Hello everyone, this is Helen Huang @ Organizing, based in Beijing, China. In order to better learn and practice the YiXiaoNeng Time Management System, after finished publishing 100 Chinese articles, I decided to continue writing and publishing a daily English article in another 100 days based on the "YeWuBin Time Management 100 Episodes" audio program. Today is the 150th day.
Today's topic is: Convert Chores to Actions with the 3 Question Method
In the previous lecture, I talked about "three questions connecting ideas and actions".
Every day there is much we must do, and in our minds many ideas form. If we cannot use a good system outside the brain to manage our own ideas, then a lot of things will be forgotten, because our minds cannot remember things well.
And as you know, when things are not completed and are allowed to remain in our brains, we will become anxious. We call these ideas those are in the brain: "chores".
You must learn how to empty the brain, that is, to put all the chores into a storage system outside the brain, learn to remove these ideas and to-do items from your brain, and move them to either software or paper. If you can learn to do this, you can conduct a more clear assessment of these ideas, and then transform the important and meaningful of these ideas into a specific next step or action.
It does not matter whether you use our recommended software - Omnifocus - to empty the brain, or use your own familiar and favorite recording software, such as a memo or pen and paper or notebook. The key is to convert these passive ideas into actionable tasks, no matter which method you try.
In the previous lesson, I talked about how setting up a medical appointment with a doctor is a task that we may easily forget to do. When we forget, it can cause anxiety as it festers in our mind as something that needs to be done but isn't yet completed. When we temporarily forget, and then suddenly think of it at a later date, often we are not in a place or situation that allows us to solve the problem immediately. We must plan the appropriate time to set the appointment, and then wait weeks or months before the appointment date. And it's extremely inefficient.
So, with a chore, like setting up and completing a medical exam, it is only when we note it down, that we can comfortably continue on to other tasks without the burden of that lingering task causing anxiety and concern in our minds.
Then, later, when we are free, we can open our inboxes, which are the lists of the many tasks we have documented, evaluate and prioritize and transform these things in bulk into our own next actions.
Look at each of the chores you have recorded, and ask yourself 3 questions:
Should I do this task or not?
What is the result I want to achieve?
What is my next step?
For example: Transform the "get a physical exam from a doctor" into "I need to call the doctor's office to schedule the appointment".
After emptying the inbox, transform each chore into the action phrase we discussed in our last question, that's: I + verb + key person + thing. Once we've transformed all of our chores, we will have a list of clear, concrete, and specific actions that can be completed. The "I + Verb + Key Person + Thing" formula contains a verb. Verbs, as you know, are action words. And actions can easily and specifically be carried out.
Now that we've defined the chore as an action, we can then combine similar actions together and complete them in bulk. This is how you increase efficiency and maximize your productivity while minimizing time spent.
For example: making a phone call, processing a task on the computer, processing a task at home, going out to complete tasks and entrusting others by delegation ...... These are all situations where similar actions can be done at the same time. We call these contexts or situations. So contexts are situations where groups of similar actions can be done together, and actions are the action equivalents of passive and unproductive ideas.
Do you see how it all fits together? Each situation or context will have its own list. We call this "Contextual or Situational Lists". They both mean the same things. When we set a clear date for each task on the situation list, we can move it or schedule further providing clarity and order to our tasks.
So, to put things and ideas from mind to action, we first have to transfer them to the recording system outside the brain, into specialized software or simple pen and paper, which is more convenient for you.
The situation list and the schedule are two very important but distinct and separate tools. The situation list is flexible, while the schedule is specific.
We need to ask ourselves these three questions, if we want to transform our minds and chores into the next action and separate them into either the proper situation list or to a schedule date. They are:
1 Should I do this task or not?
2 What is the result I want to achieve?
3 What is my next step?
You need to ask these three questions for each and every task!
At first, you may feel these questions are particularly difficult, annoying or just uncomfortable, especially because you have so many things to do. It will take time for you to properly screen all of your tasks through these three questions. There is no shortcut.
Therefore, you need to set aside time specifically for the task of brainstorming and organizing your tasks in this way. Once you've completed this exercise, and your chore inboxes are emptied and converted into actions and transferred into situation lists and scheduled dates, then it will become much easier the next time you do it. The next list of chores will be smaller and your mind will be less encumbered with the weight of those other tasks. Therefore, it will be easier for you.
The regular use of Yixiaoneng's system can help you regain full control of your own work and lives. New habits are difficult to learn in the beginning. In our offline classes, I will help you quickly learn and master this ability. Once you master this critical ability, you will see how brilliant it is.
Thank you being with me together today. Have a wonderful day!
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