The Secret to Actually Completing Your To-Do List — Yes, really!
I’m a mother of two young children, I’m an entrepreneur with multiple different businesses, and I’m the sole income earner for our family of four. My to do list is enough to make most people’s head spin — which is probably the reason I don’t write it down. But I’m also known as one of the greatest procrastinators in all of the universe. So how am I able to get anything done when I am met with a mountain of tasks and projects that seem incredibly large?
The answer is micro-productivity.
Micro-productivity is the practice of taking one large project or task and breaking it down into multiple smaller tasks. As Desmond Tutu stated, “There is only one way to eat an elephant, one bite at a time.” Instead of taking the approach of the mighty python — unhinging my jaw and swallowing an entire meal all at once — I break things down into micro tasks that I can complete in a single sitting.
This is not just something that works for me — micro-productivity is backed by science. Micro-productivity not only results in a higher level of completion of the task, but your brain responds favorably as well. While memory limits can vary slightly from person to person, recent studies have shown that our average working memory capacity is only three to five items — anything more than that, and it’s bound to fall out of your brain.
If we rely on our memory, we’ll stop every step of the task and think, “What am I supposed to do next?” These are opportunities to get distracted, get ourselves off track, and skip important steps of whatever projects we may be working on. Breaking a larger project down into small steps will help you easily identify which steps we should be taking next. But that’s not all!
Breaking down projects also allows your brain to receive feedback at more frequent intervals, and this feedback can have a positive impact on your brain, your mood, and your motivation. When you complete a task, your brain rewards you by releasing a rush of dopamine — a neurotransmitter that’s connected to feelings of pleasure and motivation. If you’re completing large, long term projects, your brain will reward you less frequently.
With the utilization of breaking down tasks into micro tasks, each smaller chunk you complete equals a check off of your to do list — resulting in a release of dopamine. This can result in an elevated mood and an additional motivational push, allowing you to make more progress towards reaching that larger goal.
How to make micro-productivity work for you
- Look at the big picture — make sure you understand the end result of the overarching project that you need to complete.
- Examine the parts of the task — figure out the step by step roadmap that will get you exactly where you need to go, and try to figure out how you can break that down into bite sized chunks that you can complete in a single sitting.
- Think about the logical order of completing each element — what should you do first, what materials do you need, what research do you need, and what resources must you have on hand in order to complete that task in a single sitting?
- Create a timeline for completing your task — oftentimes, having a deadline may make you more focused on completing that task if you have an exact end date in mind.
With micro productivity, it can seem like the small tasks you are completing are leading nowhere. There can be so much to do in your project that completing micro tasks can at times feel pointless. But it’s important to understand that utilizing these small, reasonable steps, you are taking daily, regular action on reaching your goals and that is the most important thing.
Want to learn more about how to implement micro-productivity? Watch the video here!
