Do you have items on your to-do list that never seem to get done? They either get pushed to the next week or fall off your radar. Even must-dos get ignored or ditched. But the tasks we avoid don’t just disappear. They haunt us. They live in the dark valley of our unlived potential. Deflected work becomes proof for our inner critic that we can’t finish things and that we don’t have what it takes to succeed. Continuing to defer the difficult stuff isn’t as benign as we may think.
This happens to me. There are plenty of things looming on my to-do list week after week. Finally, one day, I understood why. This may sound obvious to you, and it is, but how we deal with it may not be apparent. Ready for the big aha?
Some of the tasks on our lists are more emotionally difficult than others.
Pause now and scan your to-do list. Do you feel an emotional charge when you see some of them?
This may seem obvious now, and perhaps when you write the tasks down, you feel a twist in your belly or your jaw clenches. Anxiety creeps into your planning process, but you override it. When we are planning, the actions we need to take are still in the distance. The fears they may evoke aren’t threatening until we step up to do the work.
The items that get ignored, avoided, or deferred to the next week are likely the tough stuff that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Maybe it feels hard because you have to ask for help. Or, you simply don’t have yet have the skills or tools to do it.
Not surprisingly, the difficult items are often the things that drive my inner satisfaction and my outer success. When I do the hard things, I grow personally and professionally.
I found a simple solution that honors the challenging nature of some of the tasks. It allows me to get things done – even the scary stuff.
Here’s what I do. I color-code my tasks. When I started color-coding my list, it because crystal-clear which types of tasks are emotionally charged. I can easily see when I have heaped too many hard things on the week. I can plan for how and when to do the daunting tasks. Here’s my system:
Green – easy peasy. I default to these behind-the-scenes tasks
Blue – challenging, but with focus and planning, I can do it
Red – super tough, accountability and deadlines are likely needed
Easy stuff for me includes writing, curriculum development, easy admin stuff, planning, ideation. The challenging tasks almost always include outreach and follow-up, including asking for help.
Take a look at your task list using my color-coding method. Instead of colors, you might use emojis or symbols for how ‘hot’ the tasks are. I like the idea of flames – three flames mean it’s a hot one! Two flames, not so unbearable. One flame, easy to do.
In most of the productivity advice I see, there’s little that respects the emotional nature of the work at hand. Use a deadline, set a timer, get external accountability. All of those hacks are great. But there’s not a lot that helps us understand why things are emotionally daunting.
Acknowledging our challenges gives us the chance to overcome them. Bullying ourselves to ‘get it done!’ or ignoring the hard stuff leads to failure and disappointment. This inner work is my favorite part of being a coach. Anyone can follow guidance about how to use the Pomodoro method. But unless you’re aware of and working with the undercurrents of your project, you’re not going to get the job done solely with a timer.
In my coaching group, the Atelier, we take the time to understand the factors at play in our productivity. Members of the Atelier get training in what works for them to get their best creative work done. At the end of the program, they know themselves and their process. Atelier members no longer get stuck when things feel hard.
We’re currently enrolling for the fall 2021 session. If a curated group of dedicated creatives feels like the right thing for you to get to that project of yours finally, check out the Atelier here.
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