A Stress-Free Way To Get Things Done

Do you have more to do than you can get done? If so, there's a certain amount of good news there - it means you have something to do! In the past, that was called a job - a job, by definition, is something that needs doing and is almost never finished.

Cleaning the floor is obvious - as soon as you finish cleaning it, dust and dirt begin to accumulate again. Thus, the need for floor cleaning is ongoing and winds up producing jobs.

Got Stress?

In all likelihood, you have a bit more stress than you find desirable. Some stress is good for us, a kind of architectural tension that keeps us upright. Your muscles and bones and ligaments all work in a kind of dynamic tension that keeps things held together.

But that doesn't mean you need to be tense or stressed out about it. In fact, if you can keep yourself exercised, stretched out, and otherwise in a combination of relaxed and energized, you will find you are able to do things in life pretty much stress free and in balance.

The same principle applies in getting things done in your personal and work life. The more dynamic, flexible and fit you are, the more you will be able to get done. Curiously, the more you get done, the less stress you are likely to feel about it all!

The dynamic flexibility we are talking about here is more mental than it is physical. I have worked with all kinds of powerful, intelligent and creative individuals who wind up paralyzed by all the work they have to do. Or more to the point, all the work they aren't getting done.

Pay Attention or Pay With Tension

The game here is one of awareness and focus coupled with doing and not doing.

Huh?

Years ago, David Allen of Getting Things Done fame and I learned an amazing secret that isn't so secret. The only way to relax at night, on the weekend, or on vacation is to know what it is that you are not doing!

If you think about this one for a minute, you'll undoubtedly get it. Imagine you had a list of all the things that need doing in your life. Now imagine that you read down the list and determine that there isn't anything on the list that demands immediate attention.

If that were the case, you could take the evening, or even the weekend off and just relax.

Another way of looking this: imagine reading down the list and determining that whereas there are some important things there that need doing, none of them is more important than taking your family on a well deserved vacation.

If that were the case, you could probably take the vacation and not worry about what you aren't doing back at the office.

That's because you KNOW what it is that YOU ARE NOT DOING.

However, let's imagine that you are just whacked, exhausted, overwhelmed and otherwise burned out. You know there are all kinds of things that need doing, but you just don't have the energy to address them right now. In fact, you can't even remember what they are.

You just need a break. So you try to take a day off. Or a weekend. Or even just an evening with your husband or wife.

I'm sure you know what comes next. No sooner do you settle in to watch that movie, or enjoy a day at the beach, when your mind starts to remind you of all those things you haven't yet done.

It's trying to do you a favor, that mind of yours. "Hey, what about that proposal?" "Hey, the project team has a big milestone coming up - how are they doing?" Or any of a hundred other things.

Sound familiar? Of course it does. Why? Because your mind is a great memory machine. It will remember. You just never know when!

Ever been in the shower when it reminds you of an important call you have been forgetting to make? Thanks, mind! The shower probably isn't the best place to remember, but at least you were reminded!
Or you're driving somewhere and all of those emails that need attending to come flooding in. Another great case of memory colliding with time and location incongruity. With any luck, there won't be a physical collision to go along with the mental one!

Write It Down So You Can Forget About It

If you do have all of your open goals, projects and "to do's" written down someplace, you can simply review the list and determine whether or not anything there has a higher priority than taking care of yourself, handling your daughter's birthday, or just plain relaxing. As soon as you look over the list and determine that you don't need to do any of those things right now, your brain can relax, knowing that you have seen everything and made the strategic decision to relax instead.

If you don't do this kind of review, your mind is going to assume you are in danger of forgetting and will then start reminding you, usually at a most inopportune time.

The notion here is that you have a finite amount of attention that you can apply to getting things done. The more your attention is scattered all over the place - unread email messages, papers stacking up on the desk, sticky notes hanging off your computer, and stray thoughts running around loose in your head because they aren't tracked anywhere - the more you are likely to live in a state of building tension.

So, pay attention to where you have your attention and start tracking that stuff. Notice I didn't say pay attention to where you have your attention and get it all done. Nope. Just track it! If you can track it and make conscious choices about what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what NOT to do, you will find yourself beginning to relax, even in the midst of a very busy life.

Next week, we will look more closely at a couple of simple organizing concepts that can help you keep track of what you have on your plate so you can both relax and get things done.

You can find out more about Russell Bishop at http://www.lessonsinthekeyoflife.com. Contact Russell at: [e-mail]

The author of Lessons in the Key of Life, Russell is an Educational Psychologist, professional life coach and management consultant, based in Santa Barbara California.

