<h2 id="liane-davey-thoughtload">Liane Davey: Thoughtload</h2> <p>For the past 25 years, Liane Davey has researched and advised teams on how to achieve high performance. She is the author of <em>You First</em> and <em>The Good Fight</em> and is a regular contributor to <em>Harvard Business Review.</em> She is the author of the new book <em>Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work</em> (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtload-Manage-Madness-Free-Great/dp/1774586517?_encoding=UTF8&#38;dib_tag=se&#38;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CE6cjehHj0wP8qgYl6Ffa8-o3WBikPdKz5ZP75CcKHlhYoDkYrKA_bOV_rxlf9_KxLOFvyo_duj0j_AisI_2YEBTy9eFpsrIyZPW9PwpEnw.jN-XVfzLsTBfRjj7eoWIBEyZ1nBUHXjAquuPN8xO_5I&#38;qid=1779069938&#38;sr=8-1&#38;linkCode=ll2&#38;tag=coachingforleaders-20&#38;linkId=51cbb6c8770120424bacf230e48a0362&#38;language=en_US&#38;ref_=as_li_ss_tl">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/90226/9781774586518">Bookshop</a>)*.</p> <p>We all love to hate our task lists. However, we can do a lot better with just a bit of strategy. In this conversation, Liane and I explore how to make our task list work for us instead of against us.</p> <h3 id="key-points">Key Points</h3> <ul> <li>Often it’s not really the workload that’s crushing – it’s more so the thinking about all the workload. That’s what thoughtload is.</li> <li>The problem with a to-do list is that everything goes on it. Thus, to-do lists are terrible for managing your attention.</li> <li>Instead of one task list, keep a limited amount of tasks on three priority lists.</li> <li>Category 1 list: your most important outputs and outcomes.</li> <li>Category 2 list: what you do to help others achieve their most significant outcomes.</li> <li>Category 3 list: administrative stuff.</li> </ul> <p>Four questions determine what gets on your lists:</p> <ul> <li>Important (an activity that will add value to a key output or outcome)?</li> <li>Urgent (something with growing negative consequences if you wait)?</li> <li>Targeted (a task that no one can do as efficiently or effectively as you)?</li> <li>Essential (core to creating the critical value, not just a nice-to-have)?</li> </ul> <h3 id="resources-mentioned">Resources Mentioned</h3> <ul> <li><em>Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work</em> by Liane Davey (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtload-Manage-Madness-Free-Great/dp/1774586517?_encoding=UTF8&#38;dib_tag=se&#38;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CE6cjehHj0wP8qgYl6Ffa8-o3WBikPdKz5ZP75CcKHlhYoDkYrKA_bOV_rxlf9_KxLOFvyo_duj0j_AisI_2YEBTy9eFpsrIyZPW9PwpEnw.jN-XVfzLsTBfRjj7eoWIBEyZ1nBUHXjAquuPN8xO_5I&#38;qid=1779069938&#38;sr=8-1&#38;linkCode=ll2&#38;tag=coachingforleaders-20&#38;linkId=51cbb6c8770120424bacf230e48a0362&#38;language=en_US&#38;ref_=as_li_ss_tl">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/90226/9781774586518">Bookshop</a>)*</li> </ul> <h3 id="interview-notes">Interview Notes</h3> <p><a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/mp-files/liane-davey-make-your-task-list-work-for-you.pdf/">Download my interview notes</a> in PDF format (free membership required).</p> <h3 id="related-episodes">Related Episodes</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/332/">The Scientific Secrets of Daily Scheduling, with Daniel Pink</a> (episode 332)</li> <li><a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/calendar-what-matters-nir-eyal/">Align Your Calendar to What Matters, with Nir Eyal</a> (episode 431)</li> <li><a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/take-back-your-evenings-guy-winch/">How to Take Back Your Evenings, with Guy Winch</a> (episode 783)</li> </ul> <h3 id="discover-more">Discover More</h3> <p><a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/free">Activate your free membership</a> for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside <a href="https://coachingforleaders.com/plus">Coaching for Leaders Plus</a>.</p>