Comments on: 10 Reasons Why You Aren’t Done Yet

By: jameskirk

jameskirk — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:19:00 +0000

reason # 1 you cant be done yet because the word done refers the the donenes or temp of food so you would have to be cooked in a oven to be done its are you finished

By: Medical Supply

Medical Supply — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:22:00 +0000

After reading this post, it has motivated me to become more directed in my daily tasks. Thanks for the insight and continue to provide great content.

Daniel at QuickMedical http://www.quickmedical.com

By: Productivity Tips Collection | Goldin++

Productivity Tips Collection | Goldin++ — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 00:38:36 +0000

[...] 10 Reasons Why You Aren’t Done Yet [...]

By: Tazmin Ivey

Tazmin Ivey — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:52:40 +0000

Christine, I agree with your point of view, but why couldn’t both theories work hand in hand? I find spending quiet time with God in the morning helps maintain perspective throughout the day, but there is some undeniable wisdom in using productivity tools to help manage our time effectively.

By: @mholloway49

@mholloway49 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:55:22 +0000

Excellent list. I would add this. When you have something to talk to someone about face-to-face, go to their office. You then can control the agenda and the time.

Mike

By: Christine Sine

Christine Sine — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:47:10 +0000

I was a little surprised and also disappointed by your list of why you aren't done yet. It seems to me that the major reason we allow work to consume us (and if yo work until 10 pm most evenings even with a break to be with your family then work is consuming you) is because we misunderstand God's priorities. Work becomes the focus of our day rather then a way to draw both ourselves and others closer to God and God's kingdom purposes. When I feel consumed by the "I am not done yet?" syndrome I find that the best solution to take some time off, to slow down and sit quietly in God's presence – not talking to God but listening and allowing God to talk to me. It is often in that quiet place that I am able to refocus my priorities which usually means slowing down and ignoring the things that have little if anything to do with what God wants me to be doing

By: Greg Gilbert

Greg Gilbert — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:50 +0000

Michael, great information. One of my mentors explained it to me in the bucket story. Go to http://www.unwilling2settle.com and click the big red sample button on the top left. Really enjoy your blogs. Greg

By: nyurian

nyurian — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:55:20 +0000

great post bro…

By: Devon Smith

Devon Smith — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:44:44 +0000

Great post! It is so hard to stay on track when there are emergencies and urgent deadlines that come in without plan every day. Sticking it out and slogging through your to do list isn't always easy. Your post makes great points about identifying the trouble issues and being aware of them. Work life balance is important, and setting a schedule and sticking to it is harder than it sounds.
I wrote a post about finding worth in those hard days here: http://ladybug010.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/findin…
My recent post Lay Siege to your Servers

By: Makeda

Makeda — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:46:10 +0000

I'm guilty of a lot of these; gotta work on that. Thanks for sharing these.

By: Why Can’t I Get My Work Done? « Ministry Management Memo

Why Can’t I Get My Work Done? « Ministry Management Memo — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:33:07 +0000

[...] I plan on addressing that in detail in the future. A secondary cause is our work habits. Michael Hyatt in one of his posts touches on this with ten issues that we all can address so that maybe we can [...]

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:14:39 +0000

Stumbled upon this while "mindlessly surfing the web." Oops. At any rate, it was great and I'm guilty of all these. Thanks for being real and calling us perfectionists out. My recent post Life Is Full of Bullies

By: Pawel Brodzinski

Pawel Brodzinski — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:05:32 +0000

I'd add:

Deciding what doesn't need any work from you and immediately throwing it out of the list. Personally I often have a task on todo list for weeks before realizing I don't (and didn't) have to do anything about this. It's just distracting clutter.

