Column: Creating Your Not-To-Do List

[Opinion column written by Agathe Holowatinc]

In following with last week’s message about Your Why Matters: The Power Of Purpose, today’s post is about priorities and what you’re doing every single day to move forward with and advance your biggest goals.

Sometimes what we are doing is not moving the needle for us in our lives. And yet we keep doing the same things day in and day out. You see, what we do every single day results in the life, lifestyle, and quality of life we are currently experiencing – i.e., we create our lives every single day through our actions. The success or lack of success we are experiencing in different areas of our lives is the direct result of what we have consciously or unconsciously decided to focus our time and efforts on.

Where Attention Goes Success Flows.

What comes to mind when you think about that principle in your own life?

Taking Inventory Of What You’re Doing Daily

Have you ever tracked your activities for 5-10 days and noted down what you’re doing every day? Taking inventory of what you do is something that not a lot of people take the time to do and yet it’s invaluable in helping you to understand why certain areas of your life are wildly successful and others are suffering.

I would encourage you to do so. And then…

Review Your Activities

Based on what you tracked, what would someone objectively looking at your daily logs say the 3 top priorities are in your life right now?

– Are they work, sleep, and Netflix?

What do you see when you look at your daily logs?

If you were to really examine your values and desires and what you REALLY want for yourself in your life right now, what would you say your TOP 3 – 5 priorities should be?

Go ahead and write them down!!

Course Correction Time!

It might be time for a course correction in your life. If you want to achieve extraordinary results and fulfillment in any area – for instance in your health, vitality, eating habits, body composition – you need to get laser focused on what it is you really want [CLARITY], create a crystal clear vision of where you want to go [CLARITY again], and then ensure that your PRIORITIES are showing up in your daily life activities and actions!! You need to step back and look at your daily activities from a top-down perspective and identify your Time-Sucks [time wasters], Goal Builders, and Administrative Tasks.

After that, you need to be more intentional about scheduling your days so that you are focusing time and effort towards achieving your top goals, those things that you truly want in your life.

“The difference between those who are obsessive about a goal and devote focus and energy to it and everyone else is that most people are stuck in reaction mode. Instead of developing a clear plan, the majority of people simply deal with situations and issues as they arise and never really get ahead. Their focus is so dispersed that energy can never flow directly toward achieving their big goal. While they may still reach small goals or accomplish tasks, they’ll never get what they really want.” – Tony Robbins Team [2019]

Success Hack: Your Not-to-do List

One Success Hack that has proven insanely valuable to countless high achievers over the years is called the “Not-To-Do List” as taught by NY Times Best Selling Author, Success Coach, Real Estate Investor & Entrepreneur, Dean Graziosi.

Here is a segment from an interview he gave that was published in an article called “What’s on your Not-to-Do List? Why eliminating tasks rather than adding more will make you more successful,” that describes how this life hack works:

‘I like the way Dean puts it. “Everybody has a to-do list,” he says, “but we’re all scraping for time, which is why we need to make a not-to-do list.”

He suggests that as you go through your week, make a list of everything you do during your day. Then, at the end of the week, look at your list and find the stuff you don’t need to be doing. Then you can make a note next to the things you should quit, the things you should automate, and the things you should delegate. When you do this, space opens up, and you have time for stuff that can go toward your purpose and your vision.

Dean says that when he creates a not-to-do list, he generally looks at return on investment. “Even if I have to pay somebody $100 an hour, if I can make more than that by focusing on something else, then I get a return on the investment by outsourcing it.”

I couldn’t agree more. I ask myself: “Do I really need to be changing light bulbs and cleaning toilets and sweeping the floors of my work space?” No, I do not. My business is much better off when I’m focused on more important responsibilities, so I delegate the tasks that might sidetrack me and I focus on the bigger picture of reaching my True North.

This is a great way to look at decisions related to business as well as life in general. Focus on high-level tasks along with family and health. Dry cleaning and grocery shopping and the mundane [but still important] can almost always be delegated. If something doesn’t make life or business better, then don’t focus on it at all.

That said, I can tell you from experience that the hardest word to say is no. People ask me all the time to do things, help out with things, lend my name and expertise to their projects, and I always want to say yes.

But before I do, I step back and look at my life and my business and ask myself, “Do I see a lot of value in doing this, and do I have time to do this fully and completely?” If I can’t answer yes to both questions, then I say no, even when I feel bad about my response.

I find that every successful person can effectively say no, even if they don’t have a formal not-to-do list. They just innately know that they need to eliminate unnecessary distractions and impediments, to automate necessary but time-consuming repetitive tasks, and to outsource or delegate when they’re better off spending their time and energy elsewhere.

It’s a different way of thinking, but it inevitably clears the path for success.’

Source: What’s on your Not-to-Do List? Why eliminating tasks rather than adding more will make you more successful. By Joe De SenaFounder, Spartan Race [2019].

Now It’s Your Turn

Why wait until later to try this out? Go ahead and get some paper or your laptop and write down things you can actually quit, automate and/or delegate so that you can get laser focused on what really matters to you in your life…and get those results you’re looking to manifest and begin to THRIVE in the areas of life that truly matter the most to you. This is a key component of life mastery.

I wish you all the best!!

Feel free to forward this message to someone you care about!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

- Agathe Holowatinc is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, co-founder and director at FUELLED Bermuda Ltd., published author, health food private chef and health industry entrepreneur. She is a passionate advocate of real food, holistic approaches to health and communicating big ideas in a simple way. Visit fuelledlife.com or call or WhatsApp on 532-0426.

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