I know what I need to do; why do I need to write it down?  You may have fallen into the trap of thinking this way.  And hey, if it works for you, thats great!

I find, however, that many people with too much to do, or with large projects looming in front of them get into a state of complete overload because they havent prepared themselves by keeping very simple action-item lists.

Whats an Action-Item List?

There are many kinds of lists, and each is useful in its own way.  A list can range from 100 things I want to do before I die to a list of reasons that you want to stay in your current career (hopefully you have 100 reasons for that, also.)

Here is my definition of an action-item list: 

An action-item list consists of discrete actions, broken down into the smallest reasonable behavioral steps that you need in order to finish a project (or even a portion of a project.)

A Peek Inside Your Brain

Lets say that you are a writer who has just gotten back an article you had submitted to an editor.  You intend to begin at the beginning and just start revising.  Unfortunately for many of us, our brains dont function well in this mode.

Here is a peek inside the brain of a typical person in this situation:

            He/shes an idiot these are ridiculous suggestions.

            Im an idiot.  I cant believe I wrote such a terrible article.

            Maybe Im not cut out for this.

            No matter what pathetic drivel I manage to write, it wont be good enough.

            Just that first suggested revision will take me hours, no, days to complete.

            I really need to run some errands.  Ill get to it next week.

Your brain can be a scary place.

How can you stop this maelstrom of negative thoughts and get started accomplishing something?  One way is to make an action-item list.

Here is an example of such a list:

1.       Rewrite paragraph introducing Concept A, being more specific.

2.       Check accuracy of 3^rd paragraph.

3.      Create more elegant connecting sentence after Concept A on page 3, paragraph 2.

By breaking down the overwhelming, negatively-charged project of revising the entire article into discrete tasks, you can get over the avoidance hump and start on task number one.

Why Action-Item Lists Work

Why can such a simple act as making a list work?  A list can do the following:

·        Make an overwhelming task seem doable by breaking it into discrete written parts

·        Calm you because its no longer floating in your head its there in black and white

·        Prove to you that the task will end some day

·        Be a touchstone for when you feel unclear about what to do next

·        Provide that all-important feeling of accomplishment when you put that check mark next to an item, or cross it out!

·        If you are working in 15-30 minute increments, as I often suggest, you will have your work already broken up into separate items, so you are oriented as to where to start no matter how long a break youve taken

Make sure you add the action-item list to your repertoire.  Its those little techniques that build the good habits that add up to being productive!

Gina J Hiatt, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, tenure coach and dissertation coach and enjoys helping faculty and graduate students complete research, writing projects, and publish, while maintaining high teaching standards and other commitments. In addition to dissertation coaching, she teaches workshops and teleclasses on time management, writing, career planning and grad student/advisor relationships. Sign up for my free newsletter at http://www.academicladder.com or call me at (703) 734-4945.