Merlin Mann’s advice on how to attack those tasks you put off:
- Print out your TODO list (alphabetically, if possible)
- Read it over?beginning to end
- Go back and circle each item that makes you cringe, or that causes you some kind of existential angst
- Per cringe item, think honestly about why you?re freaked out about it. Seriously. What?s the hang-up? (Fear of failure? Dreading bad news? Angry you?re already way overdue?)
- Now, again, per cringe item, add a new TODO that will a) make the loathsome task less cringe-worthy, or b) just get the damned thing done
- Cross the original cringe items off your list
Lots more here–all worth trying.
Susan sez: I have two sets of detailed to-do lists I update about twice a week–one is for personal items, the other work-related. Inspired by David Allen, I try to make each item into an actionable task and keep the top priorities at–yep, you guessed it–the top of the page.
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