Everyone has a to-do list a mile long these days. Maybe you have two, three, or four going at a time and half the time you cannot remember where you left them.
But do you have the equally if not more important master list called the NOT To-Do List?
Recently I was co-hosting a live Blab talking about priorities when one of the participants started talking about her NOT to-do list. Both of us got all giddy and agreed that knowing what you should NOT be doing is just as important as knowing what to do.
Now, I’m not talking about a list two million items long of things you do not want to do. Instead I’m talking about a list of things that you are NOT going to do in your business. Meaning, you either delegate or release them (a kind way of saying ditch it or dump it). The purpose of this list is to avoid engaging in low-value tasks that someone else could easily do for you and diminish the temptation to dither about on meaningless distractions.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Don’t dither about on meaningless distractions. #productivity” quote=”Don’t dither about on meaningless distractions. #productivity”]
Benefits of Having a NOT To-Do List
- You have an instant and up-to-date list of items to delegate to an assistant, VA, or similar team member.
- Even if you cannot afford a support team currently you have an accurate list of what you want and need to be delegating (though I’d challenge you to start small and give yourself the gift of at least some support right now).
- Avoid distraction of going down the dark alley of plugging away for hours on end completing tasks that are not your sweet spot and which cost more (time, money, energy) for you to do than to hire someone to do for you.
- Prevent going down the rabbit hole of mindless scrolling on your twitter and Facebook feeds because you’re trying to avoid doing what you most need to be doing.
- You create clarity around regular, recurring tasks and they become part of your business systems and procedures.
- Frees up time to focus on your top priority.
Keep it simple. All you need is a piece of paper with a pen or a list in Evernote, Word, or your favorite software.
Start one today so you can stop doing things you shouldn’t be doing in the first place! Small steps like this lead to big gains when it comes to profit and creating more time for your true values.
