A lot of distractions and temptation play around the protagonist. An archer fixes her focus to her target and her target alone. She needs to look at the sight window and to close one eye, ignoring all the distractions around. We all do that in our tasks. In a productivity sense, it is more satisfying to fulfill goals one at a time rather than start many things and not finish them.
We want the most efficient method or series of actions to reach our goals. Sometimes, we write the steps we should take and the points we should not miss. We even set dates and deadlines for ourselves. Checklists are fun and very helpful.
But one day, you will see a lot of tasks that demand your attention. They will overwhelm you, pull you from opposing directions—just thinking about them will wear you out.
That is why, as to-do lists are important, "not-to-do lists" are at least equally important.
This is one of the things I learned last week. I came across a LinkedIn course called Productivity Tips: Finding Your Productive Mindset. It talked about a lot of concepts, of which I picked the not-to-do list as a focal point.
The concept of a not-to-do list is not entirely new, but I have never tried it. Why would I need to list down the things that I will not perform?
It makes sense, though, that if you know what to say no to, you realize the value of your time and effort. A not-to-do list is supposed to help us appreciate that we can never run out of time for ourselves, no matter how overwhelming our lives are.
The course challenged the audience to list at least ten not-to-dos. As for me, I would love to come up with ten, but I cannot force myself to produce irresponsible bullet points for the sake of compliance. Things that require commitment should at least have their fundamental reason flow out naturally.
And, I am sharing you mine.
I should not cram a to-do list.
I am breaking my habit of writing very, very structured schedules which feature continuous tasks without breaks. Instead of setting start and end time per task, I will enclose them in one dedicated duration of the day. Visual representation: Instead of arranging crayons in a long flat tray as I plan to use them in, I would pick a cube and put the crayons inside it like draw lot. That way, I can work with flexibility even if I spontaneously pick tasks in any order (as long as they are in the box), and I do not lose the joy of accomplishment (which cramming steals away).
I should not attempt to get everything right the first time. It's okay to try again.
Experienced folks would always tell us to listen to them so we do not commit mistakes. It would be good if we can always get everything right the first time, because it saves time, effort and face (it saves us from humiliation). It is not always realistic, though. Still, failure and anxiety has an irreplaceable impact, or at least memory, which deepens how the lesson becomes engraved. And, we are not parrots of the elders. If we just repeat what they say, we will end up just getting across now and actually embodying it only later. The quality of output should not be compromised by just wanting to do it right the first time.
I should not check emails at all times.
This is a new concept to me. I usually have my email door open at all times, so that I can send and receive anytime. It technically consumes a lot of data—and it sucks up more energy to read each and every email as they come. I read a good number of opinions online, and they say that having a scheduled send/receive time is an effective work management tool. That way, I can focus on the priorities I set out at the beginning of the day, and avoid getting distracted by pop-up notifications. Anyway, if something is so urgent that it demands a reply right away, a call would arrive. Otherwise, I should let my priorities enjoy their dedicated time.
I should not multi-task.
This is one of the major changes that I have taken up since I graduated from college. Back then, I really used to do juggle incompatible tasks such as homework and org work, and studying accounting while reading manga. I realized that those combination of activities do not even deserve to be called "multi-tasking"—they are just distracted, half-baked activities. The more activities done at the same time, the more of them fighting for my attention, the lesser part of me each gets, the longer I finish any of them.
I should not use work as plug to fill in my idle time.
I have no hobbies. I do not play any instrument, or at least not here in the metro because I have nothing to play. I have no volunteer organization to spend my weekends with. I do not like to go out with people needlessly. In short, my idle time is "nothing" time. So, because "I have nothing better to do anyway", I work. One day, I just woke up burned out. I had hallucinations of miasma coming out of my keyboard and my hands rotting as I touch the keys. I endured it, because I need to perform. So when December holiday started, I reinforced healing by not touching or even looking at my laptop, at all, for two weeks straight. Thinking that "work" is the best thing I could make use of my time of is a big mistake, but an even bigger mistake is forcing to convert non-work time and forsaking self-rehabilitation.
I should not talk when I am angry.
I have serious anger management problem. But, I should not use that as excuse to anything. What matters is how I interact with other people despite my personal internal issues. I get frustrated easily, and I really communicate my frustration to the people they are directed at—which is why I have ruined many relationships. Pythagoras said, "In anger we should refrain from both speech and action." It is difficult, but I should remind myself that anger produces irresponsible behavior. If I let time pass first and the issue still exists, that means the issue is of big deal; otherwise, the issue is just being overstated by my earlier anger.
As noted in the course, "By making a public commitment of the things that you will not do, it will help reinforce your personal follow through and protect your time."
Right now, I will call it "Shouldn't Do It List". I am not yet ready to convert "should not do" (awareness) to "will not do" (order to myself).
Also, I realized I cannot just remove my checklist attitude when I lived with it throughout my whole life. Likewise, I cannot just embrace a not-to-do list and drop everything else just because successful people recommend it. There is a certain balance of the two that everyone needs to actualize. Checklists develop goal-setting, planning and action. Not-to-do lists develop conditioning, discipline and self-awareness.
Going back to the archer, she looks at the sight window and closes one eye, ignoring all the distractions around. That is the representation of her goal orientation. But we should also take good note of the way she holds the grip, the force of her pull to the bowstring, the position of her feet, her posture... Those represent her discipline. Achieving great things is not only a product of being eager to aim, but by knowing who you are in the game.
[Who would have thought that archer Shinomiya Kaguya lighting the festival bonfire would become an analogy to me? *spoiler alert*]
I wonder if I got my point across properly.
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