by Marisue Alsobrook 

Introduction: Making our day flow more smoothly, consists of doing things and "stop doing" things.  Most of us just add more and more things to an already full day.  What about taking some things OFF THE LIST?  Yes!  My kind of information!  Here's how to do more by doing less.  

Could you use a "Not To Do" list?

One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools is the trusty old “To Do” list.  In the corporate world, people live and die by the To Do list.  We are trained to diligently put one together at the end of the day for the following day, and whatever tasks that we failed to complete, to carry them forward.  It's a great tool, we should all use them even at home with personal tasks.  When we take things out of our memory and onto the paper, we reduce our daily stress. We all need that!

This system may work well in helping us prioritized and focused.  Still, many of us find oursevles over-loaded with long lists that give us shivers.  We end up feeling very discouraged and overwhelmed by the sheer number of  "to-dos."  So, the "not To Do list is born!

You can read about the “Stop Doing” list in “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. He states that one of the commonalities of the companies who were able to propel themselves from being just good to being great is that they all looked at what they were currently doing that they needed to Stop Doing.

I liked that back door approach to organization so I came up with a few suggestions to calm all of the "over-doers" down.  

How do you decide what goes on your “Stop Doing” list? Here’s what I suggest you do.

Sometimes we waste a lot of time in "preparation" or "getting ready to start," or tasks done by habit that don't really contribute to the larger tasks at hand.  Before we trim down the To Do List, look carefully at what's on it and where you spend most of your time.  For example, when I was Business Manager of a small hospital, I had an employee that spent most of her day re-organizing her office.  I'd walk in her office anytime of the day and find her on the floor re-arranging drawers, setting up new files, and she thought she was working really hard for me.  But, no reports were completed, daily work stacked up, and I ended up staying late for several nights helpiing her complete work for me so I could get work done for my supervisors.  Put the brakes on "false starts."  Just because you're moving around doesn't mean you're working!  Take a close look at what takes up your time and see where you can cross useless tasks off the To Do List.   Put them on the "Not To Do" list and really change the habit. 

Regarding other tasks, see what you can give to others.  Are you holding onto anything to protect your "territory?"  That's natural, but not efficient.  However, we all have had bosses who are so busy delegating their tasks you begin to wonder how they earn their paycheck and what THEY are supposed to do besides fill up your day.  I ended up walking out on a job because the head of the department sang my praises and gave me more and more of her work; then when I ended up doing a better job at it, she set out to get me.  It just wasn't worth the stress so I gave the whole thing back.  Be careful with delegating.  It's a useful tool, but it's not about just assigning a task to someone else. 

I know for solo-business people, you automatically think that you have no one to delegate any tasks to. That might not necessarily be true. Today, there is a whole network of virtual assistants who can handle a myriad of administrative work for you. Some accept work by the hour, and some accept work by the project. If you are interested in this resource, check out www.assistu.com.  The right assistant or partner can really give you several hours in a day to put to tasks that are in need of your specific ability.

You may have to overcome your resistance to delegating.  Do these reasons not to delegate sound familiar?

• “By the time I explain it to someone else, I could have done it myself.”

• “I can’t trust somebody else to do it right.”

• “It costs too much money.”

* "What if they do the job better than I could?"

The art of teamwork is not easy, but when all are pulling in the same direction, all share the credit, and more work is accomplished and all benefit.  Think carefully about what you can give over to another, and start that process slowly.  Your concerns about sharing the workload may be legitimate.  However, before you dismiss the idea, consider the following:

• Is the task repetitive so that the up-front time investment to train someone is actually worth it 3 months down the road?

• Are you the most qualified person to complete the task, or could someone else do it in less time with less effort for better results?

• If you didn’t have to do the task, what would you choose to spend that time on, and what impact will that have on your business, or your life?

So, after considering these tough questions, add your delegated task to your “Stop Doing” list as well and send them elsewhere, and I guarantee you will feel better.

Even though I wrote this article for people struggling with overload at work, the same approach can be applied to create a “Stop Doing” list for home. Think of the possibilities – you can delegate laundry, and cooking, and yard work, and cleaning, and what else?

Seriously, the current state of our lives is that there is generally too much to do and not enough time. So, go through this exercise at least once and see what you can shed from your “to do” list. If you like the results, then establish a routine and do this every 6 months or once a year. The point is that you want to spend your time on high impact tasks, and work that you enjoy.  We all would love to see a long "Not To Do List."

Related Posts:

1. Time: Quick Tips for Managing Your Day
2. Feng Shui: The Law of Attraction
3. Time Management: A To Do List
4. The Secret to Happiness Now
5. Grief: The Journey to the Other Side
6. Law of Attraction: Get These Powerful Secrets
7. Loss of a Child: What can we do?
8. Mourning: A Bill of Rights
9. Simplify Your Life!
10. Abusive Bosses: Warning Signs - When To Leave