How to Counteract the “what Else” Thinking
For many of us, ticking boxes on a to-do list is an endless loop, a key way to measure our productivity and self-esteem. And we are constantly adding something new before we celebrate the old.
Think about it: When was the last time you stopped to truly enjoy a work victory or life achievement? Instead of acknowledging what you have achieved, you always think about what will happen next. What else could you do?
This mentality can cause a lot of problems in our life. “It’s a cheesy lifestyle, frankly,” writes Jocelyn K. Gley, writer and host of the Hurry Slowly podcast. “Because they accepted“ what else? “Thinking is a recipe for making yourself feel like nothing is ever enough.”
How did it come about? You are probably familiar. Gley writes that it is “a symbol of a toxic state of mind that is starting to become fairly commonplace” thanks to the proliferation of technology and social media that make it easy to compare oneself to anyone and everyone. Facebook, Instagram, Tinder and thousands of other websites give us insight into the lives of others and provide a constant flow of information and content, so the “what else” question becomes second nature.
You could have witnessed the most precious moment in someone’s life, or read the news of a terrifying and terribly sad event, or complete one of the most impressive achievements of your creative career … And somehow this never happens.
To get rid of this thinking, Gley recommends the following .
Create realistic to-do lists
Not desirable. Glei has a detailed article on things to consider when creating your own, but start by “zooming out” from your daily life to understand why you need to complete these daily tasks and how they can help you achieve more. goals.
Another tip: make two to-do lists. One might be a brain dump list that contains everything you need to do for the next month, and another might be your daily list that is much easier to deal with. Try to streamline tasks based on the amount of energy they require. “Based on the circadian rhythms that we all follow as humans, most people reach their peak cognitive performance between about 9 am and 12 pm,” she writes. “So your course of action matters.” Place the task that requires the most energy and attention at the top of your list.
And make them as specific as possible. For example, instead of just “write a day’s article” on my list, I would break it down into the following parts: get approval for an idea, write an introduction, find a photo, etc.
Mark “blank space” on your calendar
Design deliberately uses white space between elements to add balance and organization. Gley recommends applying this concept to your daily life.
“We need free space in our daily life as well as in our design, because the concept persists,” writes Glei . “If our life is overwhelmed and overwhelmed, we cannot focus on anything properly. Moreover, this way of working actually limits our ability to think creatively. “
Here are some examples of white space you could add to your life to refocus:
- Letting your mind wander
- Going for a walk
- Development of
- Nap
- Logging
- Meditate
Consider making time to just sit back and enjoy some empty space.
Make a Stop Doing List
Based on this post from Jim Collins , Gley recommends creating a “stop doing” list to complement your to-do list. Collins writes:
Let’s say you wake up tomorrow and receive two phone calls. The first phone call tells you that you inherited $ 20 million, no strings attached. The second tells you that you have an incurable and incurable disease, and you have no more than 10 years to live. What would you do differently, and in particular, what would you stop doing?
This assignment was a turning point in my life, and the “stop doing” list became a solid cornerstone of my annual New Year’s promises — a mechanism for disciplined thinking about how to allocate the most valuable resource of all: time.
So, when trying to focus, ask yourself: what can you stop doing while you work? Check your email every five minutes? Planning your morning appointments or eating at the table like Gley ? There are probably several habits that you can get rid of.
Reflect on what you have achieved so far.
Gley cites research from Harvard Business School that reflecting on your accomplishments may be more beneficial to your productivity and work than constantly completing new tasks. And if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. How much do we really achieve when we are focused on our work?
This is because it allows us to strengthen our faith in our abilities and improve our understanding of the task at hand. We learn about ourselves and our work, and like any other lesson, it only lasts if we take the time to study and reflect on it. This self-reflection is not intuitive; it must be planned in our life.
“We need to celebrate, appreciate, and analyze our past performances so that we can synthesize what we have learned and apply that knowledge to take us a notch next time,” writes Glei.
So focus less on “what else” and give yourself a break. Take note of what you have achieved so far and how far you have come. You deserve it.