In a previous post, we talked about a simple strategy to help move your to-do list along: include low-hanging fruit. These are items that need to be completed but take relatively little time, meaning that they can be quickly scratched off the list.
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As we mentioned, this can convey positive psychological benefits to the person making and completing the list. Here we discuss that in a bit more detail.
Visually Shows Progress
In our previous post, we put together two hypothetical to-do lists, one with only the time-intensive activities and the other with some low-hanging fruit added:
To-Do List #1
□ Presentation first draft
□ Call ABC Corp regarding change order
□ Draft internal proposal
□ Route internal proposal
To-Do List #2
□ Presentation first draft
□ Submit HSA enrollment form to HR
□ Call ABC Corp regarding change order
□ Send daily report to manager
□ Draft internal proposal
□ Route internal proposal
□ Reply to e-mail from marketing team
□ Ask Bill for recap of last week’s conference
Even though the items crossed off on the second list are fairly quick tasks, visually seeing progress can help employees feel like they’re getting things done and making progress.
Psychological Boost to Accomplish
Even tackling seemingly minor tasks can boost your psychological outlook on the rest of your tasks. In a 2014 University of Texas at Austin commencement speech that later went viral, United States Navy Admiral and Special Forces Commander William H. McRaven offered advice learned from his years of military service.
In one memorable line he told the audience, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.”
Builds Momentum
Again, drawing on the same quote from McRaven, completing tasks, even small ones, can help you gain the motivation to continue knocking off another and another from your list.
It might seem like a silly exercise to put easy items on your to-do list just to be able to cross them off, but it really does provide a boost from a psychological and motivational standpoint.
So, the next time you’re working through a list of tough items, think about the easier things you need to do and add them to the list. You might be surprised how motivating it can be to start crossing them off.