The best way to tame your overwhelming to-do list

Summary

This video introduces an enhanced time management framework called 'DDADD,' which includes 'Do,' 'Delay,' 'Automate,' 'Delegate,' and 'Delete.' It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing urgent and important tasks, utilizing a 2-minute rule for quick tasks, and strategically deferring others. The video also highlights the power of automation to streamline processes and the value of delegating tasks to save time. Lastly, it encourages viewers to assess the necessity of tasks before adding them to their to-do lists, promoting a more efficient and productive approach to daily tasks.

Takeaways

• 📝 The 'DDADD Method' is an improved time management framework that includes 'Do, Delay, Delegate, Delete, and Automate' to handle tasks more effectively.
• 🔥 'Do' means to tackle tasks that are both urgent and important or can be completed in under two minutes, as suggested by the Eisenhower Matrix and the 2-minute rule.
• ⏰ 'Delay' involves strategically postponing tasks by specifying details and using an external system to manage them, preventing procrastination and chaos.
• 📭 Creating an 'inbox' for tasks and setting a regular time to process it can greatly improve the use of to-do lists and maintain system trust.
• 🤖 'Automate' suggests using tools and systems to perform tasks more efficiently, including templatization and process automation with tools like Zapier, Integromat, and IFTTT.
• 🛠 'Delegate' is about understanding the value of your time and using it as a resource to decide when to hand off tasks to others, considering opportunity costs.
• 💰 Valuing your time can be as simple as calculating your hourly wage and comparing it to the cost of outsourcing tasks, which can lead to more effective delegation.
• ❌ 'Delete' tasks that do not provide a significant net benefit, using the 'any-benefit approach' as a guide to eliminate unnecessary tasks from your to-do list.
• 🤝 The video humorously suggests that productivity gurus rely on creating memorable acronyms and methods to build their careers and book deals.
• 📚 The sponsor, Brilliant, offers a learning platform that focuses on active problem-solving to enhance math, science, and computer science skills, which are valuable for automation and system building.
• 🎁 The video offers a discount for the first 200 people who sign up for Brilliant's premium subscription through a provided link, supporting both the learning platform and the content creator.

Q & A

What are the classic four D's of time management mentioned in the script?

The classic four D's of time management are Delay, Delegate, Delete, and Do.

What is the new fifth element proposed to the four D's framework in the script?

The new fifth element proposed is Automate, which forms the acronym 'DDADD'.

What does the term 'Do' in the context of decision-making imply?

In the context of decision-making, 'Do' implies that a task should be done immediately if it is both urgent and important, or if it can be completed in under two minutes.

What is the 2-minute rule mentioned in the script?

The 2-minute rule, as described by David Allen in his book 'Getting Things Done', suggests that if a task can be completed in two minutes or less, it should be done immediately rather than being postponed.

How does the script suggest improving the use of to-do lists?

The script suggests creating an inbox for quickly dumping tasks and having a specific time for processing that inbox to avoid chaos and maintain trust in the system.

What is the main idea behind the 'Automate' step in the DDADD method?

The main idea behind 'Automate' is to use tools and systems to perform tasks faster and more efficiently, reducing the need for manual effort by finding opportunities for automation in repeated processes.

What is templatization and how does it relate to the automation process?

Templatization is a method of automation that involves creating a master template for a project, which can then be copied for each new project, eliminating the need to recreate individual components repeatedly.

How does the script define the concept of delegation in the context of time management?

In the context of time management, delegation is the act of assigning tasks to others, which can include tricking a younger sibling into doing the task or hiring someone to do it, with the focus on valuing one's time as a resource.

What is the opportunity cost of time and how does it relate to the delegation of tasks?

The opportunity cost of time refers to the potential benefits lost when one chooses to spend time on one activity over another. It relates to delegation by helping individuals understand the trade-off of doing a task themselves versus the cost of delegating it to someone else.

What is the 'any-benefit approach' discussed in the script and how does it apply to task management?

The 'any-benefit approach' is the tendency to add new tools, products, or social networks to one's life if they provide any benefit, regardless of the cost. In task management, this approach encourages scrutinizing the net benefit of adding tasks to one's to-do list, considering the opportunity cost of each task.

How does the script suggest evaluating whether a task should be deleted from one's to-do list?

