Hello everyone, this is Helen Huang @ Organizing, based in Beijing, China. In order to better learn and practice the YiXiaoNeng Time Management System, after finished publishing 100 Chinese articles, I decided to continue writing and publishing a daily English article in another 100 days based on the "YeWuBin Time Management 100 Episodes" audio program. Today is the 134th day.
Today's topic is: Today's To-Do List is a Lie
In today's lecture, I want to help you throw away a concept you have grown up believing and get rid of backwards thinking about how to balance your work and life. Today's topic is: Today's to-do list is a lie!
Many people, like you, feel like they can effectively manage their time using a standard list. When someone tells me this, I often ask: when are the items on your list due? They will generally say: my list is for all the things that are due today. But what does today's to-do list really refer to? Are all of those tasks really due today and what happens if they are not complete today?
Many of us list what needs to be done today and then begin to complete items on our list. But if we look back over our activities each day and actually assess how we did, we will see that often choose which activities we want to accomplish and delay or defer activities that we don't want to complete.
In truth, then, the activities we most need to complete today, don't get finished. Instead we complete the less important and more convenient tasks. Then, each night, you will develop a feeling of mild failure, because you will not have accomplished the most important tasks each day. This is the procrastinator's mentality.
You'll tell yourself that you'll finish these important tasks tomorrow. But a strange thing happens – each new day we will create a new list and the process will begin all over again of completing new and equally less important tasks.
So how many to-do lists have you actually created over the course of a week? If you're creating multiple to-do lists each day, then what is the point of the list in the first place? Aren't you just shifting the tasks from list to list instead of understanding it's priority and completing it accordingly? When things are scheduled to be done today are not finished accordingly, you have essentially failed to deliver on your own promise.
How do we solve this problem? Our solution is: starting today, stop using the to-do list and use the schedule and context list method that I recommend in Yixiaoneng.
The schedule includes activities that you must do today. There is a real difference between the to-do list and the schedule which is this: only a few number of things can be written on the schedule. Each and every day, you only have a few half an hour and hour long time slots, so you must prioritize and plan carefully. For example, the meeting that must take place from 9:00-10:00; or the meeting with friends at 12:00... We call these Scheduled Wvents.
The Yixiaoneng method requires that we categorize activities that must be done on a specific day in a list that is not organized by days. Items that must be completed in the near future, say a few days to a week in a list of items that should be completed in the next week or so. The key is that it's not limited to one or two days at least.
Can you see how the items that need to be completed today are segregated from items that should be completed in a week? We suggest that you use the classification of a week initially before moving on to greater organization groups like months or years.
In the week list, we will further classify tasks into contexts or situations, such as: things that can be completed at home, using the phone, on a computer, away from the home, in the office, delegated to others, and so on ……We call these classifications - Contexts.
Scheduled transactions are one-day only, while situational transactions are long-term. Why should we do this? What are the advantages? You'll find that your schedule is demanding and specific, but your list is flexible and adaptable. Adaptable to the changing needs of each day.
Items on the schedule must be completed at their scheduled time. If you decide not to do it either on purpose or by accident, then it should be promptly deleted. If you are making decisions to complete or not complete a task that has been arranged, then it was improperly arranged in the first place. It should have been a contextual task on your flexible list. Always prioritize the important things first.
However, you must always be prepared to completed unexpected tasks and your time management methodology must be flexible enough to accept emergencies into your approach.
When we do not complete a task on the day it was scheduled or when we don't schedule a task for a specific day that needs to be scheduled due to a deadline, then we will feel the procrastinator's mentality of delay. However when we put tasks on lists that are flexible and adaptable as needed, then we feel better about what we have accomplished each day. Steady accomplishment of needed tasks help us to maintain focus and efficiency. Therefore, this method is perfect.
Today's to-do list is a lie! By putting tasks on the to-do list that don't actually need to be completed today, we create mental anguish and anxiety. Instead, use calendars with only those select few tasks that have specific deadlines or specific needs to be completed as particular times. Use the flexible inventory classification system with the vast majority of your tasks to manage your daily routines. Your tasks will then be appropriately organized so you can complete them most effectively.
That's all for the sharing today. Thank you being with me together today. Have a wonderful day!
