Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

You make them. I make them. Just about everybody uses or has used a To-Do List to get things done.

Of course. How else would we know what to focus our energy and attention on every day?

No doubt, To-Do Lists serve an important purpose. But if you're anything like me, seeing all the things on your list that don't get done can be frustrating.

Create a Facebook event page for the next show ... Finish editing the new video ... Sign up and start a profile on the hot new Social Buzz site ... Post a link to the new blog post on Twitter ... Take the car in for a state inspection ... Make time to write songs and practice ... oh yeah, find time to eat and sleep ...

No matter how diligent and effective you may be, there's always a growing list of things you just can't get to during any given day, week or month.

That's why I suggest you start a new list: Your Got-Done List.

Yes! You need to acknowledge and celebrate what you've already accomplished to truly feel good about all this list-making activity.

At the end of a busy day, has anyone ever asked you what you did that day? Most likely you hemmed and hawed and could only remember a couple of things. That's sad.

Not long ago I created my own Got-Done List sheet. For a couple of days, as I completed various tasks (whether they were on my To-Do List or not) I wrote them down on the sheet.

And guess what?

At the end of each day I was amazed at how much I had accomplished over the course of several hours. As I looked over each day's long list of completed tasks, I felt satisfied and productive.

But that rarely happens when you focus only on your To-Do List -- which really should be renamed the "Bunch of Stuff I'm Too Lame to Get Done List"!

How empowered do you feel when you focus only on the unfinished tasks you still have yet to do?

The best way to get things done is to create both lists: One to record the important stuff you want or need to get done, and another to log the (hopefully) many things you actually do.

At the end of the day, you deserve to feel good about how you spent your time and the progress you made ...

Of course, if the items on your Got-Done List consist only of "Took a nap" and "Watched Seinfeld reruns," you have another issue that needs to be dealt with :)

But my view of you is more optimistic. I know you proactively pursue your passions and take steps every day to make a difference with your music and your message. And to you I say, "Make a daily Got-Done List to celebrate all of your many accomplishments."

What do you think? Have you ever used this idea? Did I miss something? I welcome your comments.

-Bob Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my free Buzz Factor ezine — the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Learn more about the free subscription here.


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