What does your “to do” list represent?
I had a colleague and friend who loved her “to do” lists. She kept lists for many aspects of life – lists with movies to watch, books to read, places to go, and tasks to complete. She said, “nothing gives me a greater thrill than crossing something off my list!”
While that sentiment is a little stronger than I would express, I identify with the joy that a completed to do list brings. (Confession: I am guilty of adding a just-completed task to my list so that I could experience the joy of crossing it off!)
Some people question the value of to do lists, while others swear by them. The important question is not the to do list itself or how you track it. The important question is, “what does your to do list represent?”
In a 2018 Forbes article, Marcela Sapone purported that to do lists should not simply reflects task to complete; rather, they need to reflect the “outcomes you want to achieve.” She continues by saying:
“It may sound simple enough, but it’s a fundamentally different way of working and thinking about how to get things done. Ticking off tasks on our to-do lists might make us feel productive. But to truly be productive, we must clearly visualize the outcomes we want and design everything we do around getting them.”
Thus, to do lists are not inherently helpful or harmful; however, if they simply reflect what we want to get done, then we may not achieve our desired outcomes. Have we even identified those outcomes? Have we written those down?
This concept reflects an outcome-directed thinking process (or outcome-based leadership).
We often approach our work with a problem-focused perspective. We spend our time diagnosing what is wrong and how to address it. According to Richard Daft in The Leadership Experience, problem-focused thinking stresses the cause of an issue, while outcome-directed thinking “focuses the mind on future outcomes and possibilities” (7th edition, p. 422). These differences may be reflected in our to do lists as well as in our approach to problem solving. Daft provides the following exercise to demonstrate the difference.
Consider a current problem and answer the following questions:
Why do I have this problem?
Who/what caused the problem?
What stands in the way of a solution?
How likely is it that I’ll solve this problem?
When you respond to those questions, consider how those responses make you feel about the problem.
Now consider the same problem and answer these questions:
What do I really want instead of this problem?
How will I know I’ve achieved this future outcome?
What resources do I need to pursue this future outcome?
What is the first step I can take to achieve this outcome?
Again, consider how your responses make you feel about the problem.
The first set of questions is problem-focused. While some problems demand our attention, and we have to respond with either a partial or complete solution, the outcome of this approach is simply a solved problem rather than a complete step toward a new, desired outcome.
The second set of questions is outcome-directed, and these focus on moving from the problem toward a defined, desired future state. This approach “shift[s] the mind to the future” and “harnesses the same power that a vision has to awaken the creativity and inspire people to move forward. Future thinking is using the idea of future vision on a small, day-to-day scale” (Daft, p. 422).
That “small, day-to-day scale” is reflected in our plans and tasks - i.e., our to do lists. And with a future-oriented approach, your list is more likely to help you be productive and achieve your goals.
As a leader, consider how you can use an outcome or future-directed approach in your organization (macro level) and in your daily life (micro level). I would love to help you apply this powerful leadership tool – consider contacting ABL Wise Consulting today.
Sources: Stop Thinking in Tasks and To-Dos. Start Thinking in Outcomes by Marcela Sapone and The Leadership Experience (7th Ed.) by Richard Daft
