I Have More Important Things to Do – The Gentle Art of Ignoring

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At the end of the day, most people who have big projects on their plates also have big to do lists on their desk. Each day, this to do list will have a few things crossed off, but more will be added for the next day, and then it the list is never actually done. So how do we remedy this? How can we get more done with the same amount of time we have each day? It’s often a matter of ignoring large chunks of our list.

Ignore my to do list?!? You must be insane!!!!!

Nope, not really, because I’m not talking about avoiding things, I’m talking about getting the big important things done first and ignoring that small easy stuff for a while. Think about it, if you get the big or scary stuff done right away, you will no longer dread doing it, and will be able to easily tackle the smaller, easier things that are filling up your list.

Below are a few simple tips you can use to get more important things done today and make leaps and bounds toward your goals.

Do the Worst First

As I mentioned previously, doing the worst, hardest, or most impactful thing on your to do list will free up your energy so that you can focus on easier things for the rest of the day. Renowned Author Brian Tracy says to wake up each day and “Eat That Frog,” do the hardest, worst list item first, and you will be ahead of 99% of the people who put it off indefinitely.

We all have at least one of these types of items on our list. It’s the one that makes us want to go watch TV or call a friend. The one we don’t look at because we’re “trying to get some of the quick stuff done first.” It’s always there though, and that’s the thing that separates people who get things done from those who don’t, the ability to swallow their fear and face those big list items head on.

If you have at least one of these things on your list, find it and face it. Do it now, or it will never get done. It should be your Only goal for the day, and until it is done, you can’t work on any other list items. Talk about putting a hold on your progress, if you want to get any of that other stuff done, and it may all be important, you need to finish that tough list item. You better get it done fast. In fact, you should get it done now, then finish reading this article, unless it involves calling someone and it’s 3 am. That might not be a great idea.

Ignore Interruptions for 1 Hour

Many of the highest achievers in the world use this technique, and it works wonders if you actually do it. It allows you to focus 100% of your energy on your target for a short period of time, and usually you will get more done during this time than any other time combined.

What you want to do is get rid of the opportunity for any interruptions. This means silencing the phone, turning off Youtube, shutting down facebook and the messengers, turning off the music if it has words that can distract you, and shutting your door so that it is just you and your goal.

When you do this and focus only on your goal, your entire mental capacity is spent only on that goal. Put a sign on the door and try to spend at least 1 hour achieving your goals. As long as you know what needs to be done, you can speed through your list and by the end of your hour, you will have done a full day worth of slow paced distracted work.

Some people call this an hour of power, but if you don’t have an hour, focus for 15 minutes. If you don’t have that, start with 5. After you have done this for a while, you will be unable to deny the power of focusing completely on your goal, and I am certain you will be able to find at least an hour in your day to tear through your to do list.

Set a Deadline

It has been proven by millions of college students that if you have a deadline, no matter how close it is, you can bust your ass and get what you need done. I know people who have had months to do a project and put it off only to finish it in two days and still get a good grade from the teacher. Since all of us have experienced this phenomenon in one way or another, why don’t we use it to our advantage?

I actually use this when I have to clean my house. I don’t enjoy cleaning, and because I have 3 kids here, plus me so realistically, 4 kids, the house get’s super cluttered very quick. So if I have to clean the kitchen, and it would normally take me about an hour, I set a goal to do it in 15 minutes. It is fun to see if I can do it, get’s the task done quickly, and is a nice challenge for me. By the way, I never go more than 5 minutes over my goal. I set a timer and I race the timer. It’s a great way to get the goal completed and off my list, and the house looks nice afterward.

This is another time when you are going to be forced to ignore all interruptions in order to meet your deadline. You must put the phone away and lock the door, you need this time to yourself. Doing this will allow you to have much more time to call back all the people who left you messages, and spend more time doing what you want.

Is there something on your list that is time consuming that you might be able to put on a deadline? Could you do it if you absolutely had to? If so, why aren’t you? It’s time to set a deadline and do it now.

The Art of Ignoring is something that the people around you will have to get used to. Some are going to be jealous because of your ability to achieve, and some are going to be hurt or annoyed that you ignored their call or can’t talk with them for a few minutes, but doing so will give you the chance to get more done than most of them will ever do in a single day.

Schedule a time today that you have at least 1 hour uninterrupted to achieve your goals, I guarantee that if you use the time properly, you won’t regret it.

I hope this finds you well,
Ryan

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