Comments

[DrJenniferHoward]

Yes, I so agree that writing down our goals as well as anything and everything we can see that needs to get done helps us stay sane. Taking what feels like amorphous endless life and business tasks, breaking them into categories and prioritizing them lets us see what is literally and figuratively in front of us. As you said this can let us put aside for now what we can with a more relaxed mind and create less stress. Knowing we are on top of what needs to be done now reassures us that we are not dropping stitches. I find that having ongoing lists in every category of my life and work allows me to put aside what I can and in turn take care of what I need to right now

Thanks for the blog,

Dr. Jennifer Howard
http://www.DrJenniferHoward.com

[Homosapient]

Having an ongoing to-do list is a great thing to have, especially for oddball tasks like getting your car inspected. However, again, finding balance between writing tasks and accomplishing tasks is key. Some people spend way too much time managing to-do lists. Whenever I attend a meeting, I bring my laptop. I use the last few minutes of the meeting, normally during the review of actions, to perform my to-do's like sending copies of files or sending out emails. It takes the same amount of time as writing them all down as tasks! Done. Plus, only handle papers and emails once! Read and reply.

[Dr. Alex Benzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Great stuff! It's all about putting boundaries around things which allow you to be fully present at every moment, as Tony Schwartz says in 'The Power of Full Engagement'. Know what needs to be done and do it. Know what doesn't need to be done and leave it alone.

You're using the same principle when you set a countdown timer and work without interruption for 50min. You'll be shocked and amazed at how much you'll accomplish in three of those 50min chunks vs a standard 9-hr workday.

Alex Benzer -- www.taoofdating.com

[nsoergel]

I fully agree that writing things down is one of the keys to high productivity without stress.
I use two types of lists to organize myself.

To-Do Lists
Many people use to-do lists. I use it only for irregular tasks where it makes sense to write them down and delete them again. After trying out many electronic tools I came back to simple paper since it is so much faster although it lacks some of the fancy function available in software.

Checklists
I don't want to loose time adding and removing regular tasks on my to-do list. I therefore create checklists for regular tasks (every day, weekly, monthly, annual tasks) and just tick them off after completion.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

THanks! Just reading this helped me relax! I track at about, eh 95%, I'm going to go handle the other 5% right now!

Thnaks!
Jason

[Ed and Deb Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

whew - great post I agree with Patricia-

I like the"Pay Attention or Pay With Tension"

I remind myself - don't forget to breathe- when things get hectic.

I also agree with Eli- Your simple Zen-like approach is helpful and spot on

Thanks,

Ed

[KataRokkar]

eh, I'll read this later...

[Glamorosa]

Loved this article.

I have a huge project I am working on and also wanted to complete my yearly accounts. I gave myself the day to do my accounts. As I was entirely present with the job at hand I completed my accounts unusually quickly and I realised that I had let go of all the other things that needed doing.

One step at a time is my motto.

[Eli Davidson - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear Russell,
What a wonderful simple approach. You have made this activity of list making and review even more Zen and do-able.

Bravo and Thanks!
Eli Davidson

[NickyD]

Hi Russell,
Loved your post and loved the example of the dirty floor. It gets overwhelming when I think about all of the things I need to do as I leave the house, inside the house which helps me run late. I love writing things down so that I can keep myself on track!

Nicole Dunn

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Great post, Russell. I find the process or writing things down and doing a weekly review is very powerful and liberating. It took me a while to get into the habit of doing it. The process has taught me more about what is essential to be done, and what I can let go of.

I look forward to the continuation of this theme.

Blessings,
Anne

[Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald - Huffpost Blogger]

Russell,

Great post! I love the "Pay Attention or Pay With Tension" phrase. That is great! Your blog is so right on, as usual. I am huge on writing things down and reviewing what I've done and what I need to do. You're right, it is easier to relax knowing what i need to do as well as knowing what I am not doing. If I didn't write things down, I'd be stressing over wondering if I was forgetting something! I wouldn't want to "Pay With Tension"!

[rtb61]

All a bit complicated. Easier way, take a deep breath, focus and accept death as a normal part of life and then put all of life's other little problem on a scale with that. So if it ain't really an actual life or death situation you can pretty much afford to relax at least a bit. Of course if it is a life or death situation then just take heart in the fact that if you fail you at least won't have to worry about all of life's other little problems any more ;).

[stringer]

I really like this advice. Will have to try it. Although the list can still cause stress, I like the idea of having things on there that you know you just aren't going to do right now.