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Abstract

n confronted with a discrepancy. Scrawled sideways in the margin — a task had gone unchecked.It’s dramatic to say I was distraught, but that is the truth. I am a planner, an organiser, I enjoy neat little boxes and even more, I like checking them off.What else was there to do but sigh and flip back through previous weeks, shoulders slumped, to relive my other failings. What I ended up doing however is realising that I wasn’t actually doing half bad. Quite regularly I bumped an unfinished task to the following day or week — where, I would subsequently then complete it.There was a pretty good cycle going on which allowed me to remember; the whole point of the lists and the checking off was to just get shit done. At some indistinguishable point, this extra pressure had manifested and infected what was at the core of my slightly over the top productivity habits.There is a difference between high achievement, and perfectionism.Being an organisation wizard definitely has its downsides, a big one for many being the high (self-imposed) expectations, but looking back through what I formally pegged as failings allowed me to see, I was doing pretty well.It had been staring me right in the face with all the little ticks that littered various pages of lists, each one a sign that there was no need to have put so much pressure on myself, that I was indeed highly productive.Most of the time when we write lists, they aren’t scheduled by time. The how, of choosing which task to complete first, second, third or last is, if anything, based on its importance. Even

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if a whole day is spent tying up one task and letting the six little ones slide, you’ve prioritised. The pressure should immediately be off when the pressing task has been completed.In the same vein of prioritising, anything that wasn’t completed today — didn’t need to be, otherwise, you wouldn’t have called it a day. Looking at it tangibly, you can go to sleep without worry, not having painted your nails or de-weeded the lawn, instead of seeing it as another item not scored off.There is a saying;You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé.This may technically be true, but we are not Beyoncé, we don’t have the same work schedule, commitments or have an employed team helping us out on a day to day basis. That isn’t to minimalise how Beyoncé gets her shit done, but is instead to say, handling your workload is completely individual.Sure, we could forego hours of sleep, that cheeky wind-down glass of wine or a guilt-free episode of Greys Anatomy but at what cost? Excuse my dramatics flaring again, but stay with me. Even if short-lived, those little moments of relaxation and switching off allow us to get up and do it all again tomorrow, without them, the pressures would never decrease.Like the feeling of joy I had when I had assumed I had for once finally done it all, there is no harm in having that level of happiness over a mostly completed list.It sounds like getting a trophy for participation but you know what; take the win. In accepting that not every day will be 100%, the pressure comes off and you can feel 100%.</article></body>

You Can Do It All… If You Accept That You Can’t

Something has got to give, and that’s okay.

On Sunday night I write a To-Do List for the week. It will consist of the more pressing tasks I need to achieve; Remember to pay credit card, write a number of articles, paint my nails.

Then, every day I write a shorter list. One or two things from the main list that I think I can get done, plus a few daily bonuses like, practice Spanish, make dinner, watch a movie.

For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned. — Benjamin Franklin

What I found was that without a doubt at the end of the day or week, there are always one or two things left unchecked. If you are an organisation wizard the then you can to the frustration of a list that hasn’t been fully checked off.

It became for a time both a habit and an obsession, write a list — aim to get all items ticked off — wallow in disappointment.

One day not too long ago, I was over the moon joyous; I had finally completed an entire list for the day including all my regular bonus tasks. My smile could have lit a dark alley in the dead of night.

A few days later I flipped back through my list book and came across said monumental day and was soon confronted with a discrepancy. Scrawled sideways in the margin — a task had gone unchecked.

It’s dramatic to say I was distraught, but that is the truth. I am a planner, an organiser, I enjoy neat little boxes and even more, I like checking them off.

What else was there to do but sigh and flip back through previous weeks, shoulders slumped, to relive my other failings. What I ended up doing however is realising that I wasn’t actually doing half bad. Quite regularly I bumped an unfinished task to the following day or week — where, I would subsequently then complete it.

There was a pretty good cycle going on which allowed me to remember; the whole point of the lists and the checking off was to just get shit done. At some indistinguishable point, this extra pressure had manifested and infected what was at the core of my slightly over the top productivity habits.

There is a difference between high achievement, and perfectionism.

Being an organisation wizard definitely has its downsides, a big one for many being the high (self-imposed) expectations, but looking back through what I formally pegged as failings allowed me to see, I was doing pretty well.

It had been staring me right in the face with all the little ticks that littered various pages of lists, each one a sign that there was no need to have put so much pressure on myself, that I was indeed highly productive.

Most of the time when we write lists, they aren’t scheduled by time. The how, of choosing which task to complete first, second, third or last is, if anything, based on its importance. Even if a whole day is spent tying up one task and letting the six little ones slide, you’ve prioritised. The pressure should immediately be off when the pressing task has been completed.

In the same vein of prioritising, anything that wasn’t completed today — didn’t need to be, otherwise, you wouldn’t have called it a day. Looking at it tangibly, you can go to sleep without worry, not having painted your nails or de-weeded the lawn, instead of seeing it as another item not scored off.

There is a saying;

You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé.

This may technically be true, but we are not Beyoncé, we don’t have the same work schedule, commitments or have an employed team helping us out on a day to day basis. That isn’t to minimalise how Beyoncé gets her shit done, but is instead to say, handling your workload is completely individual.

Sure, we could forego hours of sleep, that cheeky wind-down glass of wine or a guilt-free episode of Greys Anatomy but at what cost? Excuse my dramatics flaring again, but stay with me. Even if short-lived, those little moments of relaxation and switching off allow us to get up and do it all again tomorrow, without them, the pressures would never decrease.

Like the feeling of joy I had when I had assumed I had for once finally done it all, there is no harm in having that level of happiness over a mostly completed list.

It sounds like getting a trophy for participation but you know what; take the win. In accepting that not every day will be 100%, the pressure comes off and you can feel 100%.