Strange as this sounds, I discovered one of my best productivity tips on maternity leave.
Here’s what happened: like many people, I have exaggerated notions of what I can get done in a day. I wake up thinking that today is the day I’ll research and write a 5000-word article and land a new client and touch base with three other ones and set my travel for next week and come up with a new book idea and go give a speech in, say, St. Louis, in defiance of all known laws of physics. As the motivational poster in my middle school principal’s office put it, aim for the moon, and at least you’ll land among the stars!
Aside from being astronomically incorrect, however, I’ve discovered that this metaphor has another big flaw. Massive to-do lists set you up for failure. Because even if you do several things, you can’t possibly do everything. Shunting “write 5000 word article” from Tuesday to Wednesday to next week to never is just discouraging.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Want to Get More Done? | BNET
Author: Laura Vanderkam
