Hello beautiful people!
Let’s come at our (sometimes overwhelming) task lists from three different ways.
Back?
Okay, good.
Now that you’ve gotten clear on what it means when you’re feeling overwhelmed (that you either want to take a break or need to move one thing forward), let’s warm up for the “three different ways” I’m gonna ask you to tackle your lists by taking a quick listen to an episode of my podcast THE WORK called “Dessert First.”
Let’s dig in, shall we?
As creatives, we regularly have a list of ten things (okay, twenty) that are begging for our attention. We have passion projects and great ideas and script concepts and marketing hooks and a to-do list overflowing with things about which we’re maybe not quite as passionate but they lead to things about which we ARE more passionate (whether that’s the *next* project or collaboration with a particular person or perhaps a paycheck) and sometimes it just gets “all too much” to start.
Once we’ve decided we’re not seeking a pause and we are ready to move something — anything — forward, and we’ve experienced “Dessert First” a bit more than is healthy (and we all know when we’re overdue on eating our vegetables), these three lists will become our go-to for conquering so very much more than we’ve ever gotten done before.
These three lists (and yes, you’re going to be creating these) are: a time list, a money list, and a passion list. The time list is ranked from “what gets done in the least amount of time” on down to “what takes forever to get done.” This list will help you get things done when you only have a minute to focus. The money list is ranked from “what leads to money” on down to “what’s done for possible or future money.” This list allows you to tackle things like finally turning in that invoice for photo retouching you did months ago or following up on pet-sitting fees you never collected — which gets things moving when having money flowing in is the priority. The passion list is ranked from “what turns me on the most” on down to “what’s something I’m totally cool never doing again.” Naturally, this is your “Dessert First” list. 😉
These three lists give you an always-empowering way of approaching things that need to get done as you run your creative business and build your empire as the best in the world at what you do. Whether it’s the task of writing that email to your agent to discuss the latest check that has been held by a client for a bit too long or banging out a scene on the script you promised your improv troupe you’d start writing based on that great jam session you had together, you can come at your list(s) with purposeful focus. You can choose, “Time for a money task,” when the priority is getting abundance flowing, “Time for a passion task,” when the priority is increasing your joy, or when you only have a minute but need to get something done in order to feel proactive, you say, “Time for a time task.”
Boom. Always moving something forward, but with variety and crazy efficiency. Deceptively simple efficiency, in fact. In approaching your tasks from each of these three directions, you’ll find that suddenly you’re more productive, more in tune with what needs to be moved forward next, and more in love with the process of achievement than ever before. Hooray!
Today’s work: Create your three lists. Share below what’s at the top of each of your three lists. Feel free to discuss which of these three lists you’ve just created feels the most resistance-filled (if any; sometimes just the act of segregating the list into these thirds removes all sorts of blocks you may have previously had about your tasks due to overwhelm).
As you move forward through these lists, you’ll find new ways to get excited about everything from updating your bio to writing a scene for your reel, and from following up with your web designer to doing your taxes, and from conducting research on your show bible to reaching out to an old friend whose energy always keeps you inspired about your journey.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
