- The more complex your system is, the more likely you are to abandon it.
- The more complex your system is, the more time you’ll spend maintaining it.
- Working on your productivity system is NOT productive time.
- Simple systems are no guarantee for productivity.
- It’s not about the system.
- No system will make your list shorter, only finishing tasks will do that.
- When you start a task: finish it!
- Writing down tasks you have already finished just to tick them off the list again, doesn’t make you any more productive.
- Finished tasks are not a trophy. Discard them when done!
- It doesn’t matter if you forget a task, you’ll think of it again.
- Write down things to do, as soon as you think of them.
- Not writing tasks down, doesn’t make your list any shorter.
- A short list doesn’t make you productive.
- A large list doesn’t make you important.
- A large list also doesn’t make you busy.
- It’s not about the list either.
- Procrastination separates the urgent from the non-urgent tasks.
- Non-urgent tasks will get urgent, if you allow enough time to pass.
- If you procrastinate a task for a month or more, discard it altogether.
- Failing to discard unfinished tasks separates the important from the non-important tasks.
- If you hesitate to discard a task, get some balls and finish it already!
- If you can’t finish a task in a day, break it down into smaller parts.
- Detailed tasks are only useful in the short term.
- Breaking down projects in detailed tasks for the entire project span is a waste of time. Two weeks down the road you know better ways to do it anyway.
- It’s also not about the task.
- It’s not about the system.
- It’s not about the list.
- It’s not about the tasks.
- It’s about the results.
- Finished tasks are NOT results.
Will you finally get some stuff done already!?
Photo by tracitodd
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You can be an Original too!
Nick Cernis
Thu 2008.08.14
A list about lists! I think you could start a crazy new trend here — we could call it “metalisting”.
You’ve made some excellent points, though. I like “Procrastination separates the urgent from the non-urgent tasks.” So true!
Nick Cerniss last blog post..The Man With The Golden Thumb
Lodewijk
Thu 2008.08.14
@Nick – Haha, good one: metalisting! I’ve got that one down in another post already
Julie
Fri 2008.08.15
I just threw out my list!! It seems there is no other solution since:
# Not writing tasks down, doesn’t make your list any shorter.
# A short list doesn’t make you productive.
# A large list doesn’t make you important.
# A large list also doesn’t make you busy.
It’s summer in Canada and it just seems like a bad time to have a list!!
Just kidding – I love the message at the end of the post. It really is about results. Even if the result is soaking in the sun and appreciating the few days of hot weather we get every year!!! Thanks!
Doug Rosbury
Sat 2008.08.16
Be yourself without apology or explanation to anyone including God because He gave you the free agency to do your own thinking and mind your own business and leave others the hell alone. Be simple in all things and flee from pretentiousness as you would from a plague.——Doug Rosbury
Kerul
Sat 2008.08.16
Some good suggestions here. But not all productivity – and not all procrastination – is created equal.
It can sometimes be good to procrastinate – it can lead to less struggle, delay (counter-intuitive, but true), and more optimal functioning.
There’s a new book out titled Productive Procrastination, and it describes how to do it, how to tell productive from destructive procrastination, and how to end the destruction kind. It’s available on Amazon.com. Learn more about the book at http://www.Procrastivity.com
Tage
Mon 2008.08.18
“No system will make your list shorter, only finishing tasks will do that.” That’s a great one! Although this is true, I find that having the right system helps me stay on task longer. I recommend looking into RIM (Remember the Milk). Its a program that helps stay on top of lists. It even can be added into Gmail!
Tages last blog post..Leadership and the One Minute Manager Tip #5: Encourage Overwhelmed Employees
Dave Navarro
Wed 2008.08.20
First bullet point is my favorite.
Do have to caution on this one though:
“It doesn’t matter if you forget a task, you’ll think of it again.”
… that’s true, but the list can help you think of it *before* it’s too late.
Dave Navarros last blog post..Wednesday is “Rock Your Business” Day – So What’cha Want?
Lodewijk
Thu 2008.08.21
@Julie – Yeah! Liberate yourself for the summer and throw out the list, you’ll be glad you did (for a couple of days anyway)
Lists are the key tool to most productivity systems, so much so that they often become the key focal point of that very system. And when that happens, the purpose of the system is lost. They are not about the list (did I say that already?).
@Doug – I’m fleeing alright…
@Kerul – Procrastination has its purpose, but mostly it’s about people making excuses. I stand by my point that when you procrastinate something, but don’t have the cojones to take it off the list unfinished, you’re being a panzy.
@Tage – I have worked with RTM, and many other apps. And they are valuable for a lot of people. Great to hear that it’s working for you! Everybody needs to figure out their own way after all.
RTM integrates with Twitter too. That’s what made me try it. But I abandoned it anyway, not consciously…it just faded. I have found that (online) apps don’t work for me. I need a system that’s always ready to use (even in bed, in the car, hell…on the toilet even). It’s a moleskine for me, with a pen. I have those on me virtually all the time.
@Dave – True
I did not mention the relevance of timing in that bullet point. You will remember it…but it might be frigging late!
Michael@ Awareness * Connection
Sat 2008.08.23
You’re being a task master on this one. But I found the loophole.
Non urgent tasks will become urgent sounds like music to the ears of the procrastinator. “I can just let it go. It will let me know when it gets urgent” :0)
There’s my good news.
Michael@ Awareness * Connection’s last blog post..What Web 2.0 Says About Human Beings
AJ Kumar
Fri 2009.01.23
Nice….It has a lot to do with ‘JUST GET IT DONE ALREADY!’