How to Actually Execute Your To-Do List: or, Why Writing It Down Doesn’t Actually Get It Done

Every Monday is Productivity & Organization Day at Zen Habits.

Have you gotten good at organizing your tasks in a to-do list, but have trouble actually executing them? You’re not alone.

Getting things on your to-do list actually done is difficult because it’s really a collection of habits that most people don’t think about. Today, we’ll look at addressing those issues that stop you from doing things, and the habits needed to overcome those issues.

This post was prompted when reader BJ Thunderstone recently asked a great question:

A lot of productivity systems such as Getting Things Done by David Allen or Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster concern themselves with writing lists of things to do. This skill is easy to learn.But what if the problem isn’t making lists, but executing your plan? What if you write “Get X, Y and Z done” and then you can’t make yourself do any of these things?

I think that many people have a problem not with making to-do lists - but with executing what is written on these lists.

B.J. went on to list some of the reasons he and others have a problem getting things done. Let’s address them one by one.

“I feel resistance when starting work on something.”
First of all, it’s good to analyze your resistance, which is something we don’t do often. Why don’t you want to start on something? Identifying the problem can help lead to the solution.

Having said that, there are a couple of suggestions that could help:

Tiny chunk. Tell yourself you only have to do 5 minutes of work on it. That small amount of work is less intimidating.
Just start. Once you get going, it’s much easier to keep going. So tell yourself that all you have to do is start. I like to compare this to my philosophy of running: instead of worrying about having to do the whole run, I tell myself that I just have to lace up my shoes and get out the door. After that, it’s really easy. Do the same thing with any task — just fire up your program, and do the first few actions (i.e. start typing). It gets easier after that point.
Reward yourself. Don’t let yourself check email (or whatever reward works for you — something that you need to do every day) until you do at least 10 minutes (or 15 or 20, it doesn’t matter) on the task. Set a timer. Once your 10 minutes is up, set another timer for 5 minutes and do email. Then repeat.
Get excited about it. This is actually a tip that helps with any of these points. If you are excited about doing something, you will not hesitate to do it. For example, I loved this topic suggestion, and I was excited about writing it. As soon as I had the chance, I sat down to write it and only took one break. But how do you get excited about a task? Try to find something exciting about it. Will it bring you revenue? What can you do with that revenue? Will it bring you new clients, new opportunities, new recognition? If you can’t find anything exciting about a task, consider whether it’s really important or not — and if not, find a way to not do it. Sometimes eliminating (or delegating or delaying) the task is the best option.

“I am terrified of certain tasks, or of working on certain projects.”
There are usually a few reasons those tasks or projects terrify you:

They are too intimidating in size or scope. To combat this, break it down into tinier chunks — actually, just the first tiny chunk (as David Allen tells us to do in GTD). It’s intimidating to do a task like “Create report on X” or “Make a yearly plan for Z”. But if you just need to do the first physical action, which might be, “Call Frank for figures on X” or “Make a list of 10 things we should accomplish this year”, it’s much easier to tackle and less intimidating.
You don’t really know how to do it. If you haven’t done something a million times before, it is unfamiliar and unknown to you. And we are all terrified of that. The solution? First, get more information — learn as much as you can about it. That might require some research on the Internet, or talking to someone who’s done it before, or reading a book, or taking a class. Whatever you need to do, make the unknown become the known. Second, practice it as much as possible. Once you’ve learned how to do something, you need to practice it to become good at it. Don’t practice the whole thing — practice individual skills required to do a task or project, one at a time, until you’re good at those skills. Once you’ve mastered them, it will no longer be terrifying.
You are focusing on negative aspects. You might be focusing on how hard something is, or on all the obstacles. Try looking at the positive aspects instead. Focus on what a great opportunity this project represents … an opportunity to learn, to get better at something, to make more money, to work on a relationship, to gain some long-term recognition, to improve your advancement opportunities. This is similar to the “get excited about it” item in the previous section. If you look at the opportunities, not the problems, you will be less terrified and more likely to want to do it.

“I start, but I get distracted and never finish.”
If you start, you’ve already made a big step towards finishing. Now you just need to work on the distractions. My suggestions won’t be popular, but they work:

Small tasks. I mentioned this above, but it’s really important to repeat here. If you are getting distracted, it may be because you are working too long on a single task or project. To remain focused, do only a small task — you are more likely to stay on task. If the task takes a long time, focus on only doing 15-20 minutes of it.
Single-task. Don’t allow yourself to do multiple tasks at the same time. Just do the one task before you. If you tend to do email, IM, surf the web, read your RSS feeds, talk on the phone and all of that while doing a task, you will inevitably be distracted from a task. Do one task at a time. If you feel yourself being pulled from the task, stop yourself. And bring yourself back.
Unplug. The biggest distractions come from connectivity. Email, feeds, IM, Twitter, phones. Unplug from these connections while you’re working on your single task. This is always an unpopular suggestion, but before you reject it, give it a try. Turn everything off, and try to focus on one task. You’ll get a lot more done, I guarantee you. Right now, I’m writing this post while disconnected from the Internet. It’s much easier to concentrate.
Clear your desk. Distractions can come from visual clutter. It can be worth it to clear everything off your desk (see 3 Steps to a Permanently Clear Desk). Also clear your walls and your computer desktop, and only work on one program at a time if possible.
Focus. Once your desk is clear and you unplug, and you’re working on that single task, really put all of your concentration on it. Pour your energies into that task, and see if you can get it done quickly. You might even get lost in it, and achieve that highly touted (deservedly so) state of mind known as “flow”.
Take breaks. It can help you to focus for a short amount of time on a single task, and use a time to help you focus, and then to take a break. This allows you to reboot your brain. Then, get back to work and focus on the next task.

“I often don’t feel like doing any work at all. The idea of work seems horrible and I never start doing anything.”
I know this feeling well. It plagues us all, and there’s no one good answer. However, here are some suggestions:

Groom yourself. If you work from home, take a shower. Often the act of grooming ourselves can make us feel much better.
Take a walk. I find that a little walk can get my blood pumping, refresh my mind, and allow me to think about what I really want to do today. It might not be what you need, but it’s worth a shot.
Exercise. Similarly, exercise can make you feel great. A jog in the park, a short strength workout, some pilates, or meditation … these things get your mood up and get you feeling productive and happy. Try it out — you might feel more like doing stuff when you’re done.
Again, think of opportunities. Think about tomorrow — not tomorrow as in the distant future, but tomorrow as in the day after today. Imagine yourself looking back on today from tomorrow. Will you be glad you laid around? Or would you be happier if you did something, and took advantage of the opportunities in front of you today? It’s useful to think in terms of your future self — because what we do today will open up opportunities and new roads for tomorrow’s us.
Baby steps. Don’t think in terms of having to tackle an entire work day, or an entire list of stuff to do. That’s overwhelming. Just think of doing one thing. That’s all you have to do — just that one thing. Make it something small and easy, and ideally something fun and rewarding. Focus on that easy task. Once you get started, you might be more willing to do another thing. Then another.
Find fun stuff to do. If you just have boring or unpleasant things to do, you won’t feel like doing them. Instead, change your path for today — see if you can find something that’s fun or exciting, but still moves you forward on a project or goal. That might be what you need to get you jump-started to do other stuff — or you might instead only spend the day doing only fun stuff (as long as it moves you forward — don’t just play solitaire or WoW).
Commit thyself. If motivation is your problem, commit yourself to making some progress with a goal or project today, or every day this week — tell all your family and friends, write it in your blog, or join the Zen Habits forum — it’s a great motivator. Then hold yourself accountable by reporting to others what you did today.
Rewards. Tell yourself that if you just do that first task, you’ll get a nice ice cream sundae. Or that you can buy a book, or DVD. Whatever your reward, use it to motivate yourself to just get started. Then let the rest flow from there.

“I make a list of things to do the next day.. and on that day, I wake up looking forward to a bad day, full of unpleasant tasks, I don’t feel like doing anything from the list.”
Two things to say here:

Overload. The most probable reason is that you’re overloading yourself. People tend to pile too much on themselves for a single day, overestimating how much they can actually do. Get into the habit of choosing only three Most Important Tasks to do for the day, and do them early in the day (at least two of them before email). If you only have three things to do, it’s not overwhelming. You’ll probably have some smaller things to do later, but write those down under a “batch process” heading, and do those small things all at once near the end of the day.
Fun. The second thing is that you’re loading yourself up with unpleasant tasks. Who wants to face a day of that? Instead, put down tasks that you’ll look forward to doing. Create an exciting to-do list for tomorrow. If you really have nothing important to do that’s enjoyable, it’s possible you’re in the wrong job. Look instead for a job that you’ll actually enjoy. Yes, every job has unpleasant and difficult tasks, but they lead to something rewarding. They support something you get excited about. If you don’t have anything like that in your job, you need to take a closer look at your job — revamp it somehow, or look for another.

Have your own methods of getting your to-do list done? Have other problems? Discuss it in the Zen Habits forums.

See also:

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

How to Actually Execute Your To-Do List: or, Why Writing It Down Doesn’t Actually Get It Done

Every Monday is Productivity & Organization Day at Zen Habits.

Have you gotten good at organizing your tasks in a to-do list, but have trouble actually executing them? You’re not alone.

This post was prompted when reader BJ Thunderstone recently asked a great question:

A lot of productivity systems such as Getting Things Done by David Allen or Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster concern themselves with writing lists of things to do. This skill is easy to learn.But what if the problem isn’t making lists, but executing your plan? What if you write “Get X, Y and Z done” and then you can’t make yourself do any of these things?

I think that many people have a problem not with making to-do lists - but with executing what is written on these lists.

B.J. went on to list some of the reasons he and others have a problem getting things done. Let’s address them one by one.

Having said that, there are a couple of suggestions that could help:

Tiny chunk. Tell yourself you only have to do 5 minutes of work on it. That small amount of work is less intimidating.
Just start. Once you get going, it’s much easier to keep going. So tell yourself that all you have to do is start. I like to compare this to my philosophy of running: instead of worrying about having to do the whole run, I tell myself that I just have to lace up my shoes and get out the door. After that, it’s really easy. Do the same thing with any task — just fire up your program, and do the first few actions (i.e. start typing). It gets easier after that point.
Reward yourself. Don’t let yourself check email (or whatever reward works for you — something that you need to do every day) until you do at least 10 minutes (or 15 or 20, it doesn’t matter) on the task. Set a timer. Once your 10 minutes is up, set another timer for 5 minutes and do email. Then repeat.
Get excited about it. This is actually a tip that helps with any of these points. If you are excited about doing something, you will not hesitate to do it. For example, I loved this topic suggestion, and I was excited about writing it. As soon as I had the chance, I sat down to write it and only took one break. But how do you get excited about a task? Try to find something exciting about it. Will it bring you revenue? What can you do with that revenue? Will it bring you new clients, new opportunities, new recognition? If you can’t find anything exciting about a task, consider whether it’s really important or not — and if not, find a way to not do it. Sometimes eliminating (or delegating or delaying) the task is the best option.

“I am terrified of certain tasks, or of working on certain projects.”
There are usually a few reasons those tasks or projects terrify you:

They are too intimidating in size or scope. To combat this, break it down into tinier chunks — actually, just the first tiny chunk (as David Allen tells us to do in GTD). It’s intimidating to do a task like “Create report on X” or “Make a yearly plan for Z”. But if you just need to do the first physical action, which might be, “Call Frank for figures on X” or “Make a list of 10 things we should accomplish this year”, it’s much easier to tackle and less intimidating.
You don’t really know how to do it. If you haven’t done something a million times before, it is unfamiliar and unknown to you. And we are all terrified of that. The solution? First, get more information — learn as much as you can about it. That might require some research on the Internet, or talking to someone who’s done it before, or reading a book, or taking a class. Whatever you need to do, make the unknown become the known. Second, practice it as much as possible. Once you’ve learned how to do something, you need to practice it to become good at it. Don’t practice the whole thing — practice individual skills required to do a task or project, one at a time, until you’re good at those skills. Once you’ve mastered them, it will no longer be terrifying.
You are focusing on negative aspects. You might be focusing on how hard something is, or on all the obstacles. Try looking at the positive aspects instead. Focus on what a great opportunity this project represents … an opportunity to learn, to get better at something, to make more money, to work on a relationship, to gain some long-term recognition, to improve your advancement opportunities. This is similar to the “get excited about it” item in the previous section. If you look at the opportunities, not the problems, you will be less terrified and more likely to want to do it.

Small tasks. I mentioned this above, but it’s really important to repeat here. If you are getting distracted, it may be because you are working too long on a single task or project. To remain focused, do only a small task — you are more likely to stay on task. If the task takes a long time, focus on only doing 15-20 minutes of it.
Single-task. Don’t allow yourself to do multiple tasks at the same time. Just do the one task before you. If you tend to do email, IM, surf the web, read your RSS feeds, talk on the phone and all of that while doing a task, you will inevitably be distracted from a task. Do one task at a time. If you feel yourself being pulled from the task, stop yourself. And bring yourself back.
Unplug. The biggest distractions come from connectivity. Email, feeds, IM, Twitter, phones. Unplug from these connections while you’re working on your single task. This is always an unpopular suggestion, but before you reject it, give it a try. Turn everything off, and try to focus on one task. You’ll get a lot more done, I guarantee you. Right now, I’m writing this post while disconnected from the Internet. It’s much easier to concentrate.
Clear your desk. Distractions can come from visual clutter. It can be worth it to clear everything off your desk (see 3 Steps to a Permanently Clear Desk). Also clear your walls and your computer desktop, and only work on one program at a time if possible.
Focus. Once your desk is clear and you unplug, and you’re working on that single task, really put all of your concentration on it. Pour your energies into that task, and see if you can get it done quickly. You might even get lost in it, and achieve that highly touted (deservedly so) state of mind known as “flow”.
Take breaks. It can help you to focus for a short amount of time on a single task, and use a time to help you focus, and then to take a break. This allows you to reboot your brain. Then, get back to work and focus on the next task.

Groom yourself. If you work from home, take a shower. Often the act of grooming ourselves can make us feel much better.
Take a walk. I find that a little walk can get my blood pumping, refresh my mind, and allow me to think about what I really want to do today. It might not be what you need, but it’s worth a shot.
Exercise. Similarly, exercise can make you feel great. A jog in the park, a short strength workout, some pilates, or meditation … these things get your mood up and get you feeling productive and happy. Try it out — you might feel more like doing stuff when you’re done.
Again, think of opportunities. Think about tomorrow — not tomorrow as in the distant future, but tomorrow as in the day after today. Imagine yourself looking back on today from tomorrow. Will you be glad you laid around? Or would you be happier if you did something, and took advantage of the opportunities in front of you today? It’s useful to think in terms of your future self — because what we do today will open up opportunities and new roads for tomorrow’s us.
Baby steps. Don’t think in terms of having to tackle an entire work day, or an entire list of stuff to do. That’s overwhelming. Just think of doing one thing. That’s all you have to do — just that one thing. Make it something small and easy, and ideally something fun and rewarding. Focus on that easy task. Once you get started, you might be more willing to do another thing. Then another.
Find fun stuff to do. If you just have boring or unpleasant things to do, you won’t feel like doing them. Instead, change your path for today — see if you can find something that’s fun or exciting, but still moves you forward on a project or goal. That might be what you need to get you jump-started to do other stuff — or you might instead only spend the day doing only fun stuff (as long as it moves you forward — don’t just play solitaire or WoW).
Commit thyself. If motivation is your problem, commit yourself to making some progress with a goal or project today, or every day this week — tell all your family and friends, write it in your blog, or join the Zen Habits forum — it’s a great motivator. Then hold yourself accountable by reporting to others what you did today.
Rewards. Tell yourself that if you just do that first task, you’ll get a nice ice cream sundae. Or that you can buy a book, or DVD. Whatever your reward, use it to motivate yourself to just get started. Then let the rest flow from there.

Overload. The most probable reason is that you’re overloading yourself. People tend to pile too much on themselves for a single day, overestimating how much they can actually do. Get into the habit of choosing only three Most Important Tasks to do for the day, and do them early in the day (at least two of them before email). If you only have three things to do, it’s not overwhelming. You’ll probably have some smaller things to do later, but write those down under a “batch process” heading, and do those small things all at once near the end of the day.
Fun. The second thing is that you’re loading yourself up with unpleasant tasks. Who wants to face a day of that? Instead, put down tasks that you’ll look forward to doing. Create an exciting to-do list for tomorrow. If you really have nothing important to do that’s enjoyable, it’s possible you’re in the wrong job. Look instead for a job that you’ll actually enjoy. Yes, every job has unpleasant and difficult tasks, but they lead to something rewarding. They support something you get excited about. If you don’t have anything like that in your job, you need to take a closer look at your job — revamp it somehow, or look for another.

Have your own methods of getting your to-do list done? Have other problems? Discuss it in the Zen Habits forums.

See also:

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

Posted on 9 July 2007 in Productivity & Organization |
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Comments (56)

James Says:

July 9th, 2007, 6:36 am

Great post and timely too after a vacation week.

kleanchap Says:

July 9th, 2007, 7:13 am

@James

Agree with you. Just got back from vacation and definitely would love to learn to unplug from the Internet.

Karen Says:

July 9th, 2007, 7:33 am

Great post! I’ve struggled with getting work done for the reasons listed above-and I’m glad to hear that I’m *normal* in having those mindblocks. Well, I’m going to have to try some of your suggestions out.

Monica Ricci Says:

July 9th, 2007, 7:42 am

Great article Leo! It helps that all the things you said are things I also teach when I speak and work with clients. Great minds indeed think alike! :D
~Monica

Mike Says:

July 9th, 2007, 7:51 am

First of all thanks for the great post.

The “… I get distracted and never finish” part of the article caught my attention probably because it’s one of my weakest points. The distraction is more on a Project level, in the GTD sense of the word. Starting off a project all out and then getting sidetracked off to a new project while still half way through the first one. I noticed that this tends to happen especially after having a mental break from the project at hand, i.e. not doing anything related to the project for more than a day or two, for example after going on holiday or after the weekend.

Are there any other people who experience this? This might be a good suggestion for a next post in the Monday series.

Keep up the good work.

Chris Says:

July 9th, 2007, 7:53 am

Great post. The key for me is to break up projects into as many manageable tasks as possible.

Christine Says:

July 9th, 2007, 8:14 am

I deal with the “I get distracted” part by creating a daily review of priorities. i list projects or goals that are important to me NOW, and that I want to be focusing on, or have in the front of my mind today. They could be things like stick to my diet, get exercise, make headway on X project, take time to really enjoy the day, and so forth. It helps me to phrase these things in positive affirmation statements that remind me why I have the goals, such as: I want to stick to my diet today because I want to look good at the reunion. or I’m going to spend a little time organizing the house today because my life will be so much easier when it’s all done.

Then all I do is read over my list in the morning while I’m having my coffee. It helps so much to remind me of my goals and priorities. From there, I usually plan two or three specific things to accomplish - a suggestion of Leo’s which I find extremely helpful because it makes me feel so good to cross them off my list.

Mike Says:

July 9th, 2007, 8:41 am

Christine, I like the idea of writing down why the projects are important and reminding yourself every morning. I think that most of the time a new project bumps off an old one from the radar it’s usually because of the novelty factor rather than its usefulness. Taking a minute to understand why you want to do a particular project allows you to assess whether that project is actually worth doing or not. If it is worth doing, having a reminder on why it is worth doing will probably make it more difficult to get replaced by another project, unless the other project is really more important.

Rod Fage Says:

July 9th, 2007, 8:52 am

Another tip: Change of Scenery

I work at home and I find that by getting out of the home office I can focus better on the task at hand.

I go to the local coffee shop with my laptop and all of the sudden, I am tearing through a difficult task. Sometimes it can be just as simple as moving to the kitchen table or the backyard patio.

ROD>

Deb Says:

July 9th, 2007, 9:29 am

Great post. I particularly related to the “grooming” if you work at home. I split my time between outside clients and work at home. Some weeks I can be home for two days straight. I have found that getting ready for work just as if I was going out really helps me get into that work frame of mind. Following recommendations here, I have learned to close out my email program and only have a web browser open as I listen to online radio. If only I can get the cats to stop bothering me, although it is not a bad thing as it gets me to take a break from the computer, get up and move around a bit and stretch - its just not always at an opportune time!

Balfour Says:

July 9th, 2007, 9:34 am

This is EXACTLY my problem! Sadly, I keep coming back to the point of maybe I should be doing something other than what I’m doing, which is difficult to face, because it took me a while to get here and it seemed like the right thing for a long time. But, right now, I’m not sure how much of my job is enjoyable. There’s very little of it that is interesting now and the parts that are seem to get the life sucked out of them due to circumstances beyond my control.

Joel Says:

July 9th, 2007, 9:58 am

“I make a list of things to do the next day.. and on that day, I wake up looking forward to a bad day, full of unpleasant tasks, I don’t feel like doing anything from the list.”

Along these lines, I actually have started to grow out of this. I get tired over beating myself up over not doing projects, etc. It gets to the point where actually finishing things is extremely rewarding, and thus I’m getting much better at doing them.

Ann Teliczan Says:

July 9th, 2007, 10:04 am

I work at home and find that taking a break and going for a walk with a voice recorder or pen and small pad of paper helps me to focus my thinking and get more done. I do this a lot when I have a large project I am trying to get done.

BJ Thunderstone Says:

July 9th, 2007, 10:47 am

Thank you very much for the fine post and insights!

Mary (MPJ) Says:

July 9th, 2007, 10:52 am

Don’t forget sleep! I find that when I don’t feel like doing any work at all, it is always because I am tired. Once I have had some sleep, I can easily accomplish the tasks that seemed too daunting to tackle before.

BJ Thunderstone Says:

July 9th, 2007, 11:04 am

I have just submitted your article to Reddit, Netscape, Shoutwire and as many social bookmarking systems as I could (using OnlyWire). Also, I dugg it. Once again, thank you very much for the insights!

Jason Says:

July 9th, 2007, 11:22 am

Yep - this one spoke to me as well. I’m taking a day today to work from the home office. Aside from it being “Very” cluttered (more on that another time) I have no desire to do anything right now… I find this one hits me quite a bit. Have made a list (and what a list… not overloaded, moves things along nicely and entirely do-able) yet here it is noon and I’ve not touched it.

Happy to announce your post has convinced me to go refill my coffee, stand out on the deck for a few moments and then come back in with head down and a commitment that I won’t be as frustrated with myself at the end of today. I’ll do this by chunking, unplugging and promising myself a bike ride in the park tonight (which I will be able to enjoy guilt-free). Wish me luck!

Lise Says:

July 9th, 2007, 12:46 pm

Leo, I feel like this post was written for me! Especially “I often don’t feel like doing any work at all. The idea of work seems horrible and I never start doing anything.” I have such great ideas but the actual sitting down to them always seems to get me, so I often end up just doing “default tasks”–reading blogs, IMing, playing computer games, etc.

michael Says:

July 9th, 2007, 13:31 pm

Thanks. You may have saved my life. Great way to break the angst down and real great to know I’m hardly alone with the emotions and ‘paralysis’ of starting and attending to tasks. To further the zen of this, can you simplify it?

Sara Says:

July 9th, 2007, 13:52 pm

The Neil Fiore books are excellent for this as well, especially The Now Habit, which deals specifically with procrastination.

Maria Says:

July 9th, 2007, 14:07 pm

Thanks for the great post, it really helped me realize that I too have this problem. Everyday I have a long to-do list and I end up doing maybe half of what was on it. It’s not that the list is too long, I really have enough time, it’s just that I’m plain lazy. I especially liked the part about getting excited about doing your tasks, I find that very helpful. Even if you have to do something very boring you can get excited about the feeling of accomplishment you will get afterwards. Tackling an everyday task you despise can make you feel really good about yourself.
Anyways I was supposed to study and here I am searching the Web for tips on how to get things done. I guess I just got to get started.

Leo Says:

July 9th, 2007, 19:05 pm

@Everyone: Thanks for all the nice comments here! I think we all have problems with this one, and sometimes just need a little kick in the butt. :) I’m no exception.

@BJ Thunderstone: First, thanks for the great question that prompted this article. Second, thanks for submitting the article to the social media! I try not to ask you guys to do that too much, but it really does help if you give an article you like a Digg or Reddit or Delicious or Stumble, because it helps others find the article. Unfortunately, it may crash the site … at least for the next few days as I move to my new server … and then, I hope, it won’t happen again. :)

Kimmo Says:

July 9th, 2007, 19:05 pm

Thanks for a great post, I guess we all have been there & done that - One thing that works for me is music, either listen to it or play a song or two with guitar or piano (yes, one of the advantages of working from a home office :)

Andy Murdoch Says:

July 10th, 2007, 3:58 am

Great post - I notice that when I’m procrastinating on a large or complex task, it’s usually a hint that I don’t know how to do it. Once I’ve recognised that fact, it’s much easier to get started:

I make backups, open some books up, get the coloured pens out and treat the task as a challenge. Then, when it’s finally done, I get a great sense of achievement.

William Profet from OneJobTwoSalaries.com Says:

July 10th, 2007, 9:36 am

Getting the to-do list done is not guaranteed by writing the list itself - I agree. Here are some simple steps I use for this:

1. The list should be short (up to 10 items. 5 is better).
2. The list contains only high priority tasks.
3. For every task you should know your outcome. What do you want to achieve with executing this task and what it means to you.
4. Start with the first task. And don’t stop until you finish it.
5. Move to the next task and do the same until the list is finished.
6. Make the list for tomorrow.

Regards,
William

Phil L. Says:

July 10th, 2007, 11:09 am

The first few bullet items are so true. I found it helps to have a To Do List that lets you check off items.

Ashish Says:

July 10th, 2007, 12:40 pm

This is a great post. Thanks for your insights and for keeping them concise.

MaryMR Says:

July 10th, 2007, 16:12 pm

Hi! I’ve recently found ZenHabits from… uhm, somewhere, but I’ really like a lot of your articles, particularly those on GTD and simplifying it. On the other hand, this article is–which amplifies something GTD doesn’t talk enough about–BRAVO!

My one addition, to help with the break up big jobs into small is this: use a timer. This is not an original idea–I’m sure you all have seen it somewhere else, probably here. While I have felt *everything* that the article mentions, this single technique has helped hugely. Online stopwatch and online alarm clock both work great. It is shocking, but I’m now convinced that Anything and Everything in 15 minute increments.

Thanks for the great content!

Travis Says:

July 10th, 2007, 17:26 pm

Awesome list, and as another commenter said, just the thing to read after coming back to work from a week’s vacation.

Christine Says:

July 10th, 2007, 17:29 pm

There’s a whole book about the feeling of “Resistance,” especially when it comes to things that are really important to you. It’s called “The War of Art.” If you just can’t bring yourself to do that big, creative project (and business is creative) this book is a real kick in the butt.

Tarabyte Says:

July 10th, 2007, 19:02 pm

I just want to second what MaryMR said about using a timer.

I find that it’s the best way for me to take on a bunch of tasks without feeling totally overwhelmed.

Gotta do a big pile of dishes? Timer is set for 15 minutes. When it goes off, I can walk away, or I can decide to just do a few more minutes of washing up and get the remaining dishes done.

Cheers!

Patrick Allmond Says:

July 10th, 2007, 19:22 pm

Well said.

Lists don’t do you a damn bit of good. They look nice and they feel good. They are a good START. But thinking about doing and doing are two different things.

I am going to link to this from my blog over at http://stopdoingnothing.com

Keep up the good work.
Patrick

Sandra Says:

July 10th, 2007, 19:55 pm

Today I was faced with a writing project that has been on my Most Important Tasks list for the past three workdays. I hadn’t even started it, and it’s due tomorrow by noon. At 1 pm, I unplugged from the web and started setting the timer over and over again, working for 15 minutes, then reading a book for 5 minutes. The 900-word piece was finished in two and a half hours, breaks included, and it turned out well. That’s a personal speed record, and it feels *so* good to have the job done. Thanks, Leo! Your tricks really work.

Clayton Says:

July 10th, 2007, 22:18 pm

I caveat this with “I have never read GTD, or taken any courses related to this”.

My question is: how do you guys concentrate on one thing at a time? I am not in management, project management, etc. I am a Server Admin with millions of distractions, meeting requests, etc. I am constantly barraged by distractions and new requests, each more “important” than the last. I could be on the phone with someone asking me to fix something, have two people at my desk, and 25 unread emails, all asking for my time. Now tell me how I’m supposed to “unplug” and concentrate? How do you manage that?

michael Says:

July 10th, 2007, 23:51 pm

Thanks Christine. Your recommendation of ‘The War of Art” resonated within me, so I read the book and, please, anyone who feels stuck or can’t even start, read this book. Couldn’t imagine a better thought on getting started and staying motivated. It is Zen.

