I’m watching Pulp Fiction right now. The way the film is constructed is different than most films. The film is delivered in a non-linear fashion.
All of the stories unfold into each other and on top of each other. Characters intersect and the endgame for one of them is surprisingly revealed well before the film ends. (Spoiler alert: he dies two-thirds into the presentation of the film but appears alive in the final sequence because of the way the film is presented.)
The way our days are delivered seem to be linear. Seconds, minutes, hours pass. But the things we do within that time are delivered largely in a non-linear way. Or, at the very least, can be delivered as such.
When we look at our to do lists, they are sequential in one way or another. Oftentimes the sequence is displayed in the order the to do items were written down in the first place.
But working in that sequence isn’t always the most productive. More often, it’s detrimental to our productivity. But it seems easier to tackle the list that way because it’s the way it is presented to us in that moment. It’s the way it’s presented to us throughout the day.
Today instead of tackling your to do list from top to bottom, attack it in a non-linear fashion. Mix up the order so it makes more sense in your day. Do that before you start crossing things off.
