My “don’t-do list”
I want to get started making videos to help me build an audience and to improve the search optimization of some of my content. I’ve been cruising around YouTube checking out creators who have unique styles. I’m itching to figure out what gear I need and plan out some videos to create. Starting something new like that is exciting, and my brain is attracted to starting new things!
AND I’m also investing a lot of time into these email conversations! I just moved my office last month, and this month I’m moving houses, plus I’ve started two other big content projects that I need to finish. As we talked about in our last conversation, unless I finish what I’ve started, I’m wasting my time, so instead of looking at camera gear and planning out some videos, I’m sitting here writing this (surrounded by boxes of all my possessions)!
When I get to the “messy middle” of a project, when all the discovery and excitement has gone away, and I’m grinding through to the finish, I have an almost irresistible urge to start something new. My brain is itching for that discovery and excitement, and wanting to avoid the drudgery of finishing. To keep me focused on finishing what I’ve started, I’ve created a “don’t do list.” A list of things that I have agreed with myself that I can’t do yet, that I shouldn’t do ever, or that aren’t mine to do. My don’t do list keeps me focused by eliminating a bunch of things that I “could” do, so I can stay focused on the few things that I must do.
Here are some examples
I’m terrible at calendaring. I’m always offering the same time to multiple people, scheduling a meeting for 2 AM (instead of 2 PM) and generally making a mess out of my calendar. It’s a disaster. I should never schedule appointments. So I have a VA who does all my calendaring. Instead of spending even one minute on this activity that I’m no good at, I send a calendar request to Carmen, and she handles it (better than I ever could).
One of my team members is working on finishing up a content project that I started. She’s very competent, likely better at it than I am. Part of me is itching to see her progress, to strategize about how to do it better, to do the fun, “strategic” work while she’s doing the grunt work. That’s not mine to do. I assigned it to her; she’s good at it, I need to let her do it.
And the YouTube project, well, I can’t do that yet. Once I finish the projects I’ve already started, gotten my house moved, and my office moved into my new house, then I can see if I have space for YouTube.
In the meantime, if there are any YouTube creators you are digging, hit reply and tip me off! I’m not making any videos, but there’s aways time for “research”, right?
