Getting Off The Hamster Wheel – The To-Do List Vs. To-Do-Better List
Written by: Ian Gibbs, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you have a to-do list? If so, how useful is it? For decades, professionals worldwide have relied on their trusty to-do list, a simple tool that keeps us on track with our tasks, assignments, and errands. From the humble daily chores list to the wishful bucket list, the principle is the same. Improve your productivity by remembering to do stuff.
But what if there were another list? - a list that not only nudges you to get stuff done but also launches you towards personal and professional greatness.
Really?
Yes.
It’s called the To-Do-Better List.
Let’s consider the key differences between these two lists and how mastering the art of the To-Do-Better List can make a big difference to your career and even your life.
The traditional to-do list
A CEO's day can be hectic: a myriad of meetings, difficult decisions, and a mountain of emails that gets bigger by the hour. For such an industrious individual, a to-do list is indispensable. It's a lifeline for managing the chaos of everyday busyness.
But let's be honest; the traditional To-Do list has its limitations. It's like a GPS that guides you from point A to point B but doesn't tell you about the important places you’re bypassing. You’re ticking off tasks, but are you truly growing? Are you improving your skills, your mindset, your life? Or are you frantically running on your hamster wheel? - lots of huffing and puffing but without actually getting anywhere. This is where the To-Do-Better List comes into play.
Getting off the hamster wheel
Think of the To-Do-Better List as a strategic tool for personal development. It goes beyond the usual daily tasks. It challenges you to reach for the exceptional. It's about thriving, not just surviving.
For example, let’s look at Stephanie, a marketing manager determined to climb the stairs of the corporate castle. Her traditional To-Do list is filled with tasks like "finish ad campaign" and "attend client lunch." But her To-Do-Better List? That's a different story.
Stephanie has decided to learn a new skill every quarter. Last quarter it was advanced email management. This quarter, it's improving her personal sales pitch. She’s doing a course on perfecting her elevator pitch and has created an execution and evaluation loop to guarantee regular improvement. Pitching ideas is on her to-do-better list.
After pitching, the next item is networking. After reading a recommended book on professional networking, Stephanie decided to set herself regular networking goals that stretch her to go beyond her normal limits. She doesn't just attend industry events - she actively seeks out mentors, powerbrokers, and potential collaborators with a constantly refined script and objectives.
Her third item is Wellness. Amid her demanding schedule, Stephanie carves out time for daily meditation and weekly gym sessions. It’s not aimless exercise. She tracks her cardio and respiratory metrics and can see the difference her workouts are making which motivates her to continue.
The final item on her list is Giving Back. Stephanie makes it a point to give back to her community. She volunteers at a local community garden and finds it a wonderfully fulfilling experience that brings joy and enriches her life.
It’s worth noting that none of these items would appear on Stephanie’s traditional To-Do list.
The problem with a traditional to-do list
Let's briefly consider the issues that often plague your average To-Do list:
A traditional list deals with immediate tasks. It tends to be driven by the demand of others, rather than your own strategic desires. This can lead to a narrow focus, leaving long-term growth out of the picture.
The more we tick off, the more items we add. Constantly racing to complete a never-ending series of tasks can lead to stress, burnout and leave you feeling unfulfilled.
And of course, if you’re too busy to take the time to professionally develop, you’ll soon get overtaken by those who do. Just like your computer which needs to be regularly updated, so do you. Without a focus on self-improvement, you risk becoming stagnant in a dynamic business world.
Start your to-do-better list today
So maybe it's time to embrace the To-Do-Better revolution. Combine the best of both worlds by integrating To-Do-Better tasks into your daily list. Balance the urgent with the important, the immediate with the transformative. Rather than focussing on completing tasks that leave you where you started, pick a few that move you just a little bit further onwards and upwards. Done regularly, you will surprise yourself by how far you travel.
Remember, it's not just about what you do—it's about who you want to become. Are you content with crossing off your hamster-tasks, or are you ready to write your own success story, one skill acquisition, one mentorship, and one act of kindness at a time?
The To-Do-Better list is one of the key components of my Learning Clubs regular meetings for reporting, reflecting, planning, and committing to our more meaningful goals. If you’re able to go it alone, then that’s great, but if you’re anything like Stephanie, who is a member of one of my groups, you’ll find that getting the support, motivation, and accountability from others can make all the difference.
So think about it. Your career trajectory is in your hands, and the To-Do-Better List is your secret weapon to get off the hamster wheel and rise above the competition in the business world. Don't settle for the traditional; strive for the transformative. Your future self will thank you.
Ian Gibbs, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ian Gibbs is a leading expert in learning techniques and personal development. Through his talks, books and workshops, Ian helps individuals and organisations develop better strategies for learning how to overcome obstacles and achieve goals they thought were beyond them. He is the founder of Learning Clubs which are rapidly gaining notoriety for being a powerful personal development accelerator. Ian's mission is to help people understand and apply everything that science knows about how we develop new behaviour and skills but which is sadly so often overlooked and so keep up in today's rapidly changing world.
