The Not-To-Do List & Why It Works
Wednesday, October 5th, 2016
VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®, and I’m here to talk about making lists that work.
Generally speaking, a list is a good thing because when you write a list, it helps you focus. When you follow a list, it keeps you on track and moving toward list completion. And when you cross off list items, you feel productive.
On the one hand, making to-do lists works for many people, and there are a lot of people – not just Santa Claus – who love and believe in the power of listmaking.
On the other hand, despite proven results and positive qualities, lists don’t always work for everyone, every time because when you have to make a list, it means you have lots to accomplish. When you have lots to accomplish, you suddenly don’t want to do anything but sit on your couch, watch TV, and eat ice cream. Am I right or am I right?
In other words, making a list is making you procrastinate. At this point, you’d rather be doing anything than what’s on your list. You’ve entered into a mind game between your lazy self and your productive self, and your lazy self is winning.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you to fight back by creating a NOT-To-Do List to help you get organized.
The Not-To-Do List is exactly as the name implies – a list of things you do not want to do.
For example, the Not-To-Do List for Housekeeping, which would be something like: throw shoes by the front door, let mail pile up on the kitchen counter, and forget to file bills at the end of the month. These things create clutter in your home, so you do not want to do them.
Another example would be the Not-To-Do List for Time Management. Some items that might be on this list include: hit the snooze button on the alarm more than once, check email first thing in the morning, and turn on the TV while getting ready for work. These things make you lose time, so again, you do not want to do them.
You see, the Not-To-Do List is a technique that leverages reverse psychology. Plus, you’re giving your lazy self permission to be lazy while, at the same time, giving your productive self permission to get things done.
Now, that’s not just a win-win. That’s a #WinWin.
That’s why, your Easy Organizing Challenge™ is to create your first Not-To-Do List and use it for three days. See if the psychology behind it works better for you than a normal to-do list, and then go from there.
If you want bigger and better time-management results, then follow the arrow [see below link] to download The Ultimate Productivity Planner™. It’s free, and it will help you save 90 minutes or more every day even if you think time management is a myth.
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
© 2007 – 2016 | Carmen Coker International | All Rights Reserved
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! Download The FREE Ultimate Productivity Planner™, and save 90 minutes (or more) every day simply by using this 3-minute trick…even if you think time management is a myth.
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