Trust Your Gut with Your To-Do List

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BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

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It’s been nearly four? years since I became a full-time entrepreneur! Time. Flies.?

In that time, I’ve honed in on what I want to be doing every day. And what I can leave to others.

One of the best tools I’ve developed while working for myself is what I call a “gut-check move.”

“Gut-checking” is when I check-in on how completing a task makes me feel. It’s made all the difference in my personal and professional life. And it’s something you can do too!

Here are the three steps to “gut-check” everything on your list.

1)?Ask yourself “Do I like this task?”

This may seem a little obvious, but sometimes pride can cloud your judgement. You take on tasks you hate because you feel like you should do them.?

I get it.

So whenever I finish a task, whether it’s writing a script, teaching a workshop, or paying my bills, I check in with myself right after. I ask myself how that task makes me feel.

Do I love doing it? Am I all fired up and excited and get a high from it? Or do I feel like it’s completely drained me and I never want to do it again?

So often we forget to check in with ourselves. And then we end up doing tasks we don’t like again and again just because we can.

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Join me in my LinkedIn Learning course “How to Set Boundaries and Protect Your Time” for more ways to make time for what’s meaningful to you.

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2) I make a list. (Duh!)

I make a list of the tasks I completed alongside my feelings about them.?

This way I can refer back to it when the task presents itself again. And it reminds me to avoid going back to doing things the same old way.?

Plus this list forces me to think through new tasks. If I love it and am excited about it, it gets added to my calendar. If I don’t, it does not!

3) If your gut’s confused, check your friend’s!

Sometimes you’re not sure if you should say yes or no to something. If that’s the case, phone a friend!

This is very valuable because your friends or family will remind you that you liked (or didn’t like) that kind of task the next time it comes up.

If you prefer facetime to phone calls but your friend’s not available, use one of my favorite apps – Marco Polo! It’s like a video walkie talkie but you see friends face to face. It’s helped me get much better at keeping in touch.

Making changes to your to-do lists and your life takes time, work, and knowing your productivity style . So if you find yourself constantly “gut-checking” friends, you might want to consider joining an accountability group to help you reach your goals.

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Do you find yourself choosing short-term rewards over long-term goals? Join me for the next episode of my live-streaming show Inside Scoop , with special guest Dorie Clark to discuss her new book The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World .

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So here’s my challenge for you: every single time you do a task, follow this checklist and ask yourself: Should you continue to put it on your list? Is it something you can outsource ? Or cross off your list for good?

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BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

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