Do you have a habit of putting things of? We tend to do the tasks we enjoy and procrastinate over the ones we don’t. I am my own worst enemy most of the time; accounts, tax returns and legal documents are tasks I know need to be done, but I tend to leave them until last, searching for something more pleasurable that I can do instead.
The problem with this approach is that it leaves an invisible weight over us. In the back of our mind, we know that we need to deal with these unpleasant tasks, but we try to block them out. This is only a temporary fix because they return, more urgent than ever. If as you read this, a task you are trying to avoid is surfacing, I apologise!
Many years ago, I read a personal productivity book called “Getting things Done” by Dave Allen. The most important take away I gained from that, which I still use to this day, is to deal with things that take 2 minutes or less immediately. I am an addicted list writer – if I don’t make lists, I forget what I need to do. I have lists on my iPhone, I email lists to myself, I have lists in my notebook and on post-it notes. Each time I score something from a written list or delete an item from a device list, I feel that little bit better; I’ve made some progress. Therefore, Dave Allen’s 2-minute approach works well for me; it allows me to keep my lists shorter which helps avoid the overwhelm I feel when a list becomes too long.
Unfortunately, the 2 minute or less approach doesn’t help with accounts, tax returns and legal documents because they take more time. Instead, I put them to the back of the queue and I’m back to square one and all the associated stress that entails. Which brings me to the reason I wrote today’s blog.
I was having a call with an amazing lady I have known for approx. 12 years through the spa industry. She is very well known in the industry having built one of the most recognised brands globally and selling it with perfect timing just before covid so when she talks, people tend to listen. She mentioned that every day, she tries to do the most challenging thing that she needs to do first. Her rationale was that this makes everything else easier, and with a free mind and no stress associated with that challenging task not being done, the day is more enjoyable.
This makes perfect sense. There isn’t much more for me to say, now it’s for me to do. So, upon finishing this blog I am going to finalise a shareholders agreement amendment which I have been avoiding (for no good reason) for months. And as with most such tasks, it’s likely to take no more than 30 minutes after which I can enjoy the rest of my day :-)
On a separate note, since next Sunday is Christmas I’ll be taking a week off from posting. May I take this opportunity to wish you all the a wonderful festive season and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2023! See you then!!
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