Are you overtasking yourself?

Last week was a busy one. I did tick quite a few jobs off the list (s!) but l felt like I was chasing my tail at times. I also felt like I 'should' have got more done. I was chatting about this one night to my wise 16 year old daughter and she said "yeah Mum, but that's because you always overtask yourself". Of course she was right. Whilst I'm much better at setting realistic expectations of myself than I used to be - there's definitely room for improvement.

The law of reasonableness

I used to do things because I thought that's what I should be doing rather than what I needed or wanted to do. I was pretty hard on myself if I didn't do what I thought I should be doing. Then a few years ago my business coach gave me a great piece of advice - to apply the law of reasonableness. This isn't meant as a cop out to do less, or to set low expectations or goals that are too easy. It's just simply to be realistic and reasonable with what you expect of yourself.

Today, I try to make sure that I do things because they have purpose and meaning and fit with my values and goals. But as my daughter pointed out, I do still get carried away with myself and set unrealistic expectations with endless 'to-do' lists!

Overtasking and being unproductive

The problem that I face when I have big long 'to-do' lists is that it doesn't help me to priortise my important tasks. Often it's filled with 'stuff' that probably isn't really that urgent - you know, the nice fluffy stuff that distracts you from doing the stuff that's really important! I do think that there's a time and a place for those fluffy tasks. For me, it's usually when I'm tired and don't have much capacity to think about complex tasks. When you overtask yourself, it's easy to become overwhelmed. This feeling of overwhelm can then distract us and hinder any productivity.

Eat the frog first!

To keep focused and become more productive, I find it helps to simplify the list to the three most important things you need to accomplish each day. The three things that will give you the biggest return on the time that you invest that day.

'Eat the frog first' a wise man once told me! Start with the most important task first. It's likely that the most important task is also the thing that you want to do the least. It will also take up the biggest chunk of your energy. Don't move onto the next task until you've completed the first. Streamlining your tasks and being disciplined with your time will make you feel far more focussed and productive.

Question for you:

- What 3 tasks can you accomplish tomorrow to make the day great?