To-Do Lists: A New Paradigm

Most of us, at one time or another, have worked from a to-do list. They keep us grounded and scheduled to task by reminding us of the things we have committed or planned to accomplish. It is indeed quite pleasurable, with pen or pencil in hand, to cross an item off the list and feel that sense of accomplishment. In fact, if I happen upon something to do that was not on the list to begin with, I often add it just so I have the pleasure of crossing it off. Sometimes though, the most significant item on a to-do list is not even on the list at all! I am not referring to a forgotten or misplaced task, rather the conscious choice that we make to not do something.

Life is busy. We move at the speed of thought. Our work and recreation often seem to co-exist only because of proper planning and scheduling. When the kids were young, their schedules along with our activities and chores were often lumped together into a massive to-do calendar as well as lists. My wife Denice has reminded me many times that it is OK to just say NO! No to a meeting, chairing a committee, doing a favor for a friend or anything that might impair my energy or ability to do my best for the things that matter most. You see it is more about what we choose NOT to put on the list that matters. Those choices made intentionally will help us focus on our goals and objectives more clearly and have the full energy to pursue that, which matters most.

Make a not-to-do list instead! That is the paradigm shift. Feel free to have as long or complex a list as you like. Just make sure that the things on that list are the right things. It is usually more fulfilling to do right things than to simply do things right. This frees us up to do the things we really like with the people we enjoy most. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples that worked for me.

Years ago when we still did extractions when we saw a third molar on the schedule; it kept us tense all day. When I did endodontics, the financial reward never seemed to be enough to offset the sweat equity that I lost performing that procedure.  What evolved was a significant not-to-do list for me that made the entire team’s day less stressful and more fulfilling. We did not do endo, ortho, perio or even removable prosthetics. In fact I chose only to work on upper right second bicuspids. No tongue in the way, saliva control was easy, not too far back, manageable esthetics. All kidding aside, deciding what it is you enjoy doing most in dentistry helps every day seem more like play the work.

In the dental laboratory environment, what things do you do every day that may get in the way of those right things that advance the value proposition for your clients. Strengths management asks us to focus on what we do best, and to do more of it. Far too often the effort is put into fixing what we are not good at the expense of our talents and proficiencies. My fiend, Bob Ingrassio, CDT, at DTI-CQC Dental Lab in Rochester, N.Y. says never pick up a case to handle or fix unless someone is there to teach. What he is saying is, make it a lesson to whoever needs to learn from the repair or correction rather than fix it yourself. It becomes efficient to teach that person upstream how to correct it himself or herself or prevent it the next time. What I hear in Bob’s idea is that he likes to teach. Instead of fixing the problem and moving on, he teaches that person how to do it right the first time or to be able to quality control it and fix it themselves. It is operationally sound to be sure, but it also feeds his desire to teach, a real strength of his. Ordering supplies, invoicing, marketing, quality control, talking with doctors, paying bills etc. are all valid activities that can be delegated to someone else if you are not good at them or if they get in the way of what you are truly good at.

So lets start a list - a not-to-do list. It will be fun to cross some things off.

Do you have a question for Mark Murphy? E-mail jdt@nadl.org.