Why You Are Not Doing Your To-Do List

During a recent coaching session, a physician was sharing with me how she was not getting things on her to-do list done. Let us call her Dr. Nancy. Dr. Nancy is an internist with her own private practice. She was consistently one month behind in completing her patient charts and billing. After several coaching sessions, she is finishing her charts and billing on the same day. She is in the process of hiring more help in the office.

I asked her what was stopping her from doing things on her to-do list. Her reply was “there are too many things to do”.

When you think there are too many things to do, how do you feel? Dr. Nancy felt overwhelmed. She felt there were many things coming at her at the same time, to the point that it was too much to handle. Instead of doing things one at a time, in her mind, there was so much going on that she did not even want to deal with any of it. She avoided the tasks.

Why make a to-do list in the first place?

A to-do list is meant to be a reminder for you, so that you do not forget what you are supposed to do. What makes you not do the items on the to-do list? In other words, what can help us do our to-do list?

First, let us explore what is making you avoid the to-do list.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, and you believe it is the to-do list that is causing you to feel that way, you are going to avoid it. We are human beings, and it is natural for us to want to avoid pain or any discomfort.

If you notice that you are feeling overwhelmed, take a step back. Are you putting too many tasks on your list? Prioritize your list of things to do. What are things which must be done today? How much time do you need to complete those things? Is there time to tackle the things which should be done today – things which are not as important as the must-do items?

If you do not prioritize your to-do list strategically, you will end up with a one-day to-do list that will take several days to complete. To have a better idea of how much time is required for a task, use past experience as your reference. Put your to-do list on a calendar with hourly time blocks. This will be a more realistic presentation of your day. When you look at this as your schedule, it will also look more manageable.

The second reason for someone to avoid doing the to-do list is fear. The most common is fear of failure. There is a task that is difficult or challenging and you are afraid you will not do it well. When you are not confident that you can do a task well, it is natural to avoid doing it altogether. The feeling of having failed to meet a certain standard is not pleasant – why would we want to feel it? It is better to complete a task at a B level rather than not completing a task because you fear that you cannot achieve an A level result. You may actually achieve a result better than you anticipated. At the same time, you get to gain an experience and learn from it.

The third reason to avoid doing the to-do list is that you do not see the importance of doing it. This is common with something that is a recurring event. It may not be something you see the result right away. For example, you plan to have a 30-minute exercise time in your day. The goal is to stay fit and healthy. For some people, it is also a way to lose weight. However, you do not see the results you want – yet. You do not see the muscles being built, the fat wasting away or that you can start running long distance. The task is not giving you an immediate result or an instant gratification. With the lack of immediate or quick satisfaction, it is hard to motivate yourself to do it, even though in theory you know it is beneficial. It is important to always remind yourself what your long-term goal is. Learn to be your own cheer-leader. Rome is not built in one day. Consistency works. You will make an impact if you keep at it.

The to-do list is to help you organize your day. The items are listed out so it is clear. It is best to put the items on your to-do list on a calendar with hourly time-blocks to plan your day accordingly. When you find that you are not doing your to-do list, be kind to yourself first. Then ask yourself why. Is it because you put too many things on the list? Is it because you are afraid to fail, or is it because you do not see the  results right away? You are capable and you can do hard things. When you get to know and understand yourself better, it is easier to get things done.