Feeling Anxious About Your Never-Ending To-Do List? Simply Replace It With This.
When something isn’t working for you, don’t double-down on it. Toss it and try something completely different.
My coaching clients see me as (somewhat) of a “productivity expert”. Naturally, they’re often surprised to learn of my utter disdain for the concept of ‘The To-Do List’.
Why? Because an unorganised, un-prioritised list that keeps getting longer tends to inspire panic and overwhelm, rather than action. Worse still, truly important and meaningful things inevitably get left until last or receive no attention at all.
A to-do list uses linear thinking. It operates from the maxim that all time is created equal, and we should just "get sh*t done" as fast as possible.
But we are cyclical energy beings, not machines — our moods and whims are not consistent and we shouldn’t expect them to be.
As you move through an energetic cycle – ultradian, circadian, infradian or other – there will be certain tasks or activities that are a natural match for your energy.
So rather than forcing ourselves to push through resistance and do something that feels horribly hard we can take a more efficient and genius approach.
The Could-Do List is a tool to match our next task to best harness the mood or energetic state we’re currently in, or ideally want to shift into.
Here’s How the Could-Do List Works:
Separate your tasks, responsibilities and bite-sized goals into four categories:
Initiation: Dreaming and Creating
Growth: Strategising, Planning and Communicating
Maintenance: Executing and Tying Up Loose Ends
Evaluation: Reviewing and Reflecting
Feeling adventurous, inspired or particularly open-minded? Choose something from the INITIATION list – maybe a research project, a brainstorming conversation, or something creative.
Feeling outgoing, communicative and ready to make some decisions or get visible? Choose something from your GROWTH list, such as having an important conversation, write an email automation sequence, or proactively check in with your clients.
Feeling focused, energised and ready to get to work doing something concrete? Choose something from your MAINTENANCE list, like completing a project, analysing your budgets or tackling your inbox. These may also serve well when you feel tired or anxious and want reassurance from the satisfaction of completing something, even if it’s mundane.
Feeling introspective and quiet? Reviewing the past week or month, journaling or evaluating results are some examples of things that might make it onto your EVALUATION list.
Obviously, there will always be some tasks that push you outside of your comfort zone, and those shouldn’t be neglected or forgotten. But at least you can stop trying to force yourself to do them when you're not at your best, and pick something else that’s more likely to transform your mood or energy state so that you can tackle them later with refreshed energy or a new point of view.
The ‘Could-Do’ List frees you from any firm expectations of what you have to achieve, but provides enough structure within the freedom for you to flow from moment to moment with purpose and focus.
Want to Be Productive but Without The Pain?
Here’s a wild card version of the Could-Do List. Enter: The Mystery Jar.
This is something I often mention to people with the Rebel tendency (to find out which of the 4 Tendencies you have, take the quiz here). Rebels really struggle to meet both internal and external expectations and can be adversarial when it comes to to-do lists or pre-planned commitments.
But what Rebels absolutely excel at is doing things unconventionally.
To play the wild card version, write down all your tasks on individual pieces of paper, scrunch them up and keep them in a jar. Every day when you wake up, pick one at random to do that day. You’re not allowed to pick another until that first task is finished.
Again, it's a game with the same twist: freedom and spontaneity, but with just enough structure to actually get things done.
Resistance to meeting expectations is part and parcel of life as a human being, it's not your own personal weakness. And there are three approaches to dealing with it.
Crush it – deny it, push past it, and use force, coercion or so-called "self-discipline” to blast through resistance at any cost.
Run – get spooked, go hide and inevitably wallow in a shame spiral for days.
Get curious – embrace it, understand there is a message behind it, and – most importantly – be ready to play with it, like a Rebel.
How to Get Curious About Your Resistance
In a culture where we’re valued as producers and consumers first, humans second, there is strong social conditioning based on the concept of ‘self-discipline’ (which I believe is a lie, and here’s why).
In this kind of culture, option one — Crush It! – is lauded as how winners deal with resistance, while option two – Run! — is presented as the fall-back for losers.
But there’s a third way. The option where you meet resistance where it’s at: you acknowledge it, you respect it, and get curious about it by asking questions.
What is this resistance trying to tell me?
1) Is there another way I can do this? (Imagination over effort)
2) Is this even for me to do? (Question excessive labour)
3) Is this for me to do alone? (Asking for support)
4) Is the timing right? (Energy alignment)
5) Am I missing information? (Seek resources)
The ‘Could-Do’ List and The Mystery Jar are just two examples of this third way. I encourage you to create your own.
And if either of mine work for you, I’d love to hear about it.
I’m Imogen, and as a Strategy Coach, I help entrepreneurial people harness the power of the “third way” of approaching resistance, so they can achieve unstoppable success in life and business – without burning out.
If this is something you’re ready to get support with, book a free call with me today to talk about 1:1 coaching.
Pin this blog post for later:
