Here’s a quick and simple change you can make to guarantee you’ll actually start taking action on your to-do list.
What are some things you want, have wanted for months or even years, but haven’t taken any steps towards obtaining those things or checking them off your list?
The trouble with to-do lists is we often think of something we want or want to do and think the next step is having what we want. It doesn’t work to have a goal and think there is only one step between you and accomplishing it. This mindset is what keeps you from taking action and getting what you want! You have to turn your wants into ‘doings’.
First, start by writing down a list of what you want or want to do. Think daily to-do, goals or dreams. Like this…
- I want to be fluent in Spanish
- I want to work in business management
- I want to do something I’ve never done before
- I want to feel healthier (its goals like this that never see the light of day because they’re too broad and don’t direct us enough to take action)
Then turn those wants into ‘doings’.
I want to be fluent in Spanish, turns into: Register for a Spanish course.
I want to work in business management, turns into: Find opportunities online. Submit applications for management positions.
I want to do something I’ve never done before, becomes: Book a Zipline tour.
I want to feel healther, turns into: Buy a fitness class pass at the Rec. Center before the first of the month. Try one or two classes within a week.
The ‘doings’ that are created are actionable as well as realistic. These first steps may not get you what you ultimately want, but you are SO much more likely to get started with an action item, and once you get momentum, it’s usually enough to keep you going. So the next time you have a really good idea of something you want to do or accomplish, stop and change your want into a doing!
