To-Do Vs. To-Don’t

Time management is an issue for almost everybody.  As soon as we scratch an item off our “To-Do” list it almost immediately gets replaced with another “T0-Do” item.  This item always seems to be even more important and crucial than the last one we did and so begins the ugly circle of scratching items off a list to feel better about ourselves and our time management skills only to feel bad about ourselves a second later because our list got bigger.

I’m learning as are most of you that I can’t do everything.  I have to be strategic with my time and energy.  Just because something may be important to you does not mean that it is important to me and vice versa.  So I tried something the other day and I called it the “To-Don’t” list.  Yes, sadly I felt good about making the list and immediately scratched it off of my “To-Do” list.  The concept is all those things that I don’t accomplish at the end of the day were either not that important or “critical” or I simply ran out of time.  Most likely I ran out of time because I spent to much time on items that weren’t that important.  So occasionally I have a “To-Don’t” list because I can’t do everything.  I am finding that most of the items on that list can be delegated to someone else.

Do you struggle with time management?  Have you ever tried to make a list of things that you were not going to do? It’s therapeutic and it just may allow you to spend time on the things that are really important.