The Philosophy That Will Help You Get 'It' Done Sometimes, there isn't a shortcut for completing your work. Tackle your to-do list the old fashioned way with the G.S.D. motto.
By Adam Toren
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Most entrepreneurs love a little inspiration from time to time. In fact, the whole self-help and motivational business is a booming industry. But what do you do when all that inspiration isn't motivating you to tackle the to-do's on your list?
Take on the mantra of the best entrepreneurial philosophy out there. It's called G.S.D. or "Get Shit Done." When all else fails, set aside your feelings about the work and get started doing it.
Related: 10 Ways to Become the Most Productive Person Around
Here are three easy approaches to help you put your G.S.D. philosophy into action.
1. Centralize your task list. Write down all your to-do lists in one place. Whether it's your phone, an organizational app or a notebook, make sure all your ideas and tasks get written down and tracked in one central place. How are you going to know what shit needs to get done if it's scattered across your phone notes, email inbox, post-its and scribbled on the back of envelopes? One great way to get started is to use the "Remember the Milk" app. It makes centralized list management across all your devices simple. Make it your job today to organize all the little miscellaneous tasks into one master list. Better yet, get someone on your team who is a real organization pro to help get this all together for you.
2. Update it regularly. It will take a little time commitment to get your list together, but once it's centralized it will be simple to keep track of it and streamline your G.S.D. lifestyle. What's the next step? Keep the list updated. When things get accomplished, cross them off the list or delete them. When dates change, update them. When you have new things that come up, plug them into the list. This is a working, fluid list you should be adding to and deleting from every day. Keep the list current and get shit done.
Related: Forget Time Management. Do This Instead and Be More Productive.
3. Start with the painful ones. There are plenty of different opinions about how to tackle your to-do list, but starting with the tasks you're least fond of is the G.S.D. philosophy for a few reasons. First, it gets the proverbial monkey off your back. When there's something you know you need to do, but don't want to, there's a sense of dread that can build and build, spiraling the task into something bigger and worse than it likely is in reality. Often this will lead to postponing and procrastinating on important tasks for your business. Running straight toward that painful task first will help you deal with it and remove the mental anguish that continually postponing it creates.
Second, when you complete the dreaded "monkey on your back" task, there's a tremendous sense of accomplishment that can help bolster the rest of your day. It gives you a shot of confidence to go out and attack the other items on your G.S.D. list. Finally, doing the most painful things first means the rest of your list will be things you enjoy and can look forward to breezing through.
