Episode 71 - What does your task list say about your business?

Your task list can say a lot about your business and your mindset. In this episode, we discuss what your task list says about your business and how to design a task list for success. 

Types of Task Lists

We believe there are three types of task lists: the nonexistent, the mundane, and the dream vision task list. Each of these types of task lists tells us something about your business. 

The nonexistent task list

As the name suggests, this is not having an organized task list. You may have scattered pieces of paper or no list of any kind. These businesses are reactive and operate without a plan. These business owners may have created goals but these goals are often not achieved because there is no plan to achieve them.  

These business owners may believe they have a level of freedom but are often frustrated by their lack of progress. They may have a slow start each morning trying to decide what to do or may get lost in email or social media due to not knowing what the next step should be.  

The mundane task list

This is where most small business owners exist. They have the list but it is full of mundane tasks that bring no excitement and little progress to their business. The tasks are administrative and routine. 

Without a connection to dreams and goals, these task lists often lack any growth items. The list looks the same each week, because of repetitive tasks or tasks not completed in previous weeks. Tasks are boring, and the business owner typically lacks focus and desire.

Businesses run on this type of task list is not growth focused. There may be a lack of concern for customer experience. These businesses are in survival mode or worse desperation mode. Customers pick up on this vibe, negatively affecting the business.

The dream vision task list

When business owners align their dreams and goals with their task list, something magical happens. Productivity increases and businesses grow. Why does this make such a difference?

When we create dreams and goals, we get excited. That excitement tends to fade as we get stuck in the day-to-day operations of our businesses. We forget to make the connection between our dreams and our tasks. We tend to think that the mundane tasks must be completed before we can focus on goals but we take extra time on those mundane tasks because we are not excited by them. At the end of the week, there is no time for goal-focused tasks because we procrastinated, got distracted, or tuned out. 

The key is to get excited about all of the tasks. That may seem impossible. Some tasks just suck. However, when you can connect your tasks to your dreams and goals, you can get excited about every task. When you look at a task on your list, ask yourself which of your dreams or goals this task relates. Even mundane tasks, like updating your accounting transactions, give you valuable information to achieve your business and financial dreams. Billing brings in money which also helps with these dreams. 

When you become excited about mundane tasks, you can get them done more efficiently which creates time for the needle moving tasks. Bringing emotion to your tasks creates momentum. 

This month in Small Biz HQ, we are covering task and project management, plus weekly and daily planning. If you join Small Biz HQ before January 30, 2017, you can get all of our Founder's bonuses including special pricing for life. 

For more information about dreaming bigger, check out our free Dream Catcher Assessment.

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