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Positively Living®: Shame-Free Productivity Conversations

The Positively Living® Podcast brings you shame-free productivity conversations for the overwhelmed multi-passionate creatives, caregivers, and multi-taskers who never clock out, juggle countless responsibilities, and quietly wonder if there's a better way.

Hosted by Lisa Zawrotny, Productivity Coach and founder of Positively Productive Systems, the show replaces rigid productivity rules with flexible approaches that respect your energy and priorities. Through solo episodes, expert interviews, and live coaching sessions, Lisa covers the topics that actually affect your ability to move forward: stress management, habits and systems, decluttering, self-awareness, boundaries, mindset, entrepreneurship, and more.

This is productivity for real life, helping you breathe easier, move forward sustainably, and make space for what matters most to you.

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Positively Living®: Shame-Free Productivity Conversations

Where Your To-Do List Trips You Up

November 24, 2025 • Lisa Zawrotny • Episode 289

0:00 | 27:08

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Are you constantly battling a massive to-do list that leaves you feeling guilty and behind before you even start? What's meant to be a helpful tool for productivity often becomes a major source of stress and overwhelm. The reason? You’re working from the wrong list. This week, episode 289 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast is about where your to-do list trips you up!

In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I’m unpacking why your brain dump list is not your to-do list (and how viewing it as such is sabotaging your success) and sharing actionable steps you can take right now to transform your chaotic list into a focused guide that works for you.

I cover the following topics:

Why the traditional to-do list leads to analysis paralysis and stress.
Why starting with a Guided Mind Sweep to get everything out of your head is essential, though not enough.
How to avoid the task list pitfalls with the 4Ds Framework for task processing: Delete, Delegate, Delay and Do.

It’s time to take back control. Stop letting your overflowing list be the boss! True productivity isn't about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most with clarity.

Download the Guided Mindsweep for FREE at positivelyproductive.com/resources

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/

Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit

CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY:

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

(Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.)

Tackle Your To-Do List in Four Simple Steps

Using the 80-20 Principle to Leverage a Better Life

Make Your Holiday Season Less Stressful with the 80-20 Principle

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Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny