Episode Transcript
You Can’t Be Productive by Doing Nothing
So … Do the First Next Thing
So much of the time being unproductive comes down to doing nothing. We get so overwhelmed by all the things on our to-do lists that our brains start spinning out of control. Should I do this? Should I do that? And then … we get stuck in limbo … and do nothing.
This was brought to the forefront for me again this past week when I was reading The Traveler’s Summit by Andy Andrews again. In this sequel to The Traveler’s Gift, David Ponder is confronted with the current state of the world. With no time left to spare, Ponder and other “travelers” throughout the ages convene in a summit to draft the plan to save humanity.
What needs to be done, individually and collectively, to restore humanity to a successful civilization?
The answer to this question is what prompted me to this topic today.
Back to the long to do lists that we all have. Indecision leads to doing nothing. Things not getting checked off the list as quickly as planned lead to doing nothing. It’s like being stuck in the middle of a huge maze and feeling lost.
So, how do we manage the maze?
We take the first next step.
We’ve spent a lot of time this year discussing routines, journaling, organization, and productivity. In one of those posts, we talked about breaking big things down into little steps.
It’s the way I break the big, overwhelming list down in my mind.
It requires taking action. It’s the first next step.
This is a list of eleven things that I read through as part of my daily routine. It helps me to sort through the clutter and chaos and prioritize and focus on the first next thing:
Start with Prayer – As a Christian this is where I start. I ask the CEO of my life, God, what He thinks is most important. Doing this consistently along with reading the Bible daily helps me to know what His plans are and gives me direction.
Get off my “BUT”, stop making excuses – As a procrastinator by nature, it’s easy for me to tell myself that I don’t have time. It’s too big to do right now. I’ll do it tomorrow. Or maybe I don’t think I have the skill or knowledge to do it, whatever it is.
Put it on the calendar – It’s harder to ignore something that is taking up space on your calendar. Especially if you use a digital one. Those reminders are constantly pestering you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – This is another one that’s hard for me. I started out doing everything myself. The construction, proposals, invoicing meeting with customers, paying the bills, and on and on. I knew I needed help, but it was hard for me to give up control of things.
Take goals seriously – Create a sense of urgency. Last week I shared about this. How when we are faced with a deadline we tend to be more productive. If we are serious about the goals we set they become more urgent.
To the point of urgency and doing the first next thing, because I’m out of time…
I have a meeting with a customer and Emily (my assistant) needs this post today.
So, I’m going to stop here and finish sharing about the remaining six steps on the list next week.
You have to do something to be productive. For me now, it means stopping what I’m doing.
See you next week when we’ll pick up doing the “first next thing” list. If you would like to learn more about being productive you can check out more posts at Solution Building and schedule a free 30-minute meeting with me.
