identify five

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<v Speaker 1>organizations that can help recruit people for our new program.

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<v Speaker 1>These are tasks that you either did or didn't do

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<v Speaker 1>you know when you're finished, and if you don't finish,

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<v Speaker 1>you know how much is left. Of course, even clear

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<v Speaker 1>deliverables can be problematic if they're not realistic. Write two

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<v Speaker 1>chapters in my book is clear, But if you've only

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<v Speaker 1>got two hours allocated for this, you'll still feel overwhelmed. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the good news is that clear deliverables can help you

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<v Speaker 1>see quickly if you're being realistic or not. Try listing

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<v Speaker 1>all the specific steps involved in cleaning out your garage

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<v Speaker 1>and you'll see what I mean nebulous tasks. Just let

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<v Speaker 1>us lie to ourselves. If you've been guilty of making

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<v Speaker 1>nebulous to do lists, it can be hard to change

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<v Speaker 1>your habits, but I do think it's possible to change

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<v Speaker 1>your mindset over time. Try using this language of clear

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<v Speaker 1>doable tasks rather than what you're working on when you're

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<v Speaker 1>narrating your actions to yourself or anyone else. If someone

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<v Speaker 1>asks over lunch what you did that morning, you can say,

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<v Speaker 1>I posted the listing of a new house for sale,

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<v Speaker 1>or I wrote the agenda for June's staff retreat. If

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<v Speaker 1>you have no idea what you did, well, it happens

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<v Speaker 1>to all of us. But let that be a nudge

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<v Speaker 1>to set clear, doable intentions in the future. Don't just

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<v Speaker 1>plan to work on things because that's sneaky little phrase

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<v Speaker 1>can just tank our productivity in the meantime, This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for list name and here's to making the most

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<v Speaker 1>of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com

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<v Speaker 1>that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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