Productivity Why making to-do lists wont help you get things done

Productivity Why making to-do lists wont help you get things doneProductivity Why making to-do lists wont help you get things doneIve helped thousands of people?- ?from NFL coaches and four star generals to best-selling authors and hedge fund managers? - ?feel less busy and get more done. I get asked for advice on improving productivity so much so that Ive packaged most of it into an online seminar that I call Insanely More Productive.Today, I want to share one of the biggest secrets Ive discovered. Its the secret to some of the most productive people I know and its non-intuitive.Successful people dont make to-do listsI know that sounds crazy, but its true.Most of us who use a to-do list take out a sheet of paper and write out what we want to do, say on Saturday.Thats horrible. And the listkeeps growing and growing because the rate at which people say yes to new things is not exceeded by the rate at which they get things done.To-do listsmake it easy - and thats a bad thingBecause its so simple to add things, these lists tend to grow and grow. Even worse, they encourage our default to be yes instead of no. Because its easy to say yes, thats what we do.Its no wonder we feel stressed and full of anxiety.The real value in life comes from saying no.To help you say no, you need some friction. The solution to the to-do list problem is actually pretty simple.You have to make one change schedule itIf you need to pick up groceries, schedule it. Saturday morning at 10 a.m. In your calendar, keep a list of the groceries you need under that block of time.Thats how the most successful people use lists under a specific time block.Want to spend a date night with your spouse or partner? Schedule it. And if youre smart, youll set this one to recurring weekly.Want to set aside time for that project you never seem to get around to? Schedule it, and youll find yourself actually doing it instead of talking about it.Why scheduling works so wellWhen you schedule things, you are for ced to deal with the fact that there are only so many hours in a week. Youre forced to make choices rather than add something to a never ending to-do list that only becomes a source of anxiety.And you cant just schedule important work and creative stuff. You need to schedule time for rest and recovery and mundane things like email.Scheduling things also creates a visual feedback mechanism for how you actually spend your time ? - ?something were intentionally blind to because we wont like what we see.Being more productive isnt always about doing more. Its about being more conscious about what you work on and putting your energy into the two or three things that will really make a difference.Of course this is only part of the solution.This article originally appeared on Medium.