WEBVTT - To-do means today

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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 that to do means today. When you

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<v Speaker 1>put something on today's to do list, this should mean

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<v Speaker 1>you truly intend to do it today. Being disciplined about

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<v Speaker 1>this rule is one of the best ways to get

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<v Speaker 1>big things done. Lots of people make to do lists,

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<v Speaker 1>but we don't all make such lists for the right

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<v Speaker 1>reasons or allow them to be as useful as they

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<v Speaker 1>can be. As Christina Shenvy put it on her blog

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<v Speaker 1>Time for Your Life, the goal of a to do

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<v Speaker 1>list is not to catalog all the things you would

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<v Speaker 1>like to do with your life, but to facilitate doing them.

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<v Speaker 1>The only way to do that is to keep your

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<v Speaker 1>to do list short and focused. For today's to do list,

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<v Speaker 1>you should include only the tasks you intend to do

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<v Speaker 1>and have the capacity to do. Then you should do

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<v Speaker 1>them today. They reliably cross over to being done. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>I have seen over the years that many people do

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<v Speaker 1>not approach to do lists this way. They will list

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<v Speaker 1>scores of things that they will never actually get to.

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<v Speaker 1>They simply would like to have them done at some point.

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<v Speaker 1>Clean out the attic, start a book club, revamp my

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<v Speaker 1>fall wardrobe, update my resume. I think some people even

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<v Speaker 1>feel a sort of pride in having a long to

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<v Speaker 1>do list. Maybe they think it means they are full

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<v Speaker 1>of hopes and ideas. I'm not really sure, but writing

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<v Speaker 1>lots of tasks on your to do list doesn't get

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<v Speaker 1>anything done. Instead, it most likely creates guilt and disappointment

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<v Speaker 1>because it means the things you could do someday and

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<v Speaker 1>the things you once thought you should do, and all

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<v Speaker 1>the things you actually have to do are intermingled on

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<v Speaker 1>your to do list. Since you can't possibly get through

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<v Speaker 1>everything today, you keep bumping things forward. The act of

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<v Speaker 1>writing something on the to do list is no longer

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<v Speaker 1>a choice about priorities. It's really a meaningless action. What's worse,

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<v Speaker 1>when you have a mile long to do list, what

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<v Speaker 1>you actually need to do make get lost amid all

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<v Speaker 1>the other items. You miss what you need to do today,

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<v Speaker 1>and so you fall further behind. So, instead of having

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<v Speaker 1>a catch all to do list that is not useful

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<v Speaker 1>for getting things done, use your to do list to

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<v Speaker 1>enumerate the things you're committing to do during a specific

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<v Speaker 1>period of time. So if it's to day's to do list.

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<v Speaker 1>This is items you will do today. You could also

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<v Speaker 1>have a weekly or monthly to do list, or assign

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<v Speaker 1>a few tasks to each day in the coming week.

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<v Speaker 1>But one way or another, assign a short list of

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<v Speaker 1>tasks to a specific time. Then, as I've said on

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<v Speaker 1>this podcast before, think of your to do list as

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<v Speaker 1>a contract with yourself. When the day comes, you complete

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<v Speaker 1>the tasks assigned to that day. You end the day

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<v Speaker 1>with all the tasks crossed off. You can do this

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<v Speaker 1>because the list is short and reflects your capacity for

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<v Speaker 1>the day in question. It is not a wish list.

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<v Speaker 1>It is a to do list telling you what to do,

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<v Speaker 1>and then you do those things. As for all those

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<v Speaker 1>other things in life which might be nice to do

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<v Speaker 1>or you'd like to remember but you don't and to

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<v Speaker 1>do today, those can be captured on a David Allen

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<v Speaker 1>style someday maybe list. Just keep a running list somewhere

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<v Speaker 1>of all the things that sound vaguely appealing. That's where

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<v Speaker 1>clean the attic, start the book club, and run that

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<v Speaker 1>marathon can all go. When you write these things down,

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<v Speaker 1>and particularly if you look at this catch all list frequently,

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<v Speaker 1>you won't forget about them. But they also won't be

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<v Speaker 1>hanging over your head when you're trying to keep track

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<v Speaker 1>of what you actually need to do right away, like

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<v Speaker 1>rescheduling that dentist appointment or sending your nephew a birthday present.

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<v Speaker 1>When you know that you're to do list contains only

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<v Speaker 1>those tasks you truly intend to do in a given

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<v Speaker 1>time frame, you feel more motivated to move through it.

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<v Speaker 1>You won't be overwhelmed by the volume of tasks or

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<v Speaker 1>distracted by two dues that are actually could dues. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>the to do list feels doable. This is incredibly satisfying.

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<v Speaker 1>When you trust yourself to complete all the assigned tasks

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<v Speaker 1>for a day, you feel confident making lists for the future.

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<v Speaker 1>You know you'll get big things done. That's better than

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<v Speaker 1>the vague hopes of a mile long wish list. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>four then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot

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<v Speaker 1>dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

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<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.

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