aspire, can you give an example of breaking the list into tiny little steps? Maybe that's my problem...
Oops, when I said that was "cute," I was talking about putting winning the lottery on the list! Wouldn't want you to think I was talking about your question.
Let me see if I can pull an example out of my list for you...
I'm a ghostwriter and one of the things I ghostwrite is people's blogs. (Sorry to burst the bubble for some of you, but yes, some of the blogs you read aren't really written by the person you think they're written by. It's not that common and it's usually on the ones where they only care about selling as opposed to actual connection with their customers or fanbase). Here's a list of the steps I take when writing a client's blog:
Ghostwriting a Client's Blog
Write and post the blog
* Choose from one of these categories: [list categories here]
* Pull up whatever articles or webpages you need to grab content from for today’s blog (including older blog entries, Wikipedia, other blogger’s articles, message board content, etc.)
* Open client's blog in a new window (not a new tab)
* Click My Account
* Log in
* Click Blog
* Click Create new content
* Type in your content, including HTML tags for any links and images
* Click preview
* Choose a break point
* Do a final proofread
* Post the article
* Check to make sure all the formatting is right on the page
For bigger projects I have actually broken the steps down into further categories or groups, so I'll have a group of preparation steps, a group of writing steps, a group of posting or sending steps... whatever it takes.
Hope that helps! [/align]
I tend to get very un-focused at work. I have a lot of freedom, and end up taking advantage of it. I program computers.
An extremely effective motivator was simply having my monitor visible by others. I would never know if someone was looking. I spent zero time browsing the web, all of my time working. My work was not always on topic - at least half was "learning" work, just experimenting.
In all, the best motivator I've had is other people. Every successful project I've worked on has been with others.
I wish that worked for me--but I can't work if I think someone might be able to read what I'm typing, just a weird quirk that I have. Either that or you might call it paranoia. LOL.
Lists or no lists, I did really terribly at work this week. I got next to nothing done--just the essentials that had to be submitted each day. I have realized that getting started is the hardest part for me. Once I get started, as long as I use the lists, it's like I'm on autopilot and I fly right through it. The avoidance of getting started is what I really need to work on.
I started to read the article on autistic inertia, stopped and started to do the things I need to do, result unread article clean and tidy living room, kitchen and half bathroom... do the rest later.... mmmm later as in next week and never maybe.
I did something called "reading deprivation week" when I was taking a course called The Artist's Way (accompanying a book by the same name). Absolutely no reading other than what was required for work. It was SO hard for me to do that, but I got so much done that week and I also had a lot of fun with my significant other. It brought it to my attention that I'm a bit of a reading addict. It's tough not to indulge in reading though. That's got to be the best thing in life, if you ask me! 
The words inertia and procrastination leapt out at me from this thread. Actually, it's what I'm doing right now - I should be working on an overdue essay which MUST be handed in tomorrow and my dissertation which is never going to be handed in next week!
I can't operate without lists, but also I do have to be in the right frame of mind to focus properly on my work. I'm way too easily distracted!
I'm going to do my essay right now!