69: Your To Do List is Lying to You

🎙 Episode OverviewThis one's a crossover. If you're on the System Sunday email list, it might sound familiar, I adapted this week's email into podcast form because I want podcast-only listeners to know there's a whole other arm of insights going out by email each week (and to be honest, this topic was just too relatable not to share).With my California sabbatical 10 days out, I've been grinding through a massive May to-do list—and a few nights ago I caught myself in a classic trap: crossing off all the easy, low-consequence stuff while avoiding the heavy, high-consequence things that actually matter. So I ran my own list through a filter I use with clients. This episode is me walking you through that audit in real time, with my own messy examples, so you can do it too.🔑 In This Episode, You'll LearnThe single filter question that cuts through to-do list overwhelmHow to sort tasks into high, moderate, and low consequence bucketsHow to spot a low-consequence task "dressed up" as high-consequence (and the reverse)Why we instinctively reach for low-hanging fruit when we're overloadedHow a skill you've mastered in one context (like work) has to be relearned in another (like life admin)Why "high consequence" includes positive consequences—the big levers, not just the emergenciesThe three questions to run your own list through this week🧠 Key Ideas to Take With YouWhen you're overloaded, you stop moving strategically and start moving emotionally—reaching for what feels good to cross off, not what mattersWe build lists, structures, and frameworks so we don't have to run our strategic brain 24/7—but if the system itself is skewed, your intuitive brain won't catch itHigh-consequence tasks feel heavier, so we avoid them—even when we know the payoff is hugeHigh consequence isn't just "the IRS is coming"—it's also the big lever that unlocks ease and impact when you finally pull itDread is data: if your list inspires dread, your prioritization system isn't matching your realityLeadership isn't about being perfect; it's about staying continuously curious about where you can improveThe skill is holding both the big strategic questions and the Tuesday-afternoon ones—zooming in and out and adjusting your focal depth👉 Resources MentionedSystem Sunday email listChangemaker EssentialsNurse Leader HQ (waitlist)Instagram: @nursing.the.system