How to Stop Being Such an Optimist and Get More Done
By Dana P. Rowe, PCC, CPCC, CPQC
We all know someone who, when they say, “just give me a minute,” it’s going to be about ten minutes…minimum. And sadly, we’ve even been that person on occasion.
It’s something I call time optimism — a generous, often naive estimate about how much time it will actually take to complete a task. Unmanaged, it can lead to a vicious cycle of procrastination and missed deadlines, but here’s the good news — you can eradicate it with today’s bite-sized brain busters!
We’ve been managing the wrong thing all along. Research shows that managing energy is way more effective than trying to manage time. In fact, taking frequent breaks improves and maintains performance.
You might say, “Yeah, that’s great, Dana. But I’m just so busy. I could never find time to take a break or do anything as radical as managing my energy levels.”
Enter an excellent tool I discovered by accident many years ago; it’s what I call my “to-don’t” list.
A “to-don’t” list is a running list of time suckers and dead-end diversions from the actual work and the actual things that bring me joy and fulfillment. Mind you, it’s not a list of things I can’t or won’t ever do, but rather a list of things I simply choose not to do because other tasks take priority.
Around the same time I started my first “to-don’t” list, I threw away my “to-do” list and replaced it with the best productivity tool on the planet – my calendar. I love my calendar, friends!
The way it works for me is this: When I agree to do something or discover something that needs to get done, I put it on my calendar immediately. No more nebulous “to-do” list mishegoss that goes on and on and on. This way, I’m not double-booking myself, and I’m not making up that I have oodles of free time (when I don’t), which, in turn, saves me from the dreaded time optimism trap. Not only does it keep me from saying yes too often, but it also helps me steer clear of being endlessly behind on all my tasks. Win-win.
Your challenge for today? Protect your time. START using your calendar to immediately schedule the things that matter most — even the fun stuff, healthy stuff, family time. Get clear on the things you won’t do anymore, and by all means, stop being such an optimist, and you’ll get more done.
If you’re looking for more posts like this one, be sure to check out the rest of my blog posts for Creative Artists and Entrepreneurs here.