Getting the Stuff You Hate to Do...Off Your To Do List

A friend wrote to me recently asking for advice on productivity. “Back when I was just an engineer,” he said, “I set aside ‘power hours’, where I could deeply concentrate on one thing. But now that I’m managing a business, I find myself distracted by checking emails and LinkedIn, reviewing financial reports, backing up our server, thinking about the right insurance, talking to the tax accountant, meeting with prospects, etc. How can I get control of my time again, to find time for real thinking and creativity?” 

People who are now working from home may be finding it even more difficult to focus on the work they really need to be doing. Kids, spouses, housework and the like creep into a workday already jammed with video calls.

I have the same problem, but here are some things I’ve found can help to clear my time and my mind to focus on the things that have the greatest impact, and on which I love working:

Prioritize daily: Every morning, I get a nice clean index card and divide it into four quadrants. I write what I must do in the top left corner, and then use the other quadrants of the card for personal tasks, daily schedule, and a long-term to do list. I start every item with a verb, such as “call”, “draft”, “decide”, “answer” or “set up.” The verbs seem to prime my brain for action. (You can use this card multiple days and update it each day if you like, but it’s good to start with a clean piece of paper at least every few days).

Talk it out: Some things are very difficult to do for yourself. For example, I’m a great strategic advisor, but I’m sometimes a bit fuzzy when deciding my own path forward. By talking over my options with a friend or colleague, I can reduce my pondering time by 80-90%. When something important gets stuck on my To Do list, I employ this option.

Timebox and conquer unpleasant tasks: I’d like to always be doing high-level, important work. But sometimes we all have to do low-level, trivial stuff. Many of these unpalatable tasks are actually quite important; for me, this includes things such as creating invoices, cleaning up my mailing list, and fixing website problems. When I see these items lingering on my to do list, wasting my brain energy, I set a limit for how much time I will spend on them, then I time myself as I complete them (yes, I actually set a stopwatch). I usually find that the unpleasant tasks actually take less time than I anticipated. Biting the bullet and conquering them clears my mind for what I really want to be doing.

Get help: I continually re-evaluate when my support team needs to be refined. Maybe I can delegate more to my assistant, or engage another type of assistant. When I spend too long wrestling with small tasks, I try to rethink my support team… or the manner in which I interact with them. As a result, I’ve noticed they get more and more capable, and more in sync with me.

Layer focus on top of clarity: Clarity is having a full and deep understanding of what matters most to you; this sort of insight is tough to come by and requires quite a bit of self-reflection. Focus is spending as much time as humanly possible engaged with those things that matter most to you. If you have skipped or minimized the clarity step, then all the focus in the world won’t help you.

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Amanda Setili helps successful leaders and their teams agree on what needs to change and how to make it happen. She is author of Fearless Growth: The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate Your Markets, and The Agility Advantage, How to Identify and Act On Opportunities in a Fast-Changing World. 

For more strategies, videos and free materials, please visit www.setili.com. Or, contact Amanda to discuss how she works with companies to improve profits, performance and growth.