Productivity Patterns: What To Do. And When.

Must

Feed the cat.
Get the oil changed.
Buy milk.
Pick up a prescription.
Finish the proposal that is on deadline for today.

There are things we must do. Can't avoid it. Some of those things are important. Some are not important. But, they are all things which must be done. And must be done today.

Should

Change the air filters in your home.
Clean out the garage.
Floss.
Get the expense report finished.
Wash the dog.

There are things we should do. None are urgent. Some are important. But it's easy to procrastinate. Put it off until tomorrow. It should be done, but it doesn't have to be.

Could

Write a novel.
Remodel the house.
Move to Belgium.
Shift careers.

These are possibilities. Dreams. Aspirations. This is the fun work. The work we could be doing.

Most people spend most of their lives doing the musts, rarely getting to the shoulds, and never doing more than dreaming about the coulds.

The only way to dive into "could dos" is to set up a productivity system that allows significant margin and time for thinking, planning, and executing.

You will never get to the coulds unless there are systems in place to do so.