Success. What comes to mind when you read that? You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that everyone defines success differently, which totally makes sense when you think about it! Nowadays, with life being even more crazy than it ever was, it’s great to reflect and think about what makes sense to you.

I’m gonna start with the tool, then hit you with the trait. The trait is actually more important than the tool, but people mistake the tool I’m about to give you for the trait, so it’s important to break it down. (If you’re confused, don’t stress; just read on.)

Okay, so here’s the tool. Are you ready? Don’t use to-do lists. Yep. That’s my advice. I’ll never forget an article I read years back, and the title has stuck with me and has stuck with me still to this day: Millionaires Don’t Use To-Do Lists. Huh. Isn’t that interesting?

Well, first, let’s maybe break down why a to-do list is kinda nice in theory, but just a pretty long list in reality. The truth is that to-do lists don’t account for the time it takes to get the thing on your list done, and to-do lists don’t account for things that are urgent or important. You can now easily see the problem with this, right?

And so, the simple reality here is to (drum roll, please) … begin using your calendar. Now, I’m not going to go into all the nitty-gritty about what to schedule, what calendar to use or where to do things in the day, but the simple solution here is for you to decide if you want to use something like this and try it out. In other words, if you want something done, don’t put it on a list; put it on your calendar.

Okay, stay with me on this one. It sounds really simple in theory, but it’s not. So, I believe that most people refer to using a calendar (versus using a to-do list) as a trait, but really I think it’s a tool. The trait, in my opinion, that “successful” people activate on a daily basis is this: the habit of doing things even when they don’t feel like it. See? It sounds simple. It’s not.

From my experience, this is THE trait that we must develop in order to be successful. So, here’s my challenge for you: figure out what you define as successful, brainstorm activities you could do to create this success, create a system on a calendar to implement these activities and follow through even when you don’t feel like it.  

I hope this all makes sense now and you found value in this. I’d honestly love to know what you thought about all of this, so leave any comments you have below.

Well, here’s something I prepared earlier! I have a whole episode based on this, so if you’re interested, go give it a listen HERE.