The script suggests evaluating a task for deletion by considering the opportunity cost and asking 'What could I do instead?' This helps in determining whether the task is of low value or enjoyment compared to other available options.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to the DDADD Method

This paragraph introduces the classic four D's of time management: 'Do, Delay, Delegate, and Delete', which are designed to help individuals manage their tasks effectively. The speaker proposes an enhanced version of this framework by adding a fifth 'D' for 'Automate', creating the acronym 'DDADD'. The paragraph humorously acknowledges the productivity gurus' reliance on catchy acronyms and methods. It then delves into the 'Do' aspect, explaining when a task should be done immediately based on its urgency and importance or if it can be completed within two minutes, referencing the Eisenhower Matrix and David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' methodology.

05:01

📅 Enhancing Productivity with Deferment and Automation

The speaker provides strategies for effectively delaying tasks by emphasizing the importance of specifying deferment details and utilizing a trusted external system. Tips for improving to-do list management include creating an inbox for capturing tasks and setting aside specific times for processing them to avoid chaos. The 'Automate' component is introduced as a powerful tool for efficiency, with examples of templatization in project management and process automation using digital tools like Zapier, Integromat, and IFTTT. The paragraph also touches on the historical evolution of automation and its potential for completely handling tasks, blurring the lines between optimization and full automation.

10:01

🤖 The Power of Delegation and the Value of Time

Delegation is explored as a critical component of productivity, with the speaker humorously considering the business writing industry's focus on management theory. Delegation is presented as a strategy accessible to everyone, from tricking a sibling into tasks to understanding the value of one's time and opportunity cost. The speaker suggests calculating an hourly rate to quantify the value of time, advocating for considering time as a valuable resource on par with money. This approach encourages viewing tasks through a lens of whether they are worth the time or the cost of delegation, ultimately leading to the decision to delete tasks that do not provide sufficient value.

🛠 Embracing Automation and Lifelong Learning

Automation is highlighted as a complex but rewarding aspect of the DDADD method, equated to problem-solving through system building. The paragraph draws a parallel between the skills required for automation and those valued in various industries, emphasizing the learnability of such skills. The sponsor, Brilliant, is introduced as a resource for learning math, science, and computer science while enhancing problem-solving abilities through active learning. The speaker offers an incentive for viewers to try Brilliant, supporting both their learning journey and the channel itself, and concludes with a light-hearted acknowledgment of the viewer's autonomy in choosing to engage further with the content.

Keywords

💡Time Management

Time management refers to the process of organizing and planning how much time to spend on each activity to make the best use of one's time. In the context of the video, it is the overarching theme as the script discusses the 'four D's' and introduces a fifth 'D' for a new method called 'DDADD' to help manage tasks more effectively.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual or system in converting inputs into outputs. The video script emphasizes the importance of productivity by proposing a new framework to handle tasks more efficiently, thus increasing productivity.

💡Decision-Making Framework

A decision-making framework is a structured approach to making decisions. In the video, the 'four D's' and the proposed 'DDADD' method are presented as frameworks to help individuals make better decisions about how to handle their tasks.

💡Do

In the context of the 'DDADD' method, 'Do' means to execute a task immediately if it is both urgent and important, or if it can be completed in under two minutes. The script uses this term to illustrate the first step in the decision-making process for handling tasks.

💡Delegate

Delegation is the act of entrusting the completion of a task to another person. The video script suggests that delegating tasks can be a powerful strategy for time management, and it humorously introduces the idea of 'tricking' someone into doing a task as a form of delegation.

💡Delay

Delay, within the 'DDADD' method, involves postponing a task to a later time. The script emphasizes the importance of being specific about when and how a task will be done when deciding to delay it, which helps in strategic procrastination rather than mere avoidance.

💡Delete

To delete, in the context of the video, means to eliminate a task from one's to-do list if it does not provide significant value. The script encourages viewers to consider the opportunity cost of each task and to delete those that are not worth the time or effort.

💡Automate

Automation in the video refers to the use of tools or systems to perform tasks without manual intervention. The script introduces 'automate' as the fifth 'D' in the 'DDADD' method, highlighting the benefits of using technology to streamline and eliminate repetitive tasks.

💡Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management tool that helps prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. The video script mentions this matrix when discussing the 'Do' step, suggesting that tasks in the 'fire and ninjas' quadrant should be done immediately.