Wise (limited) distractions during the day. I mean self-initiated ones like grabbing yet another coffee or water-cooler chit-chat etc. They are important to take a short break and get back to work with strong focus but they are often overdosed, like hour-long chat etc.
My recent post Agile Bullshit: Agile Presentations Are So Naive

By: diabetic77

diabetic77 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:23:36 +0000

Have to agree, being involved in the medical field now I feel that things will relax a little knowing that my selected field is pretty secure with the passage of this new healthcare bill. It should be bringing in plenty of new business down the road BUT that just means I will be busier at work and probably have to work longer hours. The important thing is to make a list of what you need to do the next day and stay focused on doing it. At least this has worked for me. It gets me home at a decent hour and allows me to spend some quality time with my family. James http://www.jrsmedical.com My recent post 2010 Catalogs Are Now Available!

By: Hungry, angry, lonely, tired | communicatrix

Hungry, angry, lonely, tired | communicatrix — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:34:16 +0000

[...] Just read a great piece by publisher Michael Hyatt about the sources of work creep (as it cuts into sleep/rest [...]

By: Good Quick Reads

Good Quick Reads — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:57:39 +0000

[...] Michael Hyatt: 10 Reasons Why You Aren’t Done Yet [...]

By: gualetar

gualetar — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:40:46 +0000

The subject is fully clear but why does the text lack clarity? But in general your blog is great.

By: daveanthold

daveanthold — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:33:07 +0000

Recently I have found myself not sleeping well, working far too many hours, and leaving no room for exercising. So I changed things up a bit – M,W, F – I begin my work day at 4:30am – leaving the office at 2:30 or 3pm & hitting the trails for some mtn biking. T, Th – I teach & tutor & recover from the previous days work. Beginning in a couple of weeks, I will hike/ride on the weekends. This has greatly helped my productivity.

By: Friday Links Roundup: Bobcats, Gaels and Racers Edition : The Faughn Family of Four

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:23:03 +0000

[...] 4. Are you tired? Do you struggle to get everything done you feel needs to get done in a day? While not necessarily a spiritual article, you will find this post from Michael Hyatt helpful. Enjoy “10 Reasons Why You Aren’t Done Yet.” [...]

By: Wes Bleed

Wes Bleed — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:12:22 +0000

Michael: Well said. At one time I turned off the alert in Outlook that flashes the image of your latest email because I always jumped to click on it to see what it was. Talk about getting interrupted! I suggest checking emal once or twice an hour. My recent post Focus on the Next Race

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:04:04 +0000

Changing the meeting default is a GREAT idea! Thanks.

By: @andrewmarconi

@andrewmarconi — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:43:10 +0000

In addition to having too many meetings, I think meetings are generally too long. By default, Outlook schedules for 1 hour… so I decided to start booking them for 30 minutes instead (or, for when more complicated tasks need to be completed, 45 minutes).

The result has been that [1] people have started showing up on time rather than wandering in 10-15 minutes late, [2] everything still gets done, and [3] I have more time to get more accomplished in my day.
My recent post Weekly Digest for 11 March 2010

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:45:45 +0000

Thanks for your kind words.

I couldn’t agree more about rest. In fact, this is a huge priority for me. When I don't get enough sleep, everything starts falling apart.

By: @jmarkarnold

@jmarkarnold — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:43:46 +0000

Another great insightful post–and it shows how real you are. I have also found that in addition to scheduling time for work you must also schedule time to rest. If I don't get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night then I'm groggy and tend to miss my morning run. Good rest enables you to be a better worker and a better spouse. Rest is a weapon.

Think Huge!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:15:24 +0000

I agree that perfectionism and a failure to delegate go hand-in-hand. Guilt as charged!

By: Mark Mathson

Mark Mathson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:02:02 +0000

Michael,

I feel your pain. It is often common of achievers to push themselves, and subsequently their families, to the limit at times.

Its always important to take a step back, breathe, prepare for that next step, and then take it.

Your point #6 reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials." – Lin Yutang
My recent post Hitting Home Runs in Your Life

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:58:51 +0000

You make an important distinction: busyness and productivity are two entirely different things.

By: Daniel Decker

Daniel Decker — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:19:23 +0000

Great list and precisely why I am reading at 9:10pm my time. I've learned the hard way. :) I now give myself windows. 30 minutes in the morning for blog reading and an hour or so at night after the kids go to bed. I bookmark sites via Twitter, etc throughout the day and go back to them more thoroughly later. I don't watch much TV so I spend time at night reading blogs, etc (so that I can keep my focus on tasks during the day).

Being self employed has forced me to really try to maximize my time. I'm constantly reflecting and adjusting based on work load and on my natural rhythm, which fluctuates seasonally. Always looking for Time Bandits that need to be removed.

My biggest problem is just saying no. Not always no to others but no to myself. I have a gazillion ideas, some are good and some are great (to me at least). Trying to stay focused on the GREAT vs letting the GOOD distract.

By: Cynthia C. Cutright

Cynthia C. Cutright — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:26:09 +0000

What a great post. It has given me the needed push to develop my own shirk list and re-evaluate my priorities. For me, my "to-do" list doesn't guide my day, I spend way too much time surfing, I don't delegate or schedule time for work, and I too am a perfectionist. I however work from home as well as attend college online. Thanks for the post and motivation! My recent post How is a paradigm formed?

By: Mitch Ebie

Mitch Ebie — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:15:06 +0000

I have been applying his methods to my business wherever possible. I have also been learning quite a bit from Gary Vaynerchuk ...your posts are proving to be very helpful as well :) My recent post What are some PRINCIPLES that you live by?

By: Aaron Armstrong

Aaron Armstrong — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:24:49 +0000

It is - I hope you enjoy it; I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when you're done. My recent post Book Review: Free Book by Brian Tome

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:19:16 +0000

Ha! I'll include a warning next time!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:18:29 +0000

I mostly just write posts to myself and let others listen in ;-)

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:17:40 +0000

I loved the 4 Hour Work Week. I found it hugely helpful. Tim Ferriss, the author, is a genius. Very creative. His blog is excellent, too.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:16:41 +0000

This looks like a great site. I am definitely going to listen to some of these!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:14:31 +0000

Actually, I love it when you pop in. You do a great job of balancing socializing and getting to the point. The last thing I want to do is discourage that. Seriously, don’t change a thing!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:13:22 +0000

Thanks, Tiffany. You are kind to say so.

Please report back on how the to-do list works out for you!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:12:30 +0000

You got it, Patrica. Praying now …

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:11:52 +0000

That is exactly how I use these appointments with myself. Who can argue?

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:11:04 +0000

I have it, but I have not read it. It is a great title!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:10:37 +0000

Thanks for your encouragement! I’m glad you found it helpful.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:10:14 +0000

Maybe my external links aren’t that helpful after all!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:09:27 +0000

In my early career, I would stay late. Then I noticed that I didn't feel any urgency through the day. I just thought, “No need to rush; I’m going to be here until 7:00 or so.”

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:08:25 +0000

Amen to that. Some of us just need a little perspective!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:06:49 +0000

I discovered in my 40s that work was a little like golf. If I got stressed and tighten my grip, my shots ended up in the rough. The key is to relax the grip and not try so hard. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it has worked for me.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:05:19 +0000

It is easy to make things more complicated than they need to be. For me, this simply leads to procrastination. Simple is better!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:04:23 +0000

Good for you. I doubt that any of us will get to the end of our lives and say, "You know, I only have one regret: I wish I could have gone to more meetings!”

By: BG Allen

BG Allen — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:01:46 +0000

Excellent counsel. Just e-mailed the link to our key leaders. In our ministry we are working with our leaders to be more "balanced" in their approach to work. So many are driven by the mission that we have to help them pace themselves. thank you for sharing with us "out here". My recent post More “Lessons of Leadership” from George Whitefield

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:00:07 +0000

I'm afraid I don't know of a comparable program for the PC. Of course, you could always switch to a Mac. ;-)

Seriously, I used to use the GTD Outlook add-in. I found that pretty helpful, but it was several years ago. Thanks.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:57:58 +0000

Thanks. That is very kind of you to say so, Peter.