We all have a list of problems that we’re working through, often put together on some kind of to-do list. It’s great to check things off the list, but it often seems like checking one thing off leads to putting something else on it. You’re not wrong.
In the book “The Personal MBA“, author Josh Kaufman shares a quote from Gerald Weinberg that sums this up perfectly:
Once you eliminate your number one problem, number two gets a promotion.
This also ties in nicely to my news post from a few days ago. Once the top story has been resolved or fades from view, something else is ready to take over the top spot. This isn’t a problem to be solved, but just a concept to consider.
When it comes to your to-do list, though, the never-ending list can be tough to deal with. That’s where I generally try to set a list of “big three” goals each day, and if I accomplish those I know I’ve done well. Knocking out a few more items on the to-do list might be fine, but I can feel accomplished if I finish those “big three”.
This concept is probably best known from Michael Hyatt’s “Full Focus Planner” (which I used for a while, and it was excellent), and you can read more about their system here: https://fullfocusplanner.com/system/
However you choose to tackle it, if you can set a short list of main goals for the day and work to accomplish those, having little extras pop up on your to-do list won’t be as much of a problem.
