Social Break Series Day Sixteen : Why I'm throwing my TO DO lists in the trash.

​9:53am Yesterday was the second time I checked Facebook in sixteen days. It was almost like a chore and it took me 30 minutes to scan through all the messages for significance. For the first time in my life, I believe I am experiencing JOMO; the joy of missing out! 

I sent a few canned responses, “A friendly reminder, I’m off social media. Please email me.” to folks who had DM’d me and dropped a note to a friend who’s email I didn’t have and needed to connect with. 

I searched the admin settings in my Facebook group so that I wouldn’t have to log in to approve new group members, but experienced a challenge when I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Right now the public group is set so that any group members can approve others into the group. Which suggests to me that I don’t need to police the membership. Eventually someone else will approve the new requests, right? I guess I need to consider whether or not this is something I want to drop the ball on. I suppose that if new members aren’t approved promptly, it could affect the popularity and/or engagement of my group, right? If you have any clever ideas on how to solve this, let me know!

I’m still reading Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver and last night something she said inspired me to get rid of my To Do Lists. 

Many moons ago as part of a personal foundation coaching project, I went through a coaching exercise called, Simplify Your Life Dramatically, and it included throwing away all my To Do lists. 

I was incredibly surprised at how effective it was! In the beginning I never would’ve believed I could survive without To Do Lists micromanaging my time and tasks but there it was. I was living and thriving and shit — without To Do Lists. Such freedom! 

In my lack of vigilance, my habit of To Dos slowly crept back into my life over the last several years and last night’s reflection helped me to realize that I now have To Do Lists for my To Do Lists for my To Do Lists and this has got to stop! It’s not helping me be more productive, clearly. It is only making me feel more pressured, trapped, and resentful. 

So, I’m throwing them out, again. Want to join me? Here’s how: 

1. Gather all your lists in one spot. 
2. Review each item on all the lists.
3. Take a deep breath in as you memorize each item by heart. 
4. Exhale as you trust yourself to remember what needs to get done. 
5. Add a dash of Marie Kondo by thanking them for their service...
6. Throw them in the trash. 
7. Celebrate!

Now, the social break challenge has a secondary layer — no lists. 

I feel it important to note that I’ll continue to allow three very specific types of lists. 

1. I journal morning pages daily and sometimes while processing I will make a list. This will continue to be permissible especially since its part of my critical thinking process and not a productivity tool, per se. 
2. I sometimes use a list as part of project management so that I know what step to take next. For example, I’m working on some rebranding at the moment and in a coaching call yesterday I worked through a sequence of items with my coach that should be done in a specific order. This type of list will also continue to be permissible. 
3. Finally, my grocery list. I keep an Evernote checklist that includes all the grocery items that I usually buy. Not only does this save me a lot of time every time I need to grocery shop but the biggest reason I do this is to alleviate decision fatigue. Trying to meal plan and figure out what needs to go on the list every time is exhausting! There are a handful of recipes that we make over and over again. Reinventing this wheel several times a month is unnecessary. 

And in an effort to keep this a manageable length, I’ll sign off by sharing a really great article I read this morning, While Everyone Else is Distracted by Social Media, Successful People Double Down on an Underrated Skill. 

A favorite quote from the article: 

"Marketers, software developers, and hackers are gaining unprecedented access to data on human behavior. They use this information to master the science of capturing people’s attention and addicting them to their product. Billions of dollars are spent every year toward these ends. They have developed business models based on advertising — or spreading misinformation — to get the maximum number of clicks for the least amount of effort...Our physical and virtual environments are surrounded by more and more content — whether editorial, advertising, or “fake news.” This content is marketed specifically to our own inclinations, which proves a powerful distraction that can keep us from pursuing more useful information or our own goals."

What do you think? As always, I want to know and I read and reply to all emails and notes. Hit me up now!