💡2-Minute Rule

The 2-Minute Rule, as described by David Allen in 'Getting Things Done', is a guideline that if a task can be completed in two minutes or less, it should be done immediately. The video script uses this rule to determine which tasks should be executed without delay.

💡Opportunity Cost

Opportunity cost is the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. The video script discusses the concept of opportunity cost in relation to delegating tasks, suggesting that understanding the value of one's time can help in making decisions about what tasks to undertake or delegate.

Highlights

The classic four D's of time management are discussed: Do, Delay, Delegate, and Delete.

A fifth element, Automate, is introduced to the four D's, forming the 'DDADD method'.

Productivity gurus rely on creating acronyms and methods for career success.

The 'Do' step involves assessing tasks for urgency, importance, and the 2-minute rule.

The Eisenhower Matrix is used for task prioritization based on urgency and importance.

Delaying tasks strategically involves specifying deferment details and using an external system.

Creating an inbox for tasks and setting a time to process it prevents to-do list entropy.

Automation is presented as a powerful tool for efficiency, involving creative systems-based thinking.

Templatization and process automation are methods for automating repetitive tasks.

Tools like Zapier, Integromat, and IFTTT are mentioned for computer process automation.

Delegation is explored as a time-saving strategy, including valuing one's time and opportunity costs.

Understanding the per-hour rate of one's time can facilitate better delegation decisions.

Deleting tasks is justified by considering the 'any-benefit approach' and opportunity costs.

The DDADD method is summarized as a flow chart for task assessment and management.

Automation is highlighted as a fundamental skill sought after in various industries.

Brilliant.org is introduced as a resource for learning problem-solving skills.

A special offer for Brilliant's premium subscription is provided to support the channel.

The importance of supporting sponsors for the channel's benefit is emphasized.

An invitation for viewers to subscribe and engage with the channel's content is extended.

Transcripts

- This video is sponsored by Brilliant.

Do, delay, delegate, and delete.

These are the classic four D's of time management,

which have been described

in countless different productivity books and articles.

And together, they help you answer one big question,

how should I deal with all the tasks

that I'm supposed to do?

Most of us have too many things to do.

Our to-do lists are a mile long.

We're stressed out, and half the time,

we don't even know where to start.

And this, this is the problem

that a decision-making framework can help you to solve.

And the four D's form one of those such frameworks.

But today, I would like to submit for your consideration,

improved version of that framework.

One that adds a fifth element, automate.

Now, to be fair, you could consider this

to be a subtype delegate,

since you are technically delegating to a robot.

But I prefer to give it its own equal position in the list,

so that we can form our own shiny, new productivity term,

"The DDADD method."

So let me level with you here for a second.

We productivity gurus, we live and die

by the arbitrary acronyms and methods that we coin.

In fact, entire careers

have been built off of this practice.

GTD, The Pomodoro Technique, 80/20,

they are the bedrock upon which we're built.

♪ 6-Figure book deals ♪

- So let's make a deal, you and I.

Will you begrudge me, my shiny new productivity term,

let me get my...

♪ 6-Figure book deals ♪

- And in return, I will not share with everyone

your secret, shameful Harry Potter fan fiction, Derek.

So let's get started and let's start with, do.

The domain of weddings, Shia LaBeouf,

and extinct birds if you say it twice fast.

In the context of decision-making, do, really means do now.

So how do you know if you should do something right now?

Well, the answer is simple.

Ask yourself these two questions.

Number one, is the task at hand both urgent and important?

And number two, can you do it in under two minutes?

If the answer to at least one of those questions is yes,

then yes do it right now.

So answering that first question is kind of obvious.

Your palace is on fire,

it's 11:58 PM and the term paper is due in two minutes,

the president has been kidnapped by ninjas.

These are all tasks that would be found

in the first quadrant of the classic Eisenhower Matrix,

which is used by project managers to prioritize tasks

based on their urgency and on their importance.

When a task falls into the fire and ninjas quadrant,

it should probably be done right now.

The second question refers to the 2-minute rule

that David Allen describes in his book,

"Getting Things Done".

If you can do a task in two minutes or less,

then it as well, should be done right now.

Now like the 20-second rule that I've talked about

in other videos, the two minutes here is really

just kind of an arbitrary marker.

