Write down your ideas and get better results.
Mar 09, 2020
In this dynamic and changing world, if we don’t prioritize, we’ll go crazy.
There are times when I’m driving and I remember something that I have to do, or I’m listening to a podcast or an audiobook and I hear an idea that seems interesting enough to investigate, I’m listening to a co-worker and he or she gives me a tip that I jot down to look into later…
Throughout the day, thousands of opportunities to generate interesting ideas for your business will present themselves, however, this can be overwhelming if we don’t have a system to write all of this down and give them priority.
One of these ideas could be very valuable and if you don’t write it down you could lose incredible opportunities.
“Emprendedores” Magazine shared a recent study which mentions that if you take just five minutes to write down your pending tasks, you could fall asleep faster. Researchers supervised a group of college students, who were then divided into two groups. One group wrote down everything that they had to do the next day, and they asked the other group to only write down what they had accomplished in the last few days.
The results of the study showed that participants who wrote down their lists of pending tasks fell asleep faster and rested better than those that only thought about what they had done earlier in the week.
If you’re still not convinced about using a To Do list, we suggest you review some of the benefits of having one, for example:
• Relaxing
Have you ever tried to read a book, carry on a conversation with someone or fall asleep, however something is constantly running through your mind over and over again?
According to psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, there’s a good reason for this.
He says: "the conscious mind can only pay attention to three or four things at a time ". So, if we write down what we have to do, we free up that precious mental space. If we don’t, we emphasize that we’ll forget what we have to do and that’s why that worry spins around in our minds.
If you don’t believe him, consider other studies that show that people will remember the things they haven’t completed more. Therefore, if something is not written down, the thoughts that spin around in your mind can lead you to anxiety.
The brain is a natural problem solver, therefore, unless you make it rest, the brain will keep trying to find a solution. When something is taken away from your brain and put on a list, it frees up a great deal of mental space. Try it and you’ll see the results.
• Feeling accomplished
I don’t know if it’s happened to you, but when I cross off or ✅ something on my To Do list, I feel happy, with a feeling of having achieved something, no matter how small it may be. Studies show that when you are happy you are more productive, you are more motivated and that a snowball of positive feelings is generated. Imagine then what you can accomplish with that attitude!
So checking things off on your To Do list, including the small things, can be very satisfying and gratifying. This can encourage a habit, which in turn will allow you to achieve unimaginable results.
Keeping a To Do list also allows you to review what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day or the week. A little bit makes you feel like a superstar.
• Creates order and makes them reachable
A list of pending tasks is an orderly way to organize how you’re going to do the things you need to do. When you remove them from your head and write them down, they take on another dimension, allowing you to review them, organize them, and make them reachable.
Projects and plans are divided into small tasks that are easier to accomplish. A To Do list not only creates order, it also gives you a strategy to get things done.
It also helps you do the tasks efficiently, since you can see all that is pending with one look and set priorities, which will allow you to focus on what’s important and get that feeling of accomplishment we previously talked about.
• It’s not enough to write down what you want to do, you have to Prioritize
That said, an important point to mention is that the To Do list must be organized by priorities, but, how do you set those priorities?
Ask yourself these simple questions:
1. Does this task help me reach my goals?
If yes, leave it on your list, if not, discard it or assign it to someone else.
Do I have to do this this week? Or Can it wait?
Once you have answered these questions you will have a lean list sorted by priorities. Very important advice: DON’T try to do everything at once, since instead of giving you that feeling of accomplishment, it will just generate more stress for you.
• The secret here is in prioritizing.
Choose 3 activities on your long list that will help you achieve your objectives. Believe me, if you only concentrate on only 3 activities at a time, you will accomplish much more than if you try to do everything at once, move forward with small but firm steps.
Try it for at least 1 month and you will see the results. We invite you to share the results with us.
© 2020, All Rights Reserved, Aldin Consulting Group, LLC.
Alicia Díaz-Blevins
[email protected]
www.aldingroup.com
www.emprendedordeexito.com
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