13 & 14: Dump, Menu, Menu, Frog

Menus Offer Choice

I like the feeling of choice. So, I think of my to-do lists as menus.?

Looking at the menu of your most-loved restaurant, you imagine you can pick anything on the list. For a moment, everything is possible. Select a recipe you know you love? ?Experiment with a new dish? Propose sharing with a friend?

Of course, reality helps us narrow it down…Preferences. Health. Cost. Carbon footprint.

But the great thing about restaurants is that no matter how often you return, you have no obligation to eat every single dish.

This is why I approach to-do lists as menus. Of course, things DO need to get done, but menu lists give me a feeling of choice.

Hence my emerging method: Dump, Menu, Menu, Frog

Brain and Email Dump (#13)

In my old ‘system’ of to-do lists, I made lists of tasks for the next few days, grouping my list into relevant categories: Teaching, Grant application, Editing, etc.

Separately, I spent hours responding to email—sometimes on the fly as messages arrived and sometimes in big efforts to clear the decks.

With no planned or prioritized order, this ‘system’ was reactive, inefficient, and stressful.

Experiment #13 was to integrate these 2 processes, starting with a daily email and brain dump.

So for 2 weeks, first thing every morning I scanned my email, jotting down everything that I ‘needed’ to do. If something could be deleted or responded to in <1 minute, I did it quickly.

To this rough list, I added everything that popped up from my mind.

And I had a quick flip back to prior days to find undone tasks.

The point of the dump is to write down everything quickly in a disorganized list, without judgment or planning.

Menu du Jour (Experiment #14)

The next step was to plan my day.

First, I checked my calendar and noted my day’s schedule. How much time was left?

Second, I made my menu. At the top went everything non-negotiable and urgent. Next, I considered my long-term goals, starring activities that would propel these ambitions forward. Finally, I created groups of easy things to tick off in short sprints.?

Enough planning – Time to do the work. Throughout the day, when I was not in scheduled events, I set about getting it done. Allowed myself to select from my menu. Checked things off or highlighted them as each was done.

Menu Two

About 2/3 of the way through my menu list, I start feeling like I have little choice remaining. Inevitably, I have left some challenging tasks undone. And by this point, a slew of new emails containing requests and work have accumulated.

So I turn the page, scan my email, scan my thoughts, and quickly make a new menu list.

Fresh start. Same priority setting as above. Continue work. Get things done, feel like I have choice in the moment, check things off.

Final Step: Eat the Frog.

So far, we have Dump, Menu, and Menu. The last step is Frog.

Logical readers will identify a problem with the strategy so far: Zeno’s dichotomy paradox (I had to look that up). Clearly, if I never finish a menu list, some things will never ever get done.

So yes, every few days, I need to reclassify some tasks I have been avoiding as FROGS and handle them accordingly. Not as menu items, just as things that need to be done.

Evaluation: Dump, Menu, Menu,…, Frog

Pros:

• Email/brain dump is faster to write than a categorized list
• My list is out of my mind, thus less distracting.
• Everything documented, so nothing is forgotten.
• Tasks on menu du jour are pre-screened as a good (or necessary) use of my time, unlike getting my to dos only from my email.
• Illusion of choice

Cons:

• Inefficiency of re-writing lists
• Risks an overly micro focus…Need to keep the big picture in mind.
• Some days my need for completion and accomplishment is greater than my need for the illusion of freedom. On these days, I want the satisfaction of finishing all items on a to do list, so I make my list to match. I try to be aspirational, but realistic. And aim for a great day.

Overall Evaluation

After the experiment, do I use Dump, Menu, Menu, Frog?

Yes, often I do. Not every day, but several days a week.

As a tool in my motivational toolbox, I score it an A.

?? What do-to list strategies work for you? Please share in the comments.

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