Today, I’m combining thinking from Gretchen Rubin and Laura Vanderkam with a bit of my own perspective sprinkled in.
Several years ago, Gretchen started talking about alternatives to the “to do” list. She turned her concepts into a cute gift. You might want to check it out here! One of the list alternatives that has always been of interest to me – the “ta-da” list. This is the list that captures milestones each day to be celebrated. This is especially helpful when working on a long project. Having a daily “ta-da” can help you keep the momentum of the project going.
Tied to this idea, a podcast from Laura Vanderkam titled “What Did You Get Done?” suggests that we focus on the results of our days, not the hours worked. In this case, she describes how we might have a very full day, but look back and have nothing on the results list.
My Twist
The two together get me thinking about how we measure our days.
We measure in hours.
We measure by “busyness” in lots of meetings.
We measure by conversations we have.
We measure by presentations given.
We measure by client deliverables sent on time.
However, we don’t typically measure with the techniques above.
These approaches note two different things – one focused on celebrating the small accomplishments on the way to a big project and the other focused on work completed vs. time spent.
The commonality is to make a list at the end of each day.
Your Turn
As you go through your day today, give this technique a try.
What do you discover on your list?
Are you getting things done, but not realizing it?
Are you “busy”, but not “productive”?
How could these insights shift how you approach your days with more intentionality?