3 Reasons Your To-Do List Is Only Getting Longer

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I have spent over a decade being behind and having my to-do list growing faster and faster.

I have tried every method imaginable to get more done. Only to find that the faster I finished my tasks, the more that would appear.

While I still have more stressful days than I would like, I am getting better at being aware of what I should and shouldn’t be working on. While this may seem trivial, if you have ever struggled with priorities and a never-ending to-do list, you know it is not.

The question then becomes, why do our to-do lists only grow, and how can we create a productive to-do list?

Why do our To-Do lists grow and how do we make a more productive To-Do list?

1. You are good at what you do, and people know it
2. You lack a system to know what you shouldn’t be doing
3. You don’t know what you are trying to achieve

You are good at what you do, and people know it.

The surprising thing I found through my life and career is that the more capable I became, the more opportunities I had.

This has been repeated in construction, engineering, public speaking, woodworking, and many other areas. The more people know you can be relied on, the more they want you to solve their problems.

Hence you will end up with more opportunities and tasks that you “could” do.

You lack a system to know what you shouldn’t be doing

As you continue to prove you can be successful, you will get increasing amounts of requests.

Everyone I know has struggled to get past this stage because what got them here was saying yes to everything.

By saying yes to everything, they learned the skills to be great and then built a reputation of being great. But what will get them to the next level and keep them sane is building a system to define what to say yes to and what to say no to.

I have come to understand (only recently) that when offers are bombarding us, we need to pick the ones that have both the possibility for massive upside and are aligned with our values and mission.

When we say yes to something, we are saying no to everything else until we are finished.

You don’t know what you are trying to achieve

I have worked hours upon hours, days, evenings, and weekends, as a direct result of saying yes to something just because I/we could do it.

However, the countless 60+ hour weeks hurt when they weren’t contributing to achieving the mission or the vision.

When we are passionately aware of what we are trying to achieve, we can say yes to the opportunities that bring us further on our path.

And, perhaps more importantly, we can say no without regret to anything that does not bring us closer to our goal.