How to move the needle in the right direction — my new approach to getting things done
You will never have enough time to do everything.
This is my biggest takeaway from Oliver Burkeman’s book “4000 weeks”.
When I realized this I stopped frantically searching for the next productivity hack to get more done.
Have I stopped doing anything? Of course not!
I no longer write endless task lists that I know I cannot achieve over the course of a single day.
- Now I decide on projects for the week.
- I define the next action steps that need to be taken.
- And then I go through the motions.
What I don’t do during that day I will do the next. After all, I have all week to take these steps.
This approach takes the stress out and allows for breaks and joyful tasks too.
Come Sunday it’s easy to check what still needs to be done and finish those tasks.
A lot of unfinished tasks on Sunday are an invitation to check in with myself:
- Did I procrastinate during the whole week?
- Did I work on or finish another project that was not on the list?
- Was I just too overly ambitious?
With newfound insights on my behavior it is then easier to plan the upcoming week.
Oliver Burkeman swears to only have 3 ongoing projects at any time.
You are not allowed to start anything new before one of those is finished. It’s a great approach. It forces you to stay on track.
When another tempting project shows up you will work harder to get something off your list first.
Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog
