The Zen to Done method, created by Leo Babauta, American author of the “Zen Habits” blog, helps you improve your quality of life by becoming more productive and efficient, and by reducing stress. It applies to both personal and professional life. In other words, it’s a very interesting method when you want to move forward in your life and achieve your goals. So how do you use it to benefit from all these advantages? Here are the 5 steps to follow.

Zen To Done Step 1: Gathering

In this stage, you list all your tasks, projects and objectives on a single sheet of paper. It’s important to take your time so you don’t forget anything.

To help you, I invite you to start with your personal life, and to go round each room in the house. What do you do there? List everything.

Then, move on to your professional life and unroll the tasks of a typical day or week.

Don’t hesitate to allow several days for this step, as it’s crucial for what comes next.

Second step in prioritizing: Treatment

Each item listed on the sheet is given an importance rating out of 5. 1: not important 5: very important.

Then rewrite the list so that all the important tasks, i.e. those rated 5, then 4 etc., are at the top of the list.

For this step, take a rather hard look at each task: is it important, yes or no?

Again, this is a crucial step for the rest of the process.

Zen To Done step 3: Planning

The aim of this step is to take only the really important tasks and plan your day around them.

In other words, forget about the unimportant tasks and focus on those that really matter.

This can be frightening and unsettling, but after just a few days, it’s as if a huge weight is lifted from our shoulders.

So take the time to create your ideal day, both at home and at work. That’s what the Zen To Done method is all about.

Fourth step to being productive and stopping procrastination: Taking action

Now that you know what you have to do and when you’re going to do it during the day, all you have to do is roll up your sleeves.

The problem is that distractions, procrastination and stress can get in the way. So how do you go about it?

Focus on one task at a time. Don’t get lost by doing too many things at once. You might think that doing one thing at a time wastes a lot of time, but that’s not true. It’s the most productive way. Try it out for yourself over several days.

In addition, avoid distractions: turn off your phone, close your inbox when you’re not answering your e-mails, close your office door when you need to concentrate, turn off the TV when you’re doing something at home…

Fifth and final step of the Zen To Done method: Regular check-ups

Everything in life changes. Not just the day-to-day, but also our goals and priorities. That’s why it’s essential to take regular stock of the most important tasks to make sure we’re on track.

What’s more, it’s also possible that we haven’t necessarily chosen the best tasks to effectively achieve our goals. In fact, don’t think you’ll be able to plan the perfect day on the first try.

So, accept that you’ll have to rethink and change things.

Take stock every 15 days or every month.

In addition, take the opportunity to assess your progress and congratulate yourself on your efforts, and why not reward yourself at the same time.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to manage your time: 7 useful tips
Discover A more organized life: How to be more efficient and productive

I recommend this inspiring book:

Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg

The author explores the science of productivity and explains how individuals and teams can improve their effectiveness and achieve better results. The book covers the principles of motivation, goal-setting, decision-making and teamwork, and offers practical strategies for boosting productivity in various aspects of life and work.

It is truly a thought-provoking guide for anyone looking to improve their productivity and achieve their goals.”
I recommend reading it to discover new ideas and examples on the various topics. It should be of interest to many readers.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself