Get Shit Done
3 min read
Updated: Sep 11, 2021
'I'm sooo busy'
Some of you who know me well know I don’t like it when people say ‘I’m busy’. I like it even less when I say ‘I’m busy’! But we all do it. What’s the thing behind the thing about being busy? Are you busy from your long list of To-Dos that has you running and reacting all day long? If that is the case, that long To-Do list will never end. Just when you check-off it all off, the list begins again, because there’s always laundry to do, weeds to pull and errands to run. The To-Do list is a real trap. It may feel good to check-off items. You may even feel accomplished and have a sense of control when you do.
Ask yourself, does your To-Do list reflect what is most important to you -- your future ambitions -- or is it simply a list of things to get done? (That has you being sooo busy.)
Does your list reflect the things you want most?
Does your list reflect what you want to create?
Does it reflect who you want to become?
Reflect what you want to achieve?
Is it a list of things that are investments in you and your future?
If not, it’s time to re-write the To-Do list. Make it your ‘ To-MY FUTURE ’ list. As part of my morning routine, I write down 3 priorities for the day. Those 3 things must be in support of my future ambitions and must get done that day. The errands will get done, and if not today then tomorrow. But today, I give priority to creating my future with these 3 things that when I accomplish them I will have invested in my future and I’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.
When you prioritize your future list over your To-Do list it has a compounding effect creating momentum and motivation. Dare I say a sense of control and happiness. Here’s another trap of the busy person. Allowing meetings set your day, your calendar and becoming a To-Do list. Going from this meeting to that meeting, and that phone call to the next Zoom meeting. It keeps you busy, but gets nothing done.
Letting your calendar dictate your future has you on a hamster wheel. When we allow the meetings of the day to become your organizing system, you are running but staying in place. Busy, yes, but how close are you to delivering on your priorities? When the calendar controls you, your future list doesn’t even get written.
Meetings and calls are reality of the business world. The baseline of your calendar should start with your To-My Future list. When your calendar is set first with your priorities, you’ll manage the meetings and To-Dos around them.
I worked with someone many years ago who blocked out two hours of his day each day. On his shared electronic calendar it said ‘Me Time’ everyday for 2 hours. I naively made fun of it with others at the time. He is now a successful CRO. I could have learned earlier from him if I’d been curious enough to ask about his calendaring. He set time in his day to get sh-t done. He dedicated time in pursuit of his highest priorities. He got sh-t done. He's now the sh-t.
I work with a leadership group where people lead ‘Get Sh-t Done’ events and days. Where people come together (virtually now) with a mission to be completely focused on something they want to work on, complete and create. They meet at the start and share what they want to accomplish and then heads down. With short breaks factored in to help reset together as a group, this concept is a productivity igniter. It has to do with coming in with a personal priority and then having the accountability factor of sitting/working/zooming with others who have come for the same purpose.
Crazy, maybe, but crazy good for me. I'd even say a game changer for me. I hope you consider rewriting your To-Do list to become your To-My Future list. Let's turn the mindset of busy into something that ignites your extraordinary future!
Email me @ christina@christinalangdon.com for a complimentary 30-minute Coaching consult.
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