Keeping Busy Got Me Nowhere, So I Started Doing Less. The Result Was Astounding
“Busy” doesn’t always mean “productive”
I filled my daily schedule with detailed morning and nighttime routines for years.
With my ADHD especially, I had learned through trial and error that I had to write down not only what I needed to accomplish, but every minuscule step that each accomplishment would require.
It needed to be ultra-specific, and that worked for me.
However, I realized that checking off all those tasks every morning and night made me want to do it with everything.
Suddenly, I was no longer just ensuring I got my routines and certain projects done — I was constantly busy with 50+ tasks for my entire day.
I kept this up for a few weeks.
I felt good. I felt productive.
But when I did my monthly review of what I accomplished (to take note of what went well and what could’ve gone better), I noticed I had done significantly less than I had before I adjusted my daily to-do list.
But how? I thought.
I’m literally busy all the time. All I do is work.
Yes, I was busy all the time.
