Everybody has a to-do list nowadays. That doesn’t make you special. It’s how you choose to use the list that decides just how effective it really is.

There can only be one most important thing. Many things may be important, but only one can be the most important. – Robert Garber

I love to skydive. Sometimes I go a few years without jumping but the thrill and fear of the event burn themselves deep into your mind. It’s a memory that sticks around. When you jump, there are several things that you should do.

1. Inspect your parachute
2. Try to jump out of the plane over the dropzone
3. Manage your risk of collision with other jumpers
4. Etc…

The list goes on and on. But, there is one thing that stands out above all others. There is one thing that is” the most important.” “PULL”

PULL- to activate your parachute at the predetermined altitude. This is the action necessary to begin the inflation of your parachute. I think you’ll agree with me that this is a critical task. You can mismanage many other things but this ONE thing cannot be over looked. It is by far the most important.

The same goes for your to-do list. There are many things you “could” be doing today. But, these things are not equal. Don’t make the mistake of not choosing your first task carefully. Instead, I want you to get into the habit of looking over your list and asking yourself this question.

“Which task on my list is so important that if completed it will make all the others easier or unnecessary?”

Pareto’s 80/20 principle shows us that we get 80% of our progress from 20% of our work. This principle is apparent everywhere you look. Some tasks are just more effective than others.

Action: Look over your “could-do” list and circle the things you “should” do. Then, take this process one step farther. Look over this “should-do” list and choose just one thing. Forget the rest of the world and focus on this task with all your efforts until it is complete.

I’ve been trying out this technique for the last few weeks and I’ve seen incredible results in my productivity. I hope it helps you too. The information here has been found in part in the new motivating and easy to read book, “The ONE Thing” by Jay Papasan and Gary Keller.

Do you think it’s important to have a to-do list? How do you organize your list? Have you ever noticed that the tasks that are hardest (and most effective) usually get pushed around by new and easier tasks that pop up?

A huge thank you to all my readers. I know each of you are out there working on your own hustle and have your own struggles. Kudos to you for working on your biggest goals. With daily visitors to our site now from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom I’m feeling very humbled and honored to have you. I am always open to ideas for content that could help you with your goals. Let me know if there’s something you are struggling with. If you really enjoy a specific article, please share to Facebook so we can build momentum and grow our tribe. Thanks again.

Fear Mediocrity,

Bradley

P.S. One of the biggest changes I’ve made lately was consciously deciding to avoid negativity in all areas of my life. I used a super cheap trick to make that happen and I can’t tell you how awesome it has been. If you missed the post you can find it here.