A to-do list that never gets done is a burdensome list. The more things you add to the list, the heavier it gets, the worse you feel about it.

For sure, you’ve taken the most important step: writing down what needs to get done, but if you’re anything like me, some things on that list might seem downright scary. You know that you want to do what you’ve written down, but perhaps you’re not sure where to start or if you should start where you’re thinking you should. Perhaps you just don’t feel to do it. You tell yourself, that tomorrow will be a better day for that task. Regardless of where you find yourself, a pretty well defined to-do list carries you no where, unless stuff gets done.

In the Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel, he shares that in order to “have” we must “do” and in order to “do”, we must “be”.

The clue here is to see the thing you desire as completed, finished and real…now.

We only apply this to large goals for some reason, but you can begin practicing with your to-do list right now.

Choose anything from your list. Select a task you most want done. Picture this task in a completed state. E.g. a printed stapled report. A completed article. A clean kitchen sink. A painted chair.

Start a timer and work for 25 uninterrupted minutes on your task – zero stops, zero distractions. Nothing complex. Nothing challenging.

Doing makes the difference.

I know that you perhaps wanted something complex, but complexity isn’t necessarily needed where simplicity will do.

I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

God will not have his work made manifest by cowards

Often we think that we need to start off with confidence, but I think the opposite is true. When we move forward despite our fear, courage makes way for next steps. Watch the clip below and you will understand what stepping forward despite fear looks like:

If you can work through each task, block by block, starting with your to-do list, if you build this muscle, choosing a task, visualizing completeness, working in 25 minute periods, and celebrating the small win, then you can begin working on everything this way.

What you want, is a question only you can answer, however there is no substitute for doing.

What unlocks the power of any good idea is the implementation, not the information.

I hope that you can reap the benefit, applying this approach to doing those things that reap the most rewards.