KC Says:

July 11th, 2007, 8:32 am

Thanks for the suggestions. I prepare the todo list and execute the tasks. But when the list gets long, I start procrastinating. Lately I found this very useful online todo system http://www.rememberthemilk.com, which is one of the best tools I have ever used (this is not a plug) . I will set due dates, so that in a given day it “bolds” only certain tasks for that day and I can work on the short list.
Well, even with this system, I am not able to get the work done all the time, which is ok I guess…

ip Says:

July 11th, 2007, 10:21 am

Really? I mean who ever thought writing it down would get it done? It’s not even part of the battle. It’s just a reminder that you have something to do. Discipline anyone?

It’s nothing new that people have a hard time starting when they don’t know where to begin…it’s why kids will never clean their room. Try telling them “Bring me all your white clothes.”. After that 9xoutof10 they run with it from there. Same principle with your task list…

Balfour Says:

July 11th, 2007, 11:21 am

ip-that’s like saying to someone who can’t lose weight, don’t you have any discipline? It’s about figuring out strategies that work. A lot of people resonate with this topic.

Lauren Says:

July 11th, 2007, 12:13 pm

One of the things in GTD that resonated with me is the realization that there will always be more things on your to-do list than you can actually accomplish in a day. I now understand that I don’t have to eliminate my entire to-do list in one sitting; I need to make steady progress, every day, forever. I help myself feel productive by making sure my day starts with nixing two or three short, easy tasks, like “Clean 4 file folders out of the drawer” and “Send thank you email to xyz.” Once I’ve crossed off a few items, I’m on a roll.

Dan Says:

July 11th, 2007, 15:15 pm

“I am terrified of certain tasks, or of working on certain projects.”

Wow… that totally resonates with me — especially when it’s something I haven’t done before. Unfortunately I tend to get bogged down in the “Learn more…” step. I’d suggest rephrasing suggestion #2 as:

Learn just enough about it to get started.

I’ve found it doesn’t usually take much research to get to the point where you can start breaking the project down, GTD-style, into small achievable actions. And this step (for me at least) is kind of fun, and thus more likely to actually happen.

Dan Says:

July 11th, 2007, 15:33 pm

Clayton: in response to your question, “how do you guys concentrate on one thing at a time?”:

I was in a situation like this; it’s not easy, but there are ways to carve out islands of concentration… 30 minutes at a time, if that’s all you can afford.

Mute the phone for a while, or literally unplug it if you have to. (Let ‘em leave voicemail.) Don’t check email or process meeting requests during that time; it’s all stuff that can wait thirty minutes. Turn off email notifiers etc. - anything that carries messages less urgent than “imminent server meltdown”. If you have a door, close it… if not, wear big bulky over-the-ear headphones - this helps to discourage people from interrupting.

And get used to telling people No (diplomatically) - as in “I’m busy with something right now; can you come back in a half hour?” An interesting thing happened when I started saying No: People started to respect my time more. I think they learned I couldn’t do everything for them, and were more careful about what they tried to foist off on me.

Angie Hartford Says:

July 11th, 2007, 19:58 pm

Don’t forget the power of ritual, especially when you consider that most of what we do in our lives is repetitive, ongoing stuff.

Putting music on helps, too. This can be an important part of the ritual, or just useful on its own.

Gold stars on the forehead of anybody who finished their to-do list today! ***

James Soh Says:

July 12th, 2007, 3:36 am

Great article and tips on how to stop procrastinating and get things done.

I especially like the part about keeping things in tiny chuck and and rewarding yourself only after you’ve done your task.

Works for me :)

Moruku Says:

July 12th, 2007, 7:53 am

You’ve done it again! I love reading these, helps me loads..

Bean Says:

July 12th, 2007, 19:40 pm

Very well written and lots of great ideas. My niece has really been struggling with this issue and I am looking forward to sharing it with her.

I didn’t add it to delicious but I did add it ma.gnolia.com! :-P

Lauchlan Mackinnon Says:

July 15th, 2007, 3:46 am

Great Post!

Have you had a look at Barbara Sher’s work as well, e.g. in “Start Living The Life You Want and Stop Just Getting By”? She’s quite good on dealing with ‘resistance’ as well.

I wrote about some of Barabar’s work on my blog at http://lauchlanmackinnon.blogspot.com/2007/06/are-you-scanner-or-deep-diver.html

Regards

Lauchlan

Chris Peters Says:

July 19th, 2007, 9:13 am

Wow, this certainly is a great topic. I believe everyone has felt this resistance in some way.

I’ve noticed that many who are devoted to their ideas are not as devoted to actually getting things done. I think this post will help many people find their way past this resistance.

When you compare the successful people with those who aren’t the big difference is that the true entrepreneurs have a ‘just do it’ mindset; they don’t stop when they feel this resistance ever.

This does not only count for financial success but for almost everything in life. The right mindset can make a difference.

Keep up the good work.

Kind regards,

Chris Peters

Chris Booth Says:

July 22nd, 2007, 8:53 am

I found this topic resonated with me too. I have always had an issue with to-do lists, as they felt like it was someone else telling me what to do, and I HATED that. What finally got me over the hump was starting to track my achievements with them.

