Divide Your to-Do List Into “easy” and “hard” Columns
This is how many of us make our daily to-do lists: In the morning, fueled by coffee and morning illusions, we write down all the tasks we hope to accomplish in the next eight (or let’s be real, 11 or 12). clock. But these lists, while well-meaning, are often haphazard. After crossing out a third of the items – emails, scheduling, maybe a few follow-up appointments – we think, damn it, I’m pretty tired , and then we end the day feeling like we haven’t accomplished anything significant.
To do deeper work that brings us closer to achieving our goals, our to-do lists need to be in sync with our energy level. On the Rad Awakenings podcast, Molly Crockett, assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, spoke about the system she created for herself after constantly feeling paralyzed by her huge to-do list. She decided to split her list into two columns: easy and hard .
I tend to be very depressed and demoralized about what I need to do, so I created a system in which I have a [two-column] list of things that require a lot of mental work, and a list of things I can do at the end of the day when my energy is depleted. There is an easy column and a difficult one. My daily goal, which is ridiculously low, is one subject from each category. Most of the time I achieve more, but I find it helpful to set the bar very low so as not to demoralize.
If even before lunch, and I have already done one from each column, then I find it motivating and do more. But if I set a less achievable goal – 3-4 from each column, I would realize in the middle of the day that this will not happen, and then it would be like “well, I broke my diet, so I could do the same Successfully drink two beers. and a chocolate cake. “
It makes sense to plan our days based on our biological rhythms, which vary from person to person. Daniel Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing , explained this concept of chronobiology to the Washington Post : “There is a period of the day when we are at our peak, and this is best for analytical tasks such as writing a report or auditing. financial reporting. There is a trough, that is, a failure – that’s no good for anything. And then there is recovery, which is less optimal, but we do better at tasks of understanding and creativity. ” I prefer to do my “hard”, most intense work (which for me is writing) around 10 o’clock in the morning, after I woke up a little, or late at night. “Light” things can be sluggishly twisted during the recession at 16:00.
You can be more specific when making your list. Many would put “emails” in a “simple” column, but as we all experienced, there are some emails that are not easy to write. You can count it as a success if you send one “hard” email and five “easy” ones. Claim this victory. This will help you keep working.
Molly Crockett: The Neurology of Social Media Outrage | Rad Awakenings podcast