Yet another pithy term that sticks well in the mind

and helps business authors bag those...

♪ 6-Figure book deals ♪

- In general, even if it's a little over two minutes,

if you can do it quickly, do it now, otherwise delay it.

To remix a line from "Toy Story",

delaying is really just procrastinating with style.

And the key to delaying a task strategically

instead of merely procrastinating, is to first

get very specific about the details of your deferment.

The what, the when, and the how.

And then secondly, you wanna get those details

into an external system that you trust.

So what I wanna do here, is share two big tips

for improving the way you use your to-do lists.

First, create an inbox for yourself.

So an inbox is a place where you can quickly dump tasks,

wherever they come up and wherever you are.

It should be a low friction way to get things

into your system that you can access at a moment's notice.

Key point, low friction, here.

Secondly, have a specific time for processing that inbox.

And this is the part that most people tend to skip,

which is why their to-do lists

so often fall victim to entropy.

And another term that I'm gonna use in my...

♪ 6-figure book deals ♪

- Basically, entropy means chaos.

When people don't process their inboxes,

they become a mile long and eventually

they become this chaotic mess that people no longer trust.

And then they start trusting their brains.

When you take time every single day

or at least each week to process your inbox,

your system remains something that you can trust.

Next up, we have automate, which is objectively

the coolest step since it does involve robots.

For millennia, humans have used tools

to conquer their environment and shape it to their will.

Now, in most cases, these tools

have simply made the work that they were already doing,

a little bit faster or a little bit easier.

But then, somewhere along the line,

we started building these Rube Goldberg-esque contractions

that in some cases did the work entirely for us.

So the line between automation and mere optimization

gets pretty blurry pretty fast.

Did the ox-drawn plow merely optimize

work once done by hoeing, by humans.

Or was the man driving that ox forward

one of the world's first automation engineers?

And if so, what was his stack overflow ranking?

Anyway, wherever you place that line

doesn't matter so much, as long as you understand

that you can use tools to do things faster.

And if you can approach a repeated process

with a creative systems-based mindset,

then you'll start to see opportunities for automating,

at least some of the pieces of it.

One method for doing this is called templatization.

This involves basically boxing pieces

of a project up into a master template

which you can then copy for each new project,

instead of making each of those little pieces

over and over and over again in a rogue process.

For a very, very simple example here,

let's look at just a slice

of the editing process for this video.

To stay organized when we make a video,

we have folders for the footage that we shoot.

That I'm shooting right now, for the project files,

for music, for sound effects, for images,

basically every different type of media.

Now for each video, I could manually create these folders,

which I used to do, or I could simply make a folder

called Template, that already contains all these folders.

Then I can just duplicate that folder

and rename it for every new video that we make.

Another method is called a Process Automation,

which basically means building a robot

to do the job for you.

- I made lots of robots in my day.

- You might use robots to build cars,

to cook a chicken by slapping it.

- In terms of chicken integrity,

this chicken's looking pretty good.

We're up another degree Celsius, let's go!

- Or to automate tedious processes on your computer.

And tools like Zapier, Integromat, and IFTTT,

are all great places to start exploring

if you're interested in that last option.

Though, they won't cook chickens for you.

Of course, process automation has existed

for quite a lot longer than robots have,

just under a different moniker, delegation.

Now, honestly, if I wanna break

into the area of business writing where the real money is,

then I should probably flesh this section

out more than any of the others.

I should also throw around terms like

management theory, agile framework, no bathroom breaks.

After all, it is the managers

who call the shots in most companies.

Which means that it's the managers who hire business authors

to come speak at their corporate retreats

and spout motivational platitudes for $50,000.

One can dream.

Now, if you're watching this video,

my guess is that you don't count yourself

amongst the ranks of these people,

and you don't know how to dress for their cocktail parties.

You may also think that delegation is not a strategy

for you, but that's probably not true.

Let's consider for a moment the simplest

and cheapest way to delegate any task there is.

Could you trick your little brother into doing it,

and will he take payment and leftover Halloween candy?

Even if he decides to demand cold, hard cash,

it still might be worth taking that deal.

And to know for sure,

you first need to understand the value of your time.

Like money, time is a resource.

Whenever you choose to do something,

you incur an opportunity cost.

You are losing the opportunity to do literally

anything else that you could have done with that time,

you are giving something up.