First, I tracked the amount of time — in minutes — that I spent doing non-distracted things. I defined them as things I had planned to do, or something that someone in authority had asked me to do. I aimed to reach 330 minutes per day, which took me about 3 months of weekly improvements. To help me do this I bought a vibrating countdown timer so that I didn’t have to remember to write down the time for each task. I would just set it to a small number of minutes, and if I was doing something else when it went off, I wouldn’t count any time towards my target, and I would have a gentle reminder to stop being distracted. The key for me was realizing that going for a daily goal was helpful.

The second thing was understanding that there was more to being productive than not being distracted, so I started counting the number of my own tasks I completed every day. That has two effects. First I can’t count things that other people ask me to do, so there is an incentive to prioritize my own goals, the things that are most important to me. Second, there is an incentive to break things up into smaller chunks so that I can complete more in a day. The side effect of that second thing is that it is easier to do a small task than a large one, so it is easier to start it. I find that I have to have a number of items on my list to give me a choice. I also try to make them “next actions” in the style of GTD so that they can’t balloon in size or scope. But each action finished will likely allow me to add new ones to the list, so I continually have a choice.

Sorry this was so long, but it seemed to me that these ideas weren’t mentioned by anyone here, so I wanted to share them with enough detail to make them clear.

ViCtoria Says:

July 26th, 2007, 1:06 am

This is one great article!! Really, I think it will help me the next 2 weeks I have for holidays, as I am at school in Peru. On November I’ll take the IB Diploma exams and it kinds of stresses me. I love the Website, too!

Matthew Cornell Says:

September 22nd, 2007, 20:41 pm

Another possibility: The action is dependent on another, or you don’t have the tools or information needed to get started.

Also, as you point out, it’s important to understand *why* you’re avoiding something. Here’s an example: For a month or two I had an action of “fax non-disclosure back to [company x].” I needed to do this to take consulting negotiations to the next level. And I JUST WASN’T DOING IT. I finally got sick of myself and took a hard look it what was going on. The truth: I really didn’t want to take the next step (they required a video “interview”) and I wasn’t convinced a relationship with them made sense.

In this case it would have been far better to admit this up front, write a short note, and be done with it. As it was, I had weeks of stress and low-level pain from putting it off.

(And no, I did not write the person early on to say “I’m not going to get to this for a while.” I’ve since apologized and hopefully rectified it.)

Jake Says:

November 26th, 2007, 9:57 am

Thanks for the post.

For anyone interested in improving their productivity, I recommend The Now Habit by Neil Fiore (ISBN: 1585425524).

He introduces an original and effective way to get things done: The Unschedule. (Here’s a good summary http://www.articlealley.com/article_42145_24.html but I recommend getting a copy of the book too.)

Chris Says:

February 14th, 2008, 8:21 am

Thank you Leo for the post. (A bit late in reading it) Very helpful.

I have been reading your blog for about a month now and I really enjoy it. You have some great articles which have inspired me to do more with my life.

I have been suffering from depression for over a year now, for a number of reasons. A few causes though have been procrastination, lack of organization, lack of motivation among other more personal things. Your posts have really helped and inspired me to become motivated and happy with my life again, something that I want to thank you for.

The tip I followed that had the biggest impact:
I threw out or gave away (almost) half of my possessions including clothes, old work, books, and little things (with a bit more to go). I also got rid of most everything on my hard drive, inbox, bookmarks, etc. I didn’t need any of the things I threw away. I now only retain the essential possessions that I need to function and be happy. It has reduced so much clutter and headache which alone has made me so much happier and relaxed. Because of this I am free to concentrate on my other problems.

A also used to worry so much, but as I have begun to cure my depression with help from your blog, I have realized that there is no gain in worrying.

Don’t bother worrying about the future. If you if you make good decisions and plan in the present, everything will fall into place in the future. An example: worried about a big decision or task in the future, say an interview for a job or university. If you take a bit of time to plan beforehand, you will be fine. If you know what you will say, you will be more confident, and thus won’t worry as much.

Sorry for the long post, I just want to thank you for the tips and the inspiration.

Venkat Kouru Says:

February 22nd, 2008, 17:06 pm

Well, hm… I think you’re sort of write; it’s not just about making a list. But I think it’s still important to make a ToDo list… it does help you at lest realize what you’re trying to do. I know they’re a ton of ToDo List managers out there… but I created one that’s much much simpler (I hope). Give it a try: To Do Lists

diana Says:

April 18th, 2008, 4:34 am

I find that it does help to only focus on one small task at a time. I used to pile on a long list of things to do and always got too overwhelmed to start. You have some great ideas. Keep em coming

Dan Says:

April 26th, 2008, 0:00 am

I think it’s important to prioritize, and start with the tasks that have the most weight in regards to the completion of the project. Also, it’s important to try to do this tasks first in the morning, so you’ll feel productive all the day.

Dan
http://www.gtdagenda.com