A to-do list keeps you busy. A leverage list makes you free. Actions on a leverage list keep working for you after you finish them, while to-do items just come back around again. If you want to reclaim your time, spend more of it on the leverage list.
The Test: Time Liability or Time Asset?
Here's how to tell which list a task belongs on.
It's a to-do item (a time liability) if, once it's done, it will show up again and again. Answering the same kind of email, pulling the same manual report, re-explaining the same process: you'll do it today, and you'll do it again next week.
It's a leverage item (a time asset) if, once it's done, your future to-do list is permanently shorter or easier. Examples:
- Writing the SOP so no one has to ask you again
- Building the automation that sends the report for you
- Creating a template for a document you keep rewriting from scratch
- Training someone to own a task end to end
- Documenting a process once so anyone can run it
You do each of these once, and it keeps paying you back.
Why Most People Stay Busy
Most people spend almost all their time on time liabilities, which is why they feel busy but never get ahead. The work that actually buys back your time is rarely urgent, so it gets pushed aside for the next recurring task. Flip that: protect time for the asset work, and your recurring load shrinks week after week.
3 High-Leverage Moves
1. Document it once. Turn a repeated task into a written process so anyone can run it.
2. Automate it. If software can handle the recurring task, set it up once. Our Automation Tools From A to Z guide covers options for almost every function.
3. Delegate it. Hand the recurring work to someone whose strength it is, so it's off your list for good. Our guide on how to delegate walks through the handoff step by step. When the recurring work is senior-level, like running finance or operations, a fractional executive can take the whole function off your plate.
How to Put It to Work
Keep two lists. Our Leverage List Template gives you a weekly format you copy every Monday. It prompts you to decide five things each week:
- What matters most
- What you're refusing to do
- What you're handing off
- What constraint you're removing
- Whether you actually spent your time where only you can
When something lands on your plate, run the test and sort it. Then, before you dive into the recurring to-dos, do one leverage item first: the SOP, the template, the automation, or the handoff.
Which Tasks to Offload First
Run the ABC Model scorecard to see where your time goes. The draining, low-value work it surfaces is your first candidate for a leverage move.
Aim for a shorter to-do list each month, made possible by the assets you built to shrink it.