The Clock is Ticking

I’ve found that nothing works better than checklists to move from the “dream stage” into the “action workshop”. With checklists you can stay focused, set priorities, forget nothing, and turbo charge your productivity. I’m a huge fan.

But there’s an art to list making. The key to getting stuff done is to focus on the 5 most important things you want to get done that day, as opposed to the 50 or more items I see most people attempting to tackle. Long lists can never be finished. There’s a huge negative psychological impact to not accomplishing what’s on your list: it leaves you drained and feeling like a total loser. I’ve been there, too.

And even when you do check off items from your T-Rex size to-do list, it’s usually the easiest tasks first to trim some of the fat and shorten the list. But who are we kidding, right? We all know very well that the easiest items are rarely the most transcendental for your business. So, again, we are left feeling like a failure.

On the flip side, short lists are realistic, give you power, and make you feel good, because you can actually cross your items off. There’s an enormous psychological boost in getting stuff done and cruising through your to-do items, especially when you mark off the things that matters most to you and make the most difference for your business.

So, what on your short-list today?

I found this darling printable "The Clock is Ticking" Checklist, hand-illustrated by Mayi Carles's 10 little fingers, designed to help you break down your Mount Everest into manageable chunks you can actually check-off the list. I hope you find it helpful, too!