Another useful way to Relax into Productivity is to realize that there is absolutely no way to get everything done.
Many people harbor the desire to become so productive that they can finally complete everything on their “to do list,” get caught up, and stop worrying. Here are two reasons why that is an impossible quest:
- There’s too much to do. In Effectiveness Habit #1: Get it Out of Your Head, you wrote down every current and potential task. For most people, this list is hundreds of items long and growing. You can’t complete all of these nor should you. Effectiveness is not about getting it all done. It’s about selecting the best things to do and getting them done with ease.
- You will always willingly add more. Even if you could get everything on your list done, you will start thinking of new things to do. As soon as you tick the box on the last item of your list, you’ll have new tasks pop up. This is life. Life is about understanding what’s true now and making it better.
Rather than thinking this is a crying shame, celebrate it. Now you know you can’t do it all. You are free to pick and choose the things you are going to do.
Pop the cork!
Mike
What a freeing perspective. I breathed a huge sigh of relief! Have a great day!
Hi Candice,
Yay! And relief is an under-appreciated emotion. It feels good, doesn’t it?
Mike
I’ve had a t-shirt made up that says FINISHED IS AN F-WORD, so I couldn’t agree more.
It’s one in a series of t-shirts that I’ve done up that I typically wear on Fridays. People look forward to seeing what’s coming next!
Hi Jock,
Great thought. And an even better idea. Now I’m looking forward to what’s next!
Mike