From the Editor's Computer
Spring, a very tempestuous time of year as
the seasons change, and traditionally a
time of cleaning and sorting - getting rid of the old and stale to make room
for the new and fresh.
To accomplish this, many people create a
to-do list, or at the very least, add their spring cleaning items to their
ongoing to-do list.
I’ve mentioned before how I personally have
difficulty with to-dos lists. Not
because I have nothing to do, but because the process of listing the items just
doesn’t work for me.
The other day, I read of a slightly
different approach to the whole concept of the to-do list.
Instead of listing the items, colour-coding
them, prioritizing them, crossing off what is done before transferring the
unfinished items to a new list, or whatever your preferred process is, you schedule
the items into your calendar (paper or electronic) in 15 or 30 minute
chunks of time - even if the scheduled date is six months or up to a year away.
The theory is that if you aren’t willing to
set aside a dedicated block of time to do or start, the task, then there is no
point it being on your list of things to do.
Schedule it and do it, or delegate it or dump it.
I know in the past when I’ve discussed with
different people about to-dos and unfinished tasks a frequent comment I’ve
heard is that the items have to be on the list because they have to
be completed.
Really???
How long have some of those items been on your list? I bet it is more than a handful of days and
weeks.
If an item or task has to be done,
guess what, it will get done whether it is on a list or not.
Truthfully, how long have you really been
putting off those tasks that you just transfer from one to-do list to another
to another to another...?
This spring, why not clean out your to-do
list by dumping those tasks that you know will never get done because you
really don’t want to do them - otherwise you’d have done them already.
This will lighten your life, and ultimately
your overall schedule, as it lightens your mind, body and spirit and gives you
more energy.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FwLvSwzET7t3u4PPAZcmaNagHQIBIT7C/view?usp=sharing
To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.