So one easy way to value your time, to understand

this trade-off, is to take the amount that you make,

and figure out your per hour rate.

So for example,

if you make $60,000 a year

and you work an average of 1800 hours a year,

which is the average here in the US,

then your per hour rate is roughly $33.

Now, this is an incredibly oversimplified way

of valuing your time.

There's a lot of other factors we can include here.

But for simplicity's sake, we're doing it this way

because it's at least a good way to help yourself

be more open to delegation that would make sense.

For instance, if your per hour rate is $33,

and you can pay someone to mow your lawn for $30.

Then doing so makes sense,

unless you're somebody that really likes mowing lawns.

The bottom line is that you should start at least thinking

of your time as a valuable resource,

one that is at least as valuable as your money.

And honestly, probably more.

Do that, and you're gonna start opening your mind

up to more delegation opportunities.

But you're also gonna realize that some

of the tasks on your plate just aren't worth your time,

or the money that you would spend delegating them.

And these are the tasks that you should simply delete.

But how do you know whether or not it's a good idea

to snap a task out of existence instead of doing it?

Well, when faced with this question,

I like to remind myself of the any-benefit approach

that Cal Newport discusses in his book, "Deep Work".

As he explains in the book,

people will often add new tools, new products,

and especially new social networks into their lives,

if they provide literally any benefit, no matter how small.

And in doing so, these people

fail to consider the cost of these additions.

In the case of social networks,

it's more wasted time scrolling through feeds, more

cognitive switching penalties that make you less productive.

So Newport advocates rejecting this any-benefit approach.

Instead, scrutinizing any new product

or social network or tool, to determine its net benefit.

And I think that we need to consider this

when we're adding things to our to-do lists as well.

I know that I'm guilty of adding tasks.

Really, nilly, tiny little things

that I just think have to be done.

And then when I scrutinize these things later on,

I often realized that I was wrong,

they really didn't matter.

What I try to do now is consider the opportunity cost,

like we just talked about

in the delegation section, of each task.

I ask myself, "What could I do instead?"

And as it turns out, I usually have quite a few options

that are either more enjoyable, or they're higher value.

By thinking about these alternatives,

it becomes a lot easier to just say no

to all these little tiny tasks that really

at the end of the day, don't matter.

So that in a nutshell is the DDADD method.

Now, if you are an agent

of a big book publisher, I will take one...

♪ 6-Figure book deal ♪

- Please, and thank you.

For everyone else, here's a quick summary

of the process reversed, so that it fits

into a nice, neat flow chart.

For any task that you are faced with,

ask yourself, number one, "Does it even need to be done?"

Number two, "Do I need to be the one to do it?"

Number three, "Can I automate it?"

And number four, "Do I need to do it now?"

Out of the five steps in the DDADD method,

perhaps the most rewarding

and yet the hardest to master is, automation.

At its core, automation is really just problem solving.

Can you take a problem

and creatively figure out how to solve it

by building a system instead of by doing it manually?

Peter Parker, brilliant but lazy, right.

And this is a fundamental skill that is sought

after in pretty much every industry today,

it is often crucial in hiring decisions.

And luckily it's also something

that you can learn through practice.

And one great resource for learning this skill is Brilliant,

which is a learning library that actually

kills two birds with one stone.

The library of more than 60 in-depth courses

teaches you math, science, and computer science skills.

Like how to build a search engine

or how to figure out probabilities, while also

building your universally applicable problem solving skills.

This is because Brilliant's entire approach

to learning is based on active problem solving.

So when you're working through their courses,

you're not just passively learning

like you often do in school, you are doing.

So, if you'd like to try out Brilliant for yourself,

you can actually start learning for free,

by going over to brilliant.org/thomasfrank,

or by clicking the link in the description down below.

And if you're one of the first 200 people to use that link

and sign up, you're also going to get 20%

off your annual premium subscription.

And you'll be helping to support this channel

by supporting the sponsors who support me.

That was a lot of instances of the word support,

maybe I should automate that.

But seriously, if you do choose to support my sponsors,

thank you so much, you're really helping the channel out.

But also, if you made it to the end of this video,

thank you for putting up with all my stupid jokes

and thank you for watching my videos, seriously.

I really appreciate you,

hopefully you found something useful in